Growth of the Huntsville/Madison County area has been dramatic, both in terms of population and economic activity. This growth, which leads our state and is among the leaders in the Southeast, has brought unprecedented opportunities to our region. But with those opportunities comes an equal number of challenges.

If our current growth remains steady, the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, our two-county metro area that includes Madison and Limestone counties, will be near half a million residents by 2020. And there are many reasons to think this growth could continue or even exceed the previous 10 years, once again making our community the fastest growing metro in the state.

As the lead economic development organization in the Huntsville Metro, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County works closely with business and government leaders to ensure that our community continues to be a smart place to live, work, play and operate a business. It is vital to our continued growth and prosperity that business and community leaders continue to see Huntsville/Madison County as a place where the sky truly is Not the limit.

The Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative, HREGI, is this community’s blueprint for economic growth. In it are the strategies that are designed to not only keep our community growing, but to keep it thriving. To ensure we meet these goals, the HREGI strategic plan has been recently updated to ensure we capitalize on new opportunities while being able to overcome new challenges. Our standards have never been higher because your expectations have never been higher.

Guided by the community’s business, political and community leaders, these new strategies allow the Chamber to lead our community in the recruitment of targeted industries such as aerospace, defense, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and information technology. Successful recruitment in these areas require focused economic development efforts, successful workforce recruitment efforts; strong public school systems that help our organic growth while serving to attract more qualified workforce to our community; strong and viable public policy advocacy designed to protect and grow our community’s key assets such as Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park; and partnerships with local universities and colleges and business incubators to capture and retain future entrepreneurs while helping small businesses flourish.

By investing in HREGI, you are investing in the economic growth and vitality of the Huntsville/Madison County community. With new investor bene? ts designed to provide an even greater return on investment, HREGI strategies will continue to re? ect the business community’s highest priorities, interests and needs while holding the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County to a new standard of accountability.