Our Corporate Contributing members had an exclusive opportunity to meet President Levits to hear his vision on the future of Latvia. The President engaged in an open dialogue with members on necessary reforms in the court system, education, healthcare and tax system. The meeting was held in the Thought Leaders Series, a program aiming to exchange views on issues critical for members' businesses and on improving the overall business climate.

The Labor Force work group met on October 18 at Microsoft Latvia office to discuss further development of labor force issues: integration of international talents in Latvia, Outlook on labor issues and suggestions for the National Development Plan.

The Minister of Transport addressed AmCham members on increasing competitiveness and efficiency of the transport sector. The Minister elaborated on a new business model of Latvian Railway, latest developments of Rail Baltica and the improvement of road maintenance.

The next Healthcare WG meeting was a follow-up discussion on engaging with key stakeholders on our Healthcare vision and pilot projects.

The Nebraska Nice team, represented by Jeffrey Grinvalds and Rita Treija won the title of Best Chili in Riga 2019 for Husker Heatwave chili. Asked what made their chili stand out, Jeffrey admitted their secret ingredient was "love". The Rūna team received the most votes from attendees and won the People's Choice Award for the Best Vegan Chili. Nine chili entries were evaluated by an expert jury: chefs Martins Sirmais and Elfa Abike-Skrabane and chili experts Michael Ritchie and Artis Kehris. AmCham Chili Cook-Off is a traditional autumn event, held for the 15th consecutive year.