Elected officials and community leaders welcomed former Secretary of State Colin Powell as the keynote speaker at the Collin County Business Alliance’s fourth anniversary luncheon at Capital One Plano Conference Center on Dec. 10.

Since the CCBA began, it has held regular policy forums and summits to bring together leaders from government and the business sector to discuss challenges and address policy issues facing the region.

During his speech, Powell spoke about the importance of leadership in today’s businesses and in the community as a whole. Powell said he had been studying the CCBA for the past couple weeks to understand more about the area and the association’s mission. As he read more about the organization, Powell said he became passionate about CCBA’s mission to have business leaders take responsibility in how they shape their community.

“In the last several years, [CCBA has] come together to talk about important issues and break down barriers between companies and cities and towns,” Powell said.