This editorial originally appeared in the July 2026 edition of Focus on Business, a publication of the Temple Chamber of Commerce.

This Independence Day feels different.

Perhaps it’s because our nation is preparing to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps it’s because, as I watch the World Cup, I’m reminded how deeply people around the world celebrate and identify with their countries. Or perhaps it’s because of a recent conversation with one of our Chamber Members who grew up during the communist era in Czechoslovakia.

As we talked, she described what it was like to live under a government that controlled information, nationalized business and industry, restricted opportunity, and limited freedoms that many of us have never lived without. She was there when the regime fell in the early 1990s. She distinctly remembers the difference.

It was a powerful reminder that perspective changes everything. Sometimes we don’t fully appreciate what we have until we understand what life looks like without it.

For most Americans, freedom is all we’ve ever known. We are free to start a business, pursue ideas, express opinions, volunteer, support causes we believe in, and shape the future of the communities we call home. Those freedoms have become so familiar that they can begin to feel ordinary.

They’re anything but.

Nearly 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence articulated a bold idea: that every person possesses the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words were not simply about individual liberty. They established a foundation on which generations of Americans have built businesses, strengthened communities, created opportunities, and pursued lives of purpose.

Freedom becomes even more meaningful when we remember that it is neither universal nor guaranteed. As Americans, we have the fortune of inheriting it, but we also have the responsibility to steward it.

Freedom gave us the opportunity to build.

Free enterprise is one of the clearest expressions of that freedom.

Every entrepreneur sees possibility where others see uncertainty. Every small business begins with someone willing to take a risk, solve a problem, or pursue an idea. Every nonprofit begins because someone believes a need can be met. Every community improvement begins because someone chooses not to stand on the sidelines.

That’s the beauty of free enterprise; it gives ordinary people the opportunity to create extraordinary things.

Innovation itself is born from independent thinking, and the freedom to pursue opportunity has helped make America one of the most entrepreneurial nations in history. The remarkable thing about free enterprise is that while businesses often begin with an idea, the best ones become investments in people.

One of the greatest privileges of serving as President & CEO of the Temple Chamber is having a front-row seat to those stories. Every day I watch competitors become collaborators. I see business owners quietly support countless causes that strengthen our community, mentor future leaders, and invest in projects that may never directly benefit their bottom line. I see organizations working together to solve challenges that no one could solve alone.

Those moments rarely make headlines, but they remind me that free enterprise is about far more than commerce. At its best, it is about contribution. It creates opportunity not only for ourselves, but for others.

Perhaps that's why I believe free enterprise and civic engagement are so closely connected.

When you build something here, you naturally become invested in what happens here.

I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Building creates more than businesses. It creates a sense of stewardship. The more we invest our time, talents, resources, and ideas into a place, the more we become invested in its future.

That’s why the most engaged people in a community are often the people who have built something within it. They've experienced both the opportunities and the responsibilities firsthand.

People protect what they’ve helped build.

Perhaps that's why so many of the people who shape Temple's future are the very people who have chosen to build their lives here.

They understand that thriving communities don't simply happen. They are built, protected, and strengthened by people willing to invest in something greater than themselves.

The Chamber Members I have the privilege of serving don't simply invest in their own companies. They invest in numerous organizations, volunteer with nonprofits, serve on boards, sponsor community events, and quietly say "yes" when someone asks for help. They're not doing it because they're required to. They're doing it because they care about the future of the community that has given them so much.

Communities don't become stronger because everyone agrees. One of the enduring strengths of our democracy has always been independent thought. Healthy communities need people willing to ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, and bring different perspectives to the table. But they also require curiosity, humility, and a willingness to seek understanding before rushing to judgment.

One of the humbling realities of leadership is realizing how often there is more to the story.

The longer I've served in this role, the less interested I've become in quick conclusions and the more interested I've become in understanding context.

Every decision has history.

Every project has a process.

Every challenge has competing priorities.

The more you learn, the more you realize how much you didn't know.

That doesn't mean we all arrive at the same conclusions, nor should we. A healthy democracy isn't built on groupthink. It's built on people who think independently while remaining committed to truth, civility, and the common good.

Freedom gives us the right to disagree. Respect allows us to do it well. Citizenship asks us to keep showing up.

Those who came before us built the institutions, businesses, neighborhoods, and freedoms we enjoy today. They accepted responsibility and invested in a future they might never personally experience. Because they did, we have the extraordinary privilege of living in a nation where we are free to pursue opportunity, own businesses, express our opinions, and help shape our future.

The question before us isn't whether we enjoy these freedoms. There is no doubt we do. The question is what we'll choose to build with them.

Will we build businesses that create opportunity? Organizations that strengthen our community? Relationships rooted in trust? Opportunities for future generations? Communities worthy of those who will one day call them home?

Will we continue choosing curiosity over assumptions, respect over resentment, participation over indifference, and stewardship over complacency?

Will we simply inherit those opportunities created by those who came before us, or will we build upon them for those who come after us?

Our responsibility isn't simply to inherit these freedoms. It's to steward them well.

Strong communities don't happen by accident. They are built by people who choose to engage, choose to contribute, and choose to leave things better than they found them.

As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, my hope is that we continue building a Temple worthy of those who came before us, and worthy of those who will one day call it home.

That is the promise of freedom. Free enterprise gives us the opportunity to build. Citizenship gives us the responsibility to steward what we’ve been given. And together, that is the work of community.