Chambers of Commerce from Kalispell to Mexico City expressed optimism in the face of a somewhat uncertain business climate during a viewing party Thursday of the annual United States Chamber’s State of American Business address at Applied Materials’ packaging, plates and cleaning facility in Kalispell.

“The state of American business may be somewhat uncertain, but the spirit is undaunted,” U.S. Chamber President Tom Donahue said during the international broadcast.

Kalispell was one of four U.S.-based locations and the only location in the Western United States to be chosen to host a viewing party for the international event, and the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce hosted the event. The city was chosen for its impressive growth and the local presence of high-tech businesses, and Applied Materials was selected as the site because it is a large international company and a U.S. Chamber member.

During the presentation, Donahue confronted the volatility of the upcoming election year, challenges facing U.S. businesses and the solutions being tested to address these challenges.

“Today we are at a crossroads economically, politically and globally. The debates and the decisions confronting the American business community this year have far-reaching consequences,” Donahue proclaimed. “We’re asking…what can actually get done in a year like 2020?”

Despite the mainstream focus on the 2020 presidential election, Donahue pushed for a commitment to “meaningful action” instead of inaction from policy makers and business leaders in the coming year.

He identified immigration reform, infrastructure issues and climate change as important global-scale action items. He also discussed specific topics with global, national and local impacts, including debates over the classification of independent contractors, the threat of class-action lawsuits against companies, tariffs and other trade restrictions and a gap between available jobs and skilled workers.

To address the worker shortage, Donahue brought up a new program, known as the Talent Pipeline Management initiative, for managers to help equip future workers with job skills. Kalispell Chamber President Joe Unterreiner said local leaders will be implementing a similar program throughout the Flathead Valley in 2020. He said they will focus specifically on the industries of tourism, bioscience and manufacturing and skill trades.

Unterreiner said the large-scale discussions of tariffs and other trade issues are also particularly relevant to local companies, since exporters such as Applied Materials and CHS sell most of their locally manufactured products overseas.

“We’re right with Tom [Donahue],” Unterreiner said. “There’s some uncertainty out there but we’re hopeful and optimistic. We’re in a good place and we have to keep pushing forward.”

Applied Materials’ PPC Unit General Manager Brian Aegerter brought up specific challenges for rural businesses like Applied Materials.

“What are the programs and policies that the chamber is behind that will help drive growth of high-technology industries in rural America?” he asked during the interactive simulcast.

Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber, said they are working to bring broadband to rural communities and supporting efforts to unify national policies, such as net neutrality and data privacy, so that local business owners don’t have to navigate a patchwork of varied rules in different states.

“There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity in terms of bringing tech to rural America,” he affirmed.

Unterreiner pointed out that companies like Applied Materials are shining examples of these opportunities.

He said Applied Materials showcases how “a global leader in technology manufacturing can be based right here in Northwest Montana.”

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.