Chris Mead is senior vice president of
the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, an organization
representing 1,200 local, state, and regional chambers of commerce. He is
responsible for membership, sponsorship, advertising, and
development.
Chamber
collaboration: Tourism has $205M impact in Vicksburg: Brings 4,000 jobs to
community
Most real estate agents agree the
three most important factors a property should have are location, location,
location, and when it comes to tourism, Vicksburg sits on a prime piece of real
estate.
“The economic impact of tourism is
Mississippi is phenomenal. It’s a $6.2 billion industry,” said Bill Seratt,
executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.
He said tourism supplies 84,345
direct jobs and 115,025 indirect jobs across the state.
“Its a great location with great
roads to get people here. We are on I-20, near 55, along Highway 61— America’s
Blues Highway, a corner of the county is almost on the Natchez Trace, and we’re
between Dallas and Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans,” Seratt said
Tuesday during the Vicksburg Kiwanis Club weekly meeting. Seratt along with
Laura Beth Strickland, the VCVB communication’s manager, presented an overview
of the functions performed by the organization and the economic impact tourism
has on the city.
“What does tourism mean to Vicksburg?”
Seratt asked.
“In 2014, we had $205 million in
travel and tourism expenditures,” he said.
“That is 4,000 direct jobs, which is
about 20 percent of the total workforce in Warren County,” Seratt said.
In the past 10 years, Vicksburg has
seen a 31 percent increase in hospitality tax collections.
“That is really remarkable when you
realize everything that has gone on in this country,” he said.
The VCVB partners with other
entities within the state including the Mississippi Development Authority
Tourism Division, the Mississippi Tourism Association, the Mississippi Delta
Tourism Association, the Mississippi River Parkway Commission and the Miss-Lou
Rural Tourism. They also partner locally with the Southern Cultural Heritage
Foundation, Vicksburg Main Street, the Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce and
the Vicksburg Convention Center, he said. Read more: Vicksburg
Post
DETROIT AREA MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PITCH TO LOCAL INVESTORS
Young
Entrepreneurs from the Dearborn Area Chamber Young Entrepreneurs Academy to
Obtain Funding to Launch Enterprises
DEARBORN, MI– Metro Detroit student
entrepreneurs will take the stage to present
their business plans before a panel of local leaders of industry and a public
audience on Thursday, April 23 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at the Arab American
National Museum in Downtown East Dearborn.
13 students in
grades 7 through 12 representing 12 businesses and social movements from the Dearborn
Area Chamber Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) will have six minutes to pitch
their business plans to prominent local members of the business community during
the program’s annual YEA! Investor Panel Event (think Shark Tank meets The
Apprentice meets American Idol!). Based on the appeal and merit of the
students’ plans and presentations, representatives from area businesses and
organizations will determine the amount of funds to allocate to each business
or social movement.
“This unique event
will allow students to pitch their business plans in an effort to obtain real startup
funds to launch their very own business or social movement,” commented Ron
Hinrichs, Director of Events & Media Relations and YEA! Program Manager
with the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce. “We have many creative and dynamic
enterprises in this year’s program and I am very excited to see the outcome of
this year’s Investor Panel presentations!”
These investors
will also select one business that will advance to the YEA! Saunders Scholars
National College Scholarship competition, where they will compete for college
scholarships and an all-expenses paid trip, courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce to America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. One student
business will also be awarded a $500 shopping spree at their local Sam’s Club.
The panelists will
include Sean McGraw of Sean McGraw State Farm Agency, Margaret Blohm of the
Rotary Club of Dearborn and Margaux Associates, Mike Chereton of Del Taco,
Harold Drews of Sun Glo Services, Rudaina Hamade of RPM Solutions, LLC, and
Adam Sterling of Henry Ford Village Retirement Community.
“Our YEA! students
are among 8,000 students in 38 states nationwide enrolled in this 30-week
entrepreneurial education class that teaches kids how to generate business
ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of
investors, and launch their own, legally-registered companies,” said Jackie
Lovejoy, President of the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce. “It is such a
wonderful experience to have the opportunity to work with the next generation
of leaders in Metro Detroit through this exceptional program!”
Registration is required for this free event. To register
and for more information, please visit the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce
online at www.DearbornAreaChamber.org or by phone at 313-584-6100.
The Dearborn Area Chamber is also now accepting applications
for the 2015-2016 YEA! program, which will begin in October, 2015. The Investor
Panel will allow interested students the opportunity to see the program in
action! Applications and more information can be found at the Chamber’s website
or by calling the Chamber office.
For More Information,
Contact:
Ronald
J. Hinrichs, Director of Events & Media Relations
Dearborn
Area Chamber of Commerce
Tel:
313-584-6100
E-mail:
rhinrichs@dearbornareachamber.org
Chamber interest: New Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity director has deep Illinois roots
Jim Schultz learned the business trade from getting beaten up by his older brothers. “I
was born the sixth of eight children,” he said. “I learned at a very
early age how to negotiate in a collaborative, cooperative fashion. In
other words, if I didn’t, as the sixth of eight, I’d end up with bloody
noses or on the ground.”
Now, the newly
appointed director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity wants to bring those lessons that started so long ago to
improve Illinois’ economy.
Gov. Bruce Rauner
personally recruited Schultz from the private sector. The 55-year-old
Effingham native started with one of his father John’s soybean seed
businesses in the late 1970s, and by the early ’80s, started investing
in farmland. In 1997 he founded Open Prairie, a private equity firm that
manages investors’ money. Schultz was mainly involved in venture
capital, where he provided funding for startup companies in the
agricultural, technology, software, energy and manufacturing industries. Read more: Peoria Journal Star
Fairfax Chamber Announces 2015 Greater Washington Innovation Awards Honorees
Tysons Corner, Va. –The
Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce
(Fairfax Chamber) is proud to announce the honorees for the 1
st
Annual
Greater
Washington Innovation Awards, the premier event celebrating the thought
leadership, innovation, and creativity of the individuals and organizations in
select industries in the Greater Washington metro area. The honorees will be
recognized live at an April 20
th awards gala at the Hyatt Regency
Reston.
In addition to recognizing the most innovative
organizations in the region, the awards will honor an Innovator of the Year and
a Lifetime Innovator.
Joe T. May, Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology
Officer, EIT, LLC will be recognized as the 2015 Greater Washington Lifetime
Innovator. Mr. May founded EIT, LLC in 1977 and served as the Delegate for
the 33rd District in the Virginia General Assembly for 20
years.
Emanuel F Petricoin, Ph.D, University Professor and
Co-Director Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine in the School
of Systems Biology at George Mason University will be recognized as the 2015
Greater Washington Innovator of the Year. Mr. Petricoin, who is internationally
recognized for pioneering research in proteomics and molecular medicine, is a
co-founder of the George Mason University Center for Applied Proteomics and
Molecular Medicine.
“Joe May and Chip Petricoin represent leading innovators
in their fields and we are thrilled to honor them this year,” said Jim
Corcoran, Fairfax Chamber president and CEO.
To view a full list of the 2015 Greater Washington
Innovation Awards finalists, please visit the
Fairfax
Chamber website.
Arkansas State Chamber/AIA interest: Trade delegation from the Czech Republic visits Arkansas
A
trade delegation from the Czech Republic visited Little Rock this week
as part of efforts by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to
attract foreign investment.The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
(http://bit.ly/1bBVbqN ) reports that about 17 businessmen from the
Czech Republic were in Little Rock on Wednesday. The group was joined by
another dozen businessmen while touring a Lonoke County rice farm. They
also met University of Arkansas representatives to discuss agricultural
research, and traveled to Northwest Arkansas to talk to Wal-Mart
officials about Czech-made products that the retailer could sell.
According
to Marian Jurecka, the Czech Republic’s agriculture minister, potential
Czech exports could include specialty meats, dairy products and malt
and hops used in the brewing process. Jurecka says that it is important
for trade delegations to meet with local economic development officials
so that relationships can be established.
“It primarily gives an opportunity to establish contacts and talk about issues,” said Jurecka.
According
to Radim Patrik, general director of a slaughterhouse in the western
part of the Czech Republic, many businesses from his country want to
export to the U.S., but trade restrictions, food inspections, safety
standards tend to limit larger corporations. The president and chief
executive officer of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and
Associated Industries of Arkansas, Randy Zook, told the delegation that
the state has good access to truck, barge and rail service compared to
the rest of the country due to its central location. Read more:
Washington Times
East Kentucky Science Center speaks at Floyd County Chamber of Commerce luncheon
The Floyd County Chamber of Commerce held a networking luncheon
meeting on March 10, 2015 at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. The topic
for this luncheon was “A Tour Around the East Kentucky Science Center
& Planetarium.” During the luncheon, Steve Russo, Science Center
Director, and Susan Scott, Instructional Specialist, described the
activities and events offered at East Kentucky Science Center. Russo
added that we are very fortunate to have the Science Center located on
the campus of Big Sandy Community & Technical College in
Prestonsburg.
Russo highlighted many of the exciting
planetarium sky programs, laser light shows, classroom & outreach
programs, star gazing events and hands-on exhibits offered at EKSC. He
described how the staff provides unique educational opportunities for
local students when they visit the science center. He elaborated on how
fortunate the East Kentucky Science Center & Planetarium was to have
the Skylase laser system for laser shows, the GOTO Chronos Star
projector and the Spitz SciDome HD Full Dome projection for planetarium
shows. He stated that it is rare to have all three of these systems at
one facility. He reminded the group that the Science Center can also
host social gatherings and that there are many opportunities for
everyone to utilize and enjoy the EKSC facility. For additional
information call 606-889-8260 or visit the website or Facebook page. Read more:
Floyd County Times
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