Chamber's Blueprint Virginia 2025 has encouraged regional leaders to take long view of goals, instead of looking at short-term gains
For the first time since 2011, Virginia reclaimed its position in the CNBC annual rankings as the best state for business. The rankings are based on such metrics as the cost of doing business, education and cost of living.
At a breakfast event with the Danville-Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce on Thursday morning, Barry DuVal, president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, attributed much of that success to the state group’s initiatives and its impact on legislation. All of their efforts are informed by the Chamber’s Blueprint Virginia 2025, a strategic document for the direction of the chamber and the state.
The document provides specific goals that span nine major categories: workforce and education, business climate, transportation, health care, energy, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, the environment, and military and veterans affairs.
“If we get these areas right, every region will grow,” DuVal said.
Connie Nyholm, owner and CEO of Virginia International Raceway and member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, said the blueprint is playing differently in every community.
“Each area is invited to join in the way that they can,” she said.
Alexis Ehrhardt, president and CEO of the Danville-Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce, said in the Dan River Region, the higher priority items are the two Virginia already leads in — workforce and education — as well as health care, entrepreneurship and manufacturing.
Ben Davenport, president of First Piedmont Corp. and Davenport Energy, said a great example of this is the partnership between Danville Community College and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to develop a machining workforce that attracts foreign companies to the region.
“We have a unique situation in our region,” he said.
Ehrhardt said part of her goal is to replicate the talent development for the machining workforce in other high demand areas.
“Ideally, we would have a more structured pipeline,” she said.
In terms of entrepreneurship, Ehrhardt said one of the keys to developing a culture that fosters entrepreneurship is expanding internet and broadband access throughout the region.
“Broadband infrastructure is going to be really important as we try to attract and retain entrepreneurs,” she said. Read more: GODANRIVER.com
Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce Community Resource Guide & Business Directory
The Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce 2019 Community Guide is available at the Chamber of Commerce today! Thank you to Robert Moses and the Chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!
Town Square Publications (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community profile or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
For the last two years, the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) has hosted Community Forums that provide updates from the village, the township, local school districts, park districts and the chamber of commerce. These forums have grown in popularity and have served to encourage strong conversations and connectedness throughout the Palatine area community.
The next Community Forum will take place on September 18, 2019 at the Village of Palatine. Area residents and business community members are invited to attend.
The Community Forum will provide information and updates, such as news about new initiatives, developments projects and more from local public entities including the Village of Palatine, Palatine Township, District 15, District 211, Harper College, Palatine Public Library, Palatine Park District, Salt Creek Park District and the PACC.
"The Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce continually strives to find meaningful ways to connect residents directly with the leaders of our community who are making great things happen," said PACC President Shawn Jackson from local communications firm, Vicarious Multimedia. "This event helps to strengthen our community as a whole by keeping residents and businesses 'plugged in'."
The Community Forum will be held on Wednesday, September 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at Palatine Village Hall, 200 E. Wood Street in the Village Council Chambers. It will begin with open networking and a greeting at 7:30 a.m., followed by presentations from each of the participating public entities, and a question and answer period from 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m.
For more information, please visit palatinechamber.com or call 847-359-7200. Read More: Daily Herald
Community Development Foundation: BancorpSouth to add 100 jobs in new expansion
BancorpSouth is investing $15 million in an expansion project at its Jackson Street Operations Campus that will add at least 100 full-time jobs. The company is expected to release the full details of the expansion at a groundbreaking ceremony today.
The expansion will help the city help secure a Development Infrastructure Program grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to help offset costs associated with widening part of West Jackson Street.
David Rumbarger, the president and CEO of the Community Development Foundation, said in a statement to the Daily Journal that a growing number of BancorpSouth employees have relocated to Tupelo from around the country in order to help process more than $20 billion in loans.
“For these reasons, it is critical for BancorpSouth to expand this facility to accommodate the company’s rapid growth,” Rumbarger said in the written statement.
BancorpSouth employs more than 4,500 people in eight states. Approximately 1,000 of those are employed in Tupelo with 717 employed at the Jackson Street Campus.
Don Lewis, the city’s chief operating officer, told the Daily Journal that because of the bank’s expansion along the road, the city will receive grant funds worth approximately $750,000.
“The DIP grant is going to be used for improvements on West Jackson out by the airport,” Lewis told the Daily Journal. “That is one of our major connections.”
According to a memorandum of understanding adopted by the Tupelo City Council on Aug. 6, BancorpSouth must create 100 new full-time jobs and maintain these jobs for a full year.
“The Benefiting Business agrees to inject at least $750,000 into construction and related equipment,” the MOU reads. “The source of these funds will be BancorpSouth Bank’s internal funds.”
Melissa Scallan, the spokesperson for MDA, told the Daily Journal that the city applied for the grant and that grant is currently being reviewed by MDA officials.
The city’s Major Thoroughfare Committee voted at its latest meeting to make widening West Jackson Street into a three-lane road between Airpark Road and Coley Road a priority project for the remainder of the committee’s current phase.
BancorpSouth will now also qualify for the Advantage Jobs Rebate program, which will provide a rebate to eligible businesses that create jobs that meet or exceed the average annual wage of the state or county where the company operates. Read more: Daily Journal
BancorpSouth employs more than 4,500 people in eight states. Approximately 1,000 of those are employed in Tupelo with 717 employed at the Jackson Street Campus.
Don Lewis, the city’s chief operating officer, told the Daily Journal that because of the bank’s expansion along the road, the city will receive grant funds worth approximately $750,000.
“The DIP grant is going to be used for improvements on West Jackson out by the airport,” Lewis told the Daily Journal. “That is one of our major connections.”
According to a memorandum of understanding adopted by the Tupelo City Council on Aug. 6, BancorpSouth must create 100 new full-time jobs and maintain these jobs for a full year.
“The Benefiting Business agrees to inject at least $750,000 into construction and related equipment,” the MOU reads. “The source of these funds will be BancorpSouth Bank’s internal funds.”
Melissa Scallan, the spokesperson for MDA, told the Daily Journal that the city applied for the grant and that grant is currently being reviewed by MDA officials.
The city’s Major Thoroughfare Committee voted at its latest meeting to make widening West Jackson Street into a three-lane road between Airpark Road and Coley Road a priority project for the remainder of the committee’s current phase.
BancorpSouth will now also qualify for the Advantage Jobs Rebate program, which will provide a rebate to eligible businesses that create jobs that meet or exceed the average annual wage of the state or county where the company operates. Read more: Daily Journal
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BRIGHT Kentucky's first class includes five of Pulaski's brightest stars
Program emphasizes collaborating and idea-sharing to better region
Five of Pulaski County's best and brightest were selected to take part in the BRIGHT Kentucky program which is designed to build the capacity of young leaders -- average ages 20 to 40 -- in the Appalachian area of Kentucky.
The program offers non-partisan, ethical leadership training as well as expanded networks and mentoring tailored to the 54 Kentucky counties represented by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The program is made possible by a $500,000 ARC grant in addition to funding from sources such as the Whitaker Foundation and non-profit organization SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region).
"It's a collection of what I would call community leaders from eastern Kentucky," said Bobby Clue, Executive Director of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce. "It's really impressive collection (of people)."
The inaugural BRIGHT Kentucky class was announced by Leadership Kentucky, a non-profit educational organization for 35 years now in the Commonwealth, and consists of 50 participants from 29 different ARC counties representing a variety of public and private sectors.
Five of them are from Pulaski County -- Clue, Kelli Chaney of United Cumberland Bank, JaKaye Garthe of Hampton Inn, Cody Gibson of Wright Medical Technologies, and Emily Conley, of the Barnes & Noble campus bookstore at Somerset Community College.
Clue said the group gets to know each other so that they can collaborate to improve the communities they live in. He called being selected a "tremendous honor."
"I have beem asked to participate in Leadership Kentucky for many years and I always brushed it off because of the the time commitment," he said, noting his own family and kids as a factor in that. "When I saw this program, I felt it was a good expenditure of my time. I believe in eastern Kentucky and I believe that we need to start sharing information and looking at things on a regional level and collaborating with each other, all the way from here to Pikeville. Read more: Commonwealth Journal
Krystal Westfahl Named To Governor's Council On Tourism
Governor Tony Evers' office announced Executive Director of the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce, Krystal Westfahl, has been named to the council.
A 2015 recipient of the Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer Award and a recent nominee for the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism Rising Star award, Westfahl previously served as Event and Fundraising Coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Evers says there's $7 to $1 return on investment and Wisconsin’s $21 billion tourism industry is one of Wisconsin’s leading economic drivers. He says there's almost 200,000 individuals who rely on tourism for their livelihood. Read more: WXPR.org
Transformation of the former coal dock into the publicly accessible Discovery Pier is smoothing the way for more passenger-carrying cruise ships to visit Traverse City. The facility in December was certified as a cruise port by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Local officials who want to grab a piece of growing Great Lakes cruise ship activity have organized as the Traverse City Cruise Ship Consortium.
"We're just opening for business, so we won't see much business for two years," Mike Wills, the group's chairperson, told the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Consortium members include the Discovery Center — Great Lakes (on behalf of Discovery Pier), Traverse City Tourism, Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Traverse City Association, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
Local officials who want to grab a piece of growing Great Lakes cruise ship activity have organized as the Traverse City Cruise Ship Consortium.
"We're just opening for business, so we won't see much business for two years," Mike Wills, the group's chairperson, told the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Consortium members include the Discovery Center — Great Lakes (on behalf of Discovery Pier), Traverse City Tourism, Downtown Development Authority and Downtown Traverse City Association, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
Discover Pier's certification will allow smaller cruise ships to tie up to shore, making it easier for passengers to disembark for day activities. Cruise ship passengers traditionally have shuttled ashore to Traverse City from vessels anchored in deep water. Read more: Detroit Free Press
Harrison County became a 1 Gigabyte Community in 2018 a year ahead of schedule, completing the high-speed internet fiber backbone project that features 550 miles of high-speed cable throughout the county.
Historic downtown Corydon has seen progress with Stellar Communities projects bringing in additional market-rate apartments, as well as businesses and dining options. Examples include the completion of the 45-unit Corydon School Senior Lofts and rehabilitation of the historic Emmett Beanblossom and JJ Bulleit buildings. At the Lanesville Business Park, eight miles east of Corydon, the J.C. Moag glass fabrication corporation will soon relocate there from Jeffersonville. New infrastructure will be in place with the Lanesville Connector Road project.
For outdoor adventurists, there’s the 3-mile Indian Creek Trail from downtown Corydon to the Hayswood Nature Reserve. For tourists who prefer virtual spelunking instead of visiting the 600 known caves in the county, the Harrison County Discover Center in Corydon offers cave-crawling simulations, along with other interactive galleries and exhibits.
County Seat: Corydon; Eva North, town council president; townofcorydon.com
Estimated 2019 population: 40,350
No. of households: 14,693
Median household income: $53,897
Harrison County Chamber of Commerce: Lisa Long, president; harrisonchamber.org
Harrison County Economic Development Corporation: Darrell Voelker, executive director; hcedcindiana.org
Harrison County CVB: Jeremy Yackle, executive director; thisisindiana.org
County Commissioners: Charlie Crawford, Kenny Saulman, Jim Heitkemper; harrisoncounty.in.gov
Source: Lane Report
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