Chamber announces Choose Mon 2030, a five-year $4.5 million workforce initiative

Jessica Walden, president and CEO of the Greater Mon Chamber of Commerce, announced a new campaign called Choose Mon 2030 and asked local businesses and residents to support the chamber’s five-year, $4.5 million plan to expand workforce development and retain talent.

“Choose Mon 2030 is our community’s next bold step forward. A 5-year, $4.5 million investment in the people, talent, and opportunities that define Mon's future,” Walden said, describing the initiative as a combination of workforce programs, employer partnerships, income-aligned housing solutions and an advanced manufacturing pathway linked to the local school system.

Walden said the initiative is already backed by early commitments from local businesses and partners, and she invited attendees to learn more and sign up through a QR code and the campaign web address mentioned during the remarks. The chamber framed the project as both a recruitment and retention effort: expanding employer partnerships, strengthening manufacturing pathways and supporting housing options so workers can live where they work.

Walden thanked presenting sponsor Cadence Bank and multiple community partners and sponsors who she said had already stepped forward. She also highlighted the chamber’s membership base — described in the remarks as nearly 800 businesses — and asked business leaders in the room to consider joining or supporting the initiative.

Walden’s announcement closed with a call to action: businesses and residents were invited to visit the campaign website (as provided on-stage) to learn how to contribute or participate. The chamber did not present a line-item budget or implementation timetable during the remarks; the $4.5 million figure and program components were reported here as described by Walden onstage.