SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — Late last year, Arthur Havlicek was working as a liaison between Michigan’s state representatives and west Michigan. Now, as the president and CEO of Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, he hopes to serve as a liaison between people, businesses and organizations within the region.

Before assuming the management of about 700 chamber members Jan. 1, Havlicek was a west Michigan advisor to the western Michigan delegation of the Michigan House of Representatives, serving under its speaker. He advised Republican representatives “up and down the coastline” on their policy and communication priorities, he said.

Prior to that, Havlicek served as the legislative director for then-State Rep. Kim LaSata, who is now a state senator. He wrote policy on behalf of her office.

Now, he is back in southwest Michigan, which he moved to when he was 8 years old from Chicago. The 27-year-old lives in the community that raised him, Bridgman, and works from the chamber’s St. Joseph office, 811 Ship St., Suite 303.

“I can already tell I love the challenges,” he said. “I love the work. We have a great staff, a great board, a great membership.”

Havlicek said he feels his work meeting with southwest Michigan stakeholders on state policies over the years allows him to fit the chamber’s work requirements well.

“Every day, you’re working on a different thing, interacting with other elected leaders, businesses, community organizations,” he said of his former roles. “You’re just solving issues by basically bringing people together.”

Havlicek said he will focus on promoting three key groups within southwest Michigan, each of which have led to the area’s economic success: businesses, community organizations and the workforce.

In order for the area to succeed, he said, those three groups must continue to strengthen.

Businesses must not only be retained, strengthened and brought in. The people they employ must be skilled.

He said the workforce needs to grow with younger people and diversify its skills. Havlicek said the largest working demographic nationally are Millennials, his own age group, but much of the area’s workforce is poised to retire in the next decade or so.

Community organizations, from schools to economic development groups, should work with businesses to promote local jobs that are unfilled and, the education and training needed for them, he said.

The regional chamber will work closely with all three groups, Havlicek said.

“My personal view is that the chamber is sort of a catalyst, a connector, between all these different entities to bring people to the table and help make things happen,” he said.

Working with the regional chamber’s board and staff, Havlicek identified three goals for the chamber to strive for in 2020: grow its brand, engage the community it serves each day, and inspire groups and businesses to economic action and collaboration.

Havlicek and company also identified three goals for the area that the regional chamber should work to catalyze: attract a talented workforce, invest in amenities and increase collaboration within the community.

As the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber works out the specifics of these goals, and while Havlicek settles into his role, the president said his office has an open door. Anyone is welcome to stop in and share their questions and concerns.

The chamber is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.