Two years ago, the South Coast Chamber of Commerce in New Bedford and the Bristol County Chamber of Commerce in Fall River decided to merge to create the fourth largest chamber of commerce in Massachusetts. How does it work? Very good, according to Rick Kidder, co-chair of the One South Coast Chamber.

Kidder joined Townsquare this Sunday to have extensive discussions on business issues in the area.

Nearly two years after the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone’s focus is to get people back to work. Kidder said this is slowly happening in our Commonwealth area. Kidd said that in order to further encourage people to come back, the state and MassHire New Bedford are offering training programs to allow trainees to get paid. He said that as a result, some workers found that their positions were better than before.

Kidder also praised Mayor Jon Mitchell's list of priorities for spending federal ARPA funds. Kidder also spoke nicely to Governor Charlie Baker, who recently announced that he will not seek re-election next year. Kidd said the Baker government has spent a lot of time and resources on the South Coast and will be missed.

Townsquare Sunday is a weekly public affairs program broadcast on 1420 WBSM every Sunday morning. The program segment can also be found on wbsm.com and the WBSM application.

The plan highlights individuals and organizations dedicated to making Greater New Bedford a better place to live and work. If you want your organization to be featured on Townsquare on Sunday, please send an email to jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com to send an email to the host.