Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The CEO of Jefferson Health<\/a> and Thomas Jefferson University<\/a> will be the local chamber of commerce\u2019s next chair, and he\u2019s focused on a feeling of safety in the city. <\/p>\n Joseph G. Cacchione, Jefferson\u2019s CEO since 2022, will chair the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia\u2019s board of directors beginning Oct. 15, the chamber announced Tuesday. <\/p>\n The new role comes just a year after Cacchione said Jefferson could move its headquarters<\/a> out of the city. But now he says that\u2019s no longer on the table, crediting Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a> and the city\u2019s police chief for making \u201cgreat strides in improving safety.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here. We\u2019re Jefferson. We\u2019ve been in Center City<\/a> for 200 years. We\u2019re not moving,\u201d he said in an interview Tuesday. <\/p>\n Cacchione says some of the region\u2019s remaining challenges can be tackled through partnerships between business and government. <\/p>\n \u201cFor me it\u2019s about never standing back and watching but to actually roll your sleeves up and get in there and mix it up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Jefferson teamed up with the city police department and SEPTA transit police in one such partnership in June, launching a public safety hub<\/a> in partnership in Market East.<\/p>\n \u201cEast Market Street particularly has had challenges over the years,\u201d he said Tuesday. \u201cWe saw an opportunity to have more visible police presence.\u201d<\/p>\n But recently, he said, the area has felt safer and more vibrant. He pointed to the pop-up businesses that opened<\/a> along that corridor this year, as well the pop-up plaza<\/a> outside Reading Terminal Market. <\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to need to work on that quality of life,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just East Market Street. It\u2019s the entire city that we want to be safer.\u201d<\/p>\n More good jobs for the region <\/p>\n Cacchione\u2019s priorities also include supporting small and medium-sized businesses, continuing regional job growth, and improving access to healthcare. <\/p>\n The chamber\u2019s board of directors includes CEOs, presidents. and other leaders of area institutions such as CHOP, Aramark, Temple University<\/a>, Comcast, Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Eagles. <\/p>\n Its recent efforts include a new regional partnership<\/a> to create good jobs in business software, biomedical engineering and production, and specialized manufacturing, where business leaders see potential to grow. Jefferson Health<\/a> and Thomas Jefferson University<\/a> are early partners in the group. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are at an inflection point for our region, and we have to make decisions to lean in so that we can continue to grow,\u201d Chamber CEO Chellie Cameron said Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019m talking about attracting new businesses and growing existing businesses, creating jobs \u2014 not just any job, but opportunity jobs and pathways to those jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Cacchione, as the leader of a very large employer in Center City, \u201cgets it,\u201d Cameron said, adding that he\u2019s not just invested in the city, but the region as a whole. <\/p>\n Cacchione added that AI will \u201cchange how we do business,\u201d calling it an \u201cenabler of business.\u201d The chamber could help train workforces that don\u2019t have experience with AI, he said. <\/p>\n