Greater Nashua
Chamberof
Commerce
DARE TO SUCCEED
September 27, 2016 142 Main Street, Fifth Floor
Nashua, NH 03060
The Honorable James Donchess, Mayor Phone: 603-881-8333
Members of the Board of Aldermen Fax: 603-881-7323
City of Nashua www.nashuachamber.com
229 Main Street
Nashua, NH 03060
Dear Mayor Donchess and Aldermen,
On behalf of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, | wish to offer our strong support for the original
language of the resolution “Affirming the City of Nashua, New Hampshire as a Welcoming City and to
Participate in the Welcoming America Initiative,” which is being reported out of Committee this evening.
Our city’s diversity enriches our lives, our businesses, our economy and our neighborhoods. Our Chamber
stands proudly to celebrate and capitalize on our growing diversity; we believe so strongly in this work that
in March 2016, we formally incorporated this as a goal in our Strategic Plan, which will guide our focus and
our work for the next three to five years.
As our region's leading business organization, we see this as much more than a social issue - it’s an
economic one.
e Our newest Americans bring a strong entrepreneurial spirit to our community. More than 5,500
immigrants in NH are self-employed and nearly 21,000 people in our State are employed at firms
owned by immigrants.
e In 2014, immigrants in NH earned $3.2 billion, contributing nearly $170 million to our state and local
tax base, with $2.4 billion in spending power.
* Immigrants are more likely to be of working age than our native-born population - an important
asset as our State’s population ages ~ and over 51% more likely to hold a graduate degree.
At the Chamber, we are actively involved in work with both India and Israel to explore opportunities to
expand economic opportunities and investments in our city. Adoption of this Resolution, with a
commitment to being part of the larger Welcoming America Initiative, sends a clear and compelling message
of “Welcome, we're the best place to do business” to those exploring what our city has to offer.
Sincerely,
racy S. Hatch
President and C
