volume 3 issue 8 DeCemBeR 2010 / JANuARY 2011

Transcription

volume 3 issue 8 DECEMBER 2010 / JANUARY 2011
DECEMBER 2010 / JANUARY 2011
1
DECEMBER
6
13
Chamber U – 8:30 a.m.
2 Leadership Durham
9
16
Social – 4:30 p.m.
Legislative Forum & Holiday
Reception – 4 p.m.
DYP Holiday Mingle & Bull’s Eye Awards
20
23
Chamber Offices Closed
27
30
31 Chamber Offices Closed
6
JANUARY
31
Leadership Durham
Social – 4:30 p.m.
13
20 PRIMETIME – 5:30 p.m.
27
2
PUBLIC POLICY
What does the Nov. 2 election mean for
Durham?
Tuesday, Nov. 2 was a historic day for
our Nation, the State of North Carolina and the people of Durham. Locally, Durham was one of few counties whose voters supported a local
referendum – a $20 million General
Obligation Bond for Street Improvements. Elsewhere, at least 18 counties
saw ballot measures fail, the majority
of which were for Sales and Use taxes
– thank you Durham!
Despite the partisan ideals and philosophies, Durham still has tremendous leadership in both chambers of
the North Carolina State Legislature.
Given the shift in political power we
will no longer have the senior chairman over the House Appropriations
Committee or the senior chair of the
House Finance Committee – which
are unarguably the two most important
committees in both the State Senate
and House of Representatives. Once
you look at the political makeup of
Durham, the change in political parties
and political leadership may likely
affect budgetary requests from the City
and County to those with voting power
within the state legislature. Durham is
one of the most democratic counties in
the State based on voting records and
the percentage of registrants from the
two major political parties.
So what does this mean for Durham?
Durham has the opportunity to positively position itself and to potentially
propose legislation that supports infrastructural needs or incentives for
venture capitalists or angle investors
to support local start-ups.
Signs
of
lower
health care
costs
point to
Save your company money over a
traditional PPO,1 without going to
a high-deductible health plan.
Now, with free generics
for a full 6 months!2
The Nov. 2 election spoke to American’s demand for a rebound in the
economy and the need to see jobs,
jobs and more jobs! As the economic development arm for the Durham
County, the Greater Durham Chamber
of Commerce sees 2011 as a the year
for opportunity and not the year for
complacency.
1 Up to 30% potential savings compared to our most popular PPO plan.
2 Copayments and coinsurance waived on all covered generic drugs on
the Formulary Tier 1 for a full six months for groups with 51-249 eligible
employees. Groups must enroll between July 1 and December 31,
2009 to qualify. An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue
Shield Association. U6591, 7/09
YOUR ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
FOR RATES, CONTACT
SHEENA JOHNSON COOPER
at
sjohnson@durhamchamber.org
WWW.DURHAMCHAMBER.ORG
MEET THE LEADERSHIP
DURHAM MEMBERS
KEITH ANTHONY
Attorney, K& L Gates, LLP
JANE BULLOCK
Junior League of Durham & Orange County
GARRETT CLARK
Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
SCOTT COLLIE
Suntrust Mortgage
SAM CROCKETT
The Aya Center
JACQUIE DEMIANCZYK
The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham
3
Chamber welcomes Leadership Durham
Class of 2011
Leadership Durham was formed
by the Chamber in 1972 when area
business and civic leaders wanted to
identify and train future leaders for
our incredible community. Durham’s
Mayor Bill Bell was a member of the
first graduating class of 1972. In over
three decades over 980 participants
have graduated from the program. Very exciting program changes are
underway being lead by the Class of
2011 in response to recommendations
from steering committees and participants of prior years. Class of 2011
RYAN EVES
YMCA of the Triangle - Durham Branches
GEORGE HINING
MHAworks
SUSAN JOSEPHSON
AICPA
DANIELLE KUSHNER
The Streets at Southpoint (GGP)
DEL MATTIOLI
New York Life
Here are a few samples of what we are doing:
• Program expanded from 6 to 8 months, meeting once a month instead of
twice a month, thereby reducing absenteeism and intensifying the session’s
learning experience.
• Participants will continue to learn from area business and civic leaders
through a series of panel and lecture discussions coupled with increased opportunities for onsite experiential learning.
• There is only one class project this year and it is entirely focused on Leadership Durham’s 40th Anniversary celebration to be held in 2012.
BETSY O’DONOVAN
The Herald Sun
TONI PECK
Williams Mullen
CURTIS RILEY III
Duke University - Fuqua School of Business
SUSAN SCOTT
Frontier Communications
ALTHIA SCRIVEN
Durham Public Schools
SHELLY TAYLOR
NCCU - Community Economic Development Initiative
ASHLEY WOHL
Smith & Nephew Inc.
ALEXANDRA ZAGBAYU
Student U
Special thanks to our Leadership Durham
2011 sponsors
BB&T
|
Chamblee Graphics
Calling all Leadership Durham Alumni! Please send your current contact
information to leadershipdurham@durhamchamber.org and join us on Linkedin
under the group ‘Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce – Leadership Durham
Alum’. Better yet, come meet the Class of 2011 who will be gathering at a local
establishment from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month to meet
you! This will be an awesome opportunity for everyone to sit back, relax, and
reflect on their Leadership Durham experiences while getting to know each other. Destination details will appear on the Chamber’s calendar and through our Linkedin group. Mark your calendar for one of the dates below to meet the class!
December 2, 2010 | January 6, 2011 | February 3, 2011
March 3, 2011 | March 17, 2011 | April 7, 2011 | May 5, 2011
4
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Downtown: The New Epicenter of the Triangle’s Dynamic
Entrepreneurial Community
the Triangle, and Durham in particular, a magnet for start-up initiatives.
In addition, the presence of excellent
universities, strong corporate employers/Research Triangle Park, the low
cost of living and doing business and
the presence of companies that were
started here and have scaled successfully such as Cree, Red Hat, Quintiles
and SAS add to the allure.
PHOTO CREDIT:
STEWART WALLER, DURHAM RISING
Fast Company magazine wrote in its
latest edition that if an entrepreneur is
interested in starting a tech business
they should not in Silicon Valley; but
here in the Triangle. In the same week,
Tech Journal South noted that Durham
is quickly emerging as the technology
hub of the Triangle. Press like this is
incredibly valuable in putting Durham
on the map as the entrepreneurial destination of the Southeast.
Adam Smith, vice president at Square
1 Bank and director of its early-stage
banking arm Square Roots, observed
that our region’s well know strengths
- a positive attitude for collaboration,
strong infrastructure, and presence of
talent and technology—are what make
Recently, Durham City Council approved incentives to attract global
mobile phone manufacturer HTC to
downtown Durham. Local newspaper
writers noted that the arrival of HTC
at American Tobacco Historic District
(ATHD) could serve to cement downtown Durham and in particular ATHD
as an emerging hub for technology
companies in the Triangle. In many
ways, a high-tech hub has already
emerged in downtown Durham started
by the development of the American
Tobacco campus. The potential location of HTC at American Tobacco
only serves to highlight the development of downtown Durham as a high
point in community and the region.
Interestingly, HTC would be an ideal
complement to the tech hub located
downtown because the firm will further reinforce the area as a hotbed of
innovation and entrepreneurship.
A number of high tech firms have located in downtown Durham in the past
decade including McKinney, Bronto
Software, Zenph, Archibus, Compuware, Pocketgear, Oncosope, Regado,
Renasas, Slate Pharmaceuticals, Viget Labs, LaunchBox, Joystick Labs,
Topsail Technologies, Precision BioScience, Duke University and Duke
University Healthcare System, and
Grassroots Technologies. HTC ex-
ecutives are particularly excited about
the synergy that will happen between
HTC and the local entrepreneurs already developing mobile applications
and smartphone technology.
In the development world, each location or departure of a company has a
reaction. In the case of GlaxoSmithKline’s strategic decision to move its
entire Triangle-based workforce onto
their campus in RTP - this action will
open up nearly 90,000 square feet of
highly prized office space in ATHD.
Already, a number of companies are
lining up to lease this attractive space.
This phenomenon serves to highlight
how successful our community has
been in terms of developing productive public-private partnerships that
stimulated the development of exciting projects such as American Tobacco Historic District, West Village,
Measurement Incorporated’s campus
and hopefully soon the conversion of
the former Hill Building into a boutique hotel and the adaptive reuse of
the Chesterfield Building; all of which
serve to create an exciting and dynamic downtown attractive to technology
oriented companies in which to locate.
Downtown Durham now serves at the
key centerpiece for Durham’s identity
and economic development marketing.
Wow, what a difference a focused,
community effort makes when driven
by a well-shaped vision and supported by market driven comprehensive
plans under the effective stewardship
of Downtown Durham, Inc.
5
Chamber forms Community Advisory Board
In October 2010, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce launched its Community
Advisory Board. The Community Advisory Board is a separate board of the Chamber
comprised of a diverse group of leaders representing various parts of the Durham community, such as non-profits, colleges and universities, healthcare, and economic
development. “The Chamber considers these organizations key players in creating a better Durham,”
said Casey Steinbacher, the Chamber’s president & CEO. “The Community Advisory
Board will assist the Chamber in directing and prioritizing our efforts in community
development.”
The founding members of the Community Advisory Board are the original ad-hoc community representatives of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The group will meet
quarterly.
Looking for
a school where
your child
will be valued
as a unique
individual?
2011 Community Advisory Board
ANGELICA OBERLEITHNER
Durham’s Partnership for Children
Jim & Carolyn Hunt Child Care
Resource Center
MAYOR WILLIAM V. (BILL) BELL
Durham City Council
MARYANN E. BLACK, MSW, LCSW
Duke University Health System
SHERRY L. DEVRIES
Durham Arts Council
SHELLY GREEN
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
DR. ERIC BECOATS
Durham Public Schools
DR. WILLIAM G. INGRAM
Durham Technical Community College
WILLIAM A. KALKHOF
Downtown Durham, Inc.
STARLA TANNER
North Carolina Central University
REV. MICHAEL D. PAGE
Durham County Board of
Commissioners
DR. PHAIL WYNN
Duke University
At CFS, we do exactly that.
In the tradition of Quaker education,
we are committed to academic excellence that challenges and nurtures every
student according to their potential,
thanks to our dynamic curriculum and
9:1 student-teacher ratio.
We invite you to learn for yourself by
attending our Main Campus Open
House on Sunday, December 12, from
2:00 to 4:00 pm.
For information, call 919.383.6602
x221 or visit us at www.cfsnc.org
Carolina Friends School
One of the real joys of the Holiday Season is the opportunity
to say thank you. We appreciate everything you do for our
community. May your holidays and new year be filled with
peace, joy and prosperity.
The Durham Chamber staff
6
MEMBERSHIP
Membership Event brings in
new members
On Oct. 5-7, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce utilized the resources of nearly 100 Chamber
member and community volunteers to help facilitate
a massive membership campaign to not only bring in
126 new members, but to let the community know all
of the great things the Chamber does on a daily basis
to support Durham’s thriving business economy.
“We are thrilled with the results of this membership drive,” said Casey Steinbacher, the Chamber’s
president & CEO. “In just two and a half days, we
were able to bring in more members and spread the
word about the Chamber. We could not have done it
without the help of such great volunteers.”
The Lime Green Team (Ultimate Sales Connection)
and the Black Team (SunTrust) combined forces to
be the winners of the event, bringing in $11,645 in
new members. Scott Harmon (Center Studio Architecture) had the highest number of individual sales
with nine new members Peggy McIntyre (American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants) had the
highest dollar amount of sales with $3,170.
New members and current members of the Chamber
will have the opportunity to meet in January at the
PRIMETIME Business After Hours! Stay tuned for
more information about what is guaranteed to be the
largest networking event of the year!
Special thanks to the following
individuals and companies that
helped to make this event great!
American Audio Visual
Carolina Theatre
Chick-fil-A – RTP
Durham Coca Cola
Foster’s Market
Homewood Suites by Hilton
Meineke Car Care Ctr.
Outsider’s Art Gallery
Pop’s Restaurant
Rue Cler
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Wine Authorities
Springhill Suites by Marriott Durham/Chapel-Hill
On a smarter planet, the question isn’t
what can we do. The question is what will we do?
Let’s build a smarter planet. ibm.com/think
IBM, the IBM logo and ibm.com are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright and trademark information” at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.
MEMBERSHIP
7
Check out all of the new members who joined Oct. 5-7
Acanthus Construction
Adams Chetwood Wealth Management
Aesthetic Oral Health
Allstate Insurance Company - Ava Alston
Alpha Management Community Services,
Inc.
Always Best Care Senior Services of
Chapel-Durham
Aon Insurance
Ashton Trevethan and Company
AVCON, Inc
Beta Alpha Phi
Biosignia, Inc.
Biz Com Web Svc
Blue Atlantic Group
Body Billboards
Builders of Hope
Bull City Insurance Agency
By Regina Gale
The C W Law Group, PC
Cambria Suites RDU
Capital Financial Solutions
Carolina Behavioral Care, PA
Claring Technology Group
Clayton’s Car Care
Contactology
CPA2Biz
Croasdaile Dental Arts
Darryls Coins
Dolly’s Vintage
Scott Donner, DDS
Down Under Gallery
Ebner Financial Group
Edward Jones - Tim Hinton
Eno Limo
Enterprise Distribution
Entity Incorportated
EPG Technology Inc./dba New York
Technology Co.
Financial Directions
Firestream Media
Foundation Xperts
Frazee Carpet & Interiors
Fusion Multicultural Marketing
& Communications
Gaylor Inc. of North Carolina - Raleigh
Geami LTD
General Rental Center
Green Plus
Greer & Assoc
Grill Masters
Gurley’s Pharmacy
Hall Wynne Funeral Service Crematory
Health Outsources, Inc
Hemisphere Beverages
Hennessey Law, PC
High Point Solutions, Inc.
Housing for New Hope
Infill Development
The Insurance Pros
International Minute Press
J. D. Morris Construction
Joe Wrenn, CPA, P.C.
JD Plumbing & Construction Company
The Juvenile Diabetes Triangle/Eastern
Chapter
Kberg Consultants
Klik Technologies
Kyroshere
Lee Street Construction
LeMays AV Integration
Maplewood Building Co
Marsosudino and Co. LLC
Martha McKee Attorney at Law
Massey Real Estate
Maupin Travel
Maximo Mukelabai CPA, PC
David McKenzie, Attorney at Law
Meelo’s Restaurant
MetaMetrics
MS Designs Embroidery, LLC
NC VIP Home Inspections
Obey & Protect
Oceanic Communications
One Cow Standing, LLC
W. D. Osborne Construction
Parata Systems, LLC
The Michael F. Pearl, CPA Firm, P.C.
Pinnacle Personal Training
Posh The Salon
Prompt Mailers, Inc
Renovision Properties
Roughton Nickelson, De Luca Architects
Roush Financial
Saturn InfoTech, Inc
Schoolhouse
Seagroves Realty
Secure Network Administration
Sierra Structures
Smashing Boxes
Smith Orthodontics
Sokal Media Group
Law Offices of Laurel E. Solomon, PLLC
Southern Borders
SpoonFlower
Spring Tree Realty
Spritzer Commercial Properties
Steadman Willis, DMD
Strategic Signs
Successful Solutions MHS, Inc
Summit Performance Systems
Sunrise Contracting
Synergy Commercial Advisors
Tarheel Trophy & Plaque Company, Inc
Tiffany L. Ashhurst
Triangle Auto Recycles
Triangle Brewing Co
Triangle Business Forms
Trinity Partners Construction
Troutman Sanders, LLP
Valassis
Valsquesz Digital Media
Communications
Volunteer Center of Durham
Voyager Academy
The Waggoner Group
Frank Ward Realtors
Warren Printing
Your Chamber Connection
8
Membership Renewals
MEMBERSHIP
*As of Nov. 4
The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce would like to say thank you to the
following businesses that have renewed their investment in the Chamber for one
more year! As you know, chamber membership is one of the important keys to
business success. Membership provides a number a resources and opportunities
for businesses to grow and succeed. Thank you for your support of the Chamber
and the business community!
Accent Hardwood Flooring, Inc.
Accentuate Staffing
Alfred Williams & Company
American Party Rentals, Inc.
Anesnah Design & Marketing
Any Lab Test Now
Robert H. Appleby
Automation Electrical Company
Brenntag Southeast, Inc.
Bryant-Durham Services Inc.
Bullock’s Bar B Cue, Inc.
Camp Bow Wow Durham/RTP
Caring House
Centurion Construction Co., Inc.
Chamblee Graphics
Chatham Steel
Clegg’s Termite & Pest Control LLC
Clements Funeral Service
Coach America
Costco Durham #249
Dickerson Fencing & Landscaping
Linda Dickerson Interiors, Inc.
DTW Architects & Planners Ltd.
Duke School
Durham Literacy Center
Durham’s Partnership For Children, Inc.
Emerson Waldorf School
Euroclassics, Ltd.
Family Health International
Fargo Hanna Ltd. Oriental Rug Gallery
FeatureTel
Feeling Great! / Second Breath / Sleep
Medical Clinic
First In Families Of North Carolina
Freudenberg IT LP
Hedrick Murray PLLC
Hendrick Auto Mall
Herring & Bickers Insurance Agency
Hock Development Corp.
InStepp, Inc.
Intangibles, LLC
JMC (USA), Inc.
Junior League of Durham and Orange
Counties
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Kontek Systems, Inc.
LMHT Associates
N.C. Institute of Minority Economic
Development
The Persian Carpet, Inc.
Piedmont Investment Advisors, LLC
Pinpoint Properties, LLC
Professional Recovery Consultants, Inc.
RE/MAX Winning Edge
Rosenstein Vision Center
Michael Jordan’s RPM Nissan
RTI International
Standard Pacific of the Carolinas, LLC
Stone Bros. & Byrd, Inc
Threshold, Inc.
Steve Toler, LLC
Transition of Youth, Inc. - Troy House
Triangle Land Conservancy
TROSA Moving & Storage
UAI Technology, Inc.
Urban Ministries of Durham
White Building Inc.
Welcome New Members!
The following firms recently made
the smart business decision to join the
Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce! Please take a few minutes to
review this list of businesses, and
when you need a product or service
they provide, consider giving them a
call. Thanks to these firms for joining
the Chamber!
604 West Morgan Featuring Cinellis
Association for Corporate Growth
Raleigh-Durham
BC Innovations, Inc.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle,
Inc.
Clean Energy Durham
Edward Jones - Julie Kelly
Franchise Mart/Biz1 Brokers of Chapel
Hill/Durham
Fullsteam Brewery
The Greeting Express, Inc.
The Hair Design School
Integrated Technology, Inc.
Lango Kids RTP
The Little Green Software
LKC Web Design
Massage Envy Southpoint
Merge Records
Montie Design
Steve Nicewarner, CPA, Realtor/Weichert
Realtors
Paychex, Inc.
Pre Paid Legal Services, Inc.
RGJ & Associates
Sign-A-Rama of Durham/Greer
& Associates
Urban Planet Mobile
*As of Nov. 8
RIBBON CUTTINGS
Congratulations to WinStar Homes and
Sandella’s Flatbread Cafe for recently
celebrating ribbon cutting ceremonies
and introducing their services to the
Chamber membership and community.
Is your company interested
in having a ribbon cutting
ceremony? Email
mrogers@durhamchamber.org
for more information.
THANK YOU TO OUR
MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN
TEAM MEMBERS FOR A
9
SAVE THE DATE
MEMORABLE EVENT!
ANNUAL MEETING
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center
Registration available at www.durhamchamber.org.
LIVE
SOLID
presents
PRIMETIME
EXHIBIT
BANK
SOLID
Helping you get and
stay on solid ground.
MEET
GREET
Thursday, January 20, 2011
5 - 7 p.m.
Mark your calendars for what
is expected to be the largest
networking event of the
year…PRIMETIME! There’s
no better way to kick off the
new year than making serious
connections! In addition to
networking,
PRIMETIME
provides new members a table
top opportunity to display their
products and services to the
entire membership. Join us for
an evening of fun, food and
mega connections!
For more information, please
contact Mable Rogers at 328-8731
or
mrogers@durhamchamber.org.
SunTrust Bank, Member FDIC. ©2008 SunTrust Banks, Inc.
SunTrust is a federally registered service mark of SunTrust Banks, Inc.
Live Solid. Bank Solid.SM is a service mark of SunTrust Banks, Inc.
10
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Career EXPO a success!
Nearly 1,000 Durham middle school
students and their parents/guardians
attended the Career EXPO on November 9. The students walked away with
valuable information eager to further
explore all the career options available
to them. The Chamber would like to
thank all the sponsors of the Career
EXPO as well as the more than 100
career professionals that volunteered.
Presenting Sponsor:

PARTICIPATING COMPANIES
Gold Sponsors
Chick-fil-A
Fairway Outdoor Advertising
Northgate Mall
Wachovia
SILVER SPONSORS
Johnny Carino’s – Southpoint
Kelly Services
McDonald’s, Roxboro Rd.
Supporting Sponsors
Express Employment Professionals
Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor & Hunt, P.A.
North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance
Riley Life Industries
Sheetz, Miami Blvd
American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants
Anlyan Consulting, LLC
Aten Inc.
Beadazzled / Vega Gallery
Blackman & Sloop, CPAs, P.A.
C.T. Wilson Construction Company
Carolina Theatre of Durham
CC Black Nurses Council
Central Regional Hospital
DPS - Lakewood Elementary
DTW Architects & Planners, Ltd.
Duke / Butner-Creedmoor FP
Duke University School of Medicine
Duke University: Fuqua School
of Business
Durham Co. Animal Control
Durham Co. Social Services
Durham County
Durham Family Medicine
Durham Technical Community College
Edward Jones
EMC Corporation
ErgoSmith Consulting, LLC
Federal Medical Center
Futures for Kids
GE Aviation
GlaxoSmithKline
Hershey & Heymann
HR Partner Advantage
IBM
InStepp, Inc.
Jason’s Deli
Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor & Hunt, P.A.
JobLink of Durham County
Kamrani Engineering Inc
Kelly Services
Kruse Chiropractic
L A Downey & Son, Inc.
McDonald York Building CO.
Monarch Services
National Jewelry & Pawn
NC Museum of Life + Science
NC Mutual Life Insurance
NC School Science & Math
NC Zoological Society
New 14 Carolina
Obey and Protect
Parata Systems, LLC
Pickett-Sprouse
Prestonwood Country Club
Progress Energy
RedStorm Entertainment
Risk Management Associates
Ronald McDonald House-Durham
Southpoint Animal Hospital
SunTrust Bank
The Hair Design School
The King’s Daughters Inn
US EPA at RTP
Ward and Smith, P.A.
WorkSmart
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
11
Futures for Kids helps get students on career path
Want to help a child explore career options? Futures for Kids (F4K)
makes it easy for local businesses and employers to support Durham
Public School students—just go to www.f4k.org/beacareercoach and
sign up! You can dialogue with students who share your passions
and offer encouragement and guidance based on your own experiences in a readily-accessible online message board format. You can
also demonstrate your commitment to bridging the gap between
school and work by indicating your willingness to participate in
Work-Based Learning opportunities (WBLs), and the students and
educators will take it from there.
F4K has been providing Durham County students with career
exploration, personal electronic portfolios and online mentoring for
several years now. This fall, the students started using several new
features, including a searchable electronic database for WBLs and
an online registration component.
Area employers now have a resource for sharing WBLs with students and educators in an easily-maintained, user-friendly
electronic database that eliminates much of the difficulty in providing or participating in WBLs. Ranging from hosting job
shadowing to participating in a career fair or judging a student presentation, WBLs create a platform for students to gain
first-hand experience with the workplace while giving employers a platform to connect with our future workforce, generating enthusiasm and positively impacting their career-readiness.
The registration component will allow Durham middle school students to create a four year graduation plan that will
follow them through high school while tracking progress toward graduation requirements and reinforcing the relevance
between their education and their future goals. It will also expand F4K deeper into the high schools, helping the students
as they explore their interests and options and prepare for higher education and the workplace.
If you have any questions about F4K or getting involved, please contact Susan Milliken, Executive Director, at
800-965-8541 x205 or susanm@f4k.org.
JOHN MESSICK, II
2011 Chair, Board of Directors
CASEY STEINBACHER
President & CEO
Connections is a monthly publication of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of content is prohibited.
SHEENA JOHNSON COOPER
Editor, Director of Communications & Marketing
www.durhamchamber.org
300 W. Morgan Street, Suite 1400 Durham, NC 27701
Send change of address to: PO Box 3829 Durham, NC 27702
For advertising rates call (919) 328-8722
ROCHELLE WOODWARD
Design, Row Design Studios
www.RowDesignStudios.com
SHARING OUR STORY
There couldn’t be a better time to lead Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce! Over the past couple of years, the Chamber has virtually re-invented itself becoming
a more entrepreneurial organization, driven to achieve results for both its members
and its community. Despite the tough economic challenges that many businesses
experienced recently, Durham has continued to thrive, boasting economic development activity that most communities don’t experience in good times. Jobs are being
created and investment in our community is growing.
Our membership ranks have grown. Our programming is more mission focused. Our advocacy of business needs has become stronger and has gotten louder. So
what more can you expect?
In the upcoming year, we intend to prioritize efforts in three key areas. First is technology. We sit in the innovation capital of the world with member companies that
have led the technology revolution. We are committed this year to utilizing that
technology and those members to become more efficient and mobile in our service
delivery.
Second is messaging and communicating. We intend to use this great technology
to let the Triangle and the world know that Durham is as the place where innovation and creative talent lives, works, plays and learns. We have a phenomenal community. The Durham story is growing in
stature and we intend to be much more intentional in telling it.
Finally is leadership. There are key economic and community initiatives that need business leadership to help bring them
to fruition. The Chamber intends to be at the front of those issues. Leading the efforts to create an environment where
business and jobs can grow and prosper begins with a vision for our economic development future. Key to that future is a
vibrant community that embraces opportunity - opportunity for investment, for education, for engagement. We believe it is
the Chamber’s role to lead that vision.
I am looking forward to building upon the great initiatives of the chairmen that
have led this organization before me. With the advice and support of an active
engaged Board of Directors, I am confident that we will represent the interests of
our members appropriately. The good thing about Durham is that we are small
enough to stay connected with each other, yet large enough to have the kind of
people engaged in our community that are capable of getting things done when
it matters. It is truly my honor to be representing the membership of the Greater
Durham Chamber of Commerce during 2011. I look forward to working with all
of you to share Durham’s story. Here’s to continued progress in building a worldclass community we all call home…Durham.
John D. Messick, II
Wachovia Bank
2011 Chairman, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
IN THIS ISSUE
4
7
9
12
Downtown Spurs Business
Chamber Membership Booms
Career Expo a Success
Calendar of Events
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8