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| Announcements |
BRAC to the Future Filled with Star Power
 The program has been set for BRAC to the Future Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Von Braun Center North Hall. This year’s program features three U.S. Generals as presenters on the impact BRAC will have on the Tennessee Valley. The Generals speaking include Major General James Pillsbury of the Army Materiel Command, Brig. Gen. Bruce Scott (retired) who will discuss the impact of the Army’s Security Assistance Command, and Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton (U.S. Air Force, retired), BRAC Commissioner, will give a an insider’s view of the BRAC process. In addition, Col. Robert Pastorelli, Garrison Commander of Redstone Arsenal and Adm. David Altwegg of the Missile Defense Agency will give presentations.
| 10:30 – 11 a.m. |
Registration |
| 11 – 11:30 a.m |
BRAC Welcome and Introduction and Workforce Challenge
Joe Ritch |
| 11:30 – Noon |
BRAC Overview and Construction Update
Col. Robert Pastorelli |
| Noon – 12:20 p.m. |
Army Materiel Command
Maj. Gen. James Pillsbury |
| 12:20 – 12:40 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 12:40 – 1 p.m. |
Missile Defense Agency BRAC Status
Adm. David Altwegg |
| 1 – 1:30 p.m. |
USASAC: Impact on the Community
Brig. Gen. Bruce Scott (retired) |
| 1:30 – 2 p.m. |
An inside view of the BRAC Process
BRAC Commissioner, General Lloyd “Fig” Newton (U.S. Air Force, retired) |
Tickets are $30 and still available. Click here to register online.
For more information, contact Harrison Diamond at hdiamond@hsvchamber.org or 256.535.2049.
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GI Jobs Advertising Campaign to Reach 70,000 Service Personnel…Register By Friday, Oct. 31
The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is sponsoring a 12-month advertising campaign in GI Jobs that will highlight the job opportunities in the Huntsville/Madison County community.
The Chamber will run a full-page color ad for 12 months – January through December 2009 – that will include the logos of all participating companies. An additional 1/3-page ad featuring sponsoring companies jobs on a facing page will also be purchased.
GI Jobs reaches 70,000 service personnel each month in transition from the military to civilian careers.
“A profile of Huntsville/Madison County ran in the August edition of GI Jobs, and the Chamber has been distributing reprints of the profile at military career fairs across the country,” said Lucia Cape, vice president of workforce for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “There is no better way to reach this talented, mature and qualified audience,” she added.
Companies must have jobs on www.ASmartPlace.com to participate (government employers excluded from this requirement). The cost is $2,000. Space is limited to 30 companies; minimum of 12 needed to conduct the advertising campaign. Call or email Mitzi Floyd (mfloyd@hsvchamber.org; 535-2089) by Friday, Oct. 31 to sign up. Payment will be due by November 30.
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2008 Business Expo was the Biggest Ever
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Verizon Wireless was the presenting sponsor for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s 2008 Business Expo. Nearly 200 businesses participated in this year’s event, which was the biggest one yet. Photos: courtesy of Craig Shamwell Photography
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With more than 200 exhibitors and thousands of attendees, this year’s Business Expo showed that despite national trends, the Huntsville/Madison County economy is growing and vibrant. The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County along with presenting sponsor Verizon Wireless, hosted the 2008 Business Expo in the Von Braun Center’s South Hall.The Business Expo offered small, medium and large businesses the opportunity to come together in one venue to display their diverse products and services this community has to offer for both business and personal use. Vendors ranged from aerospace and defense companies to hair salons and gift shops—the diversity of the group further confirmed that Huntsville/Madison County has the resources in this region to support a strong local economy to ensure continued stability and growth. The Expo also allowed vendors to network and to connect with potential customers and form future partnerships.
Beyond exhibits, the event also offered a series of small business training classes that assisted entrepreneurs with the foundations of running a business. Many attendees came to learn more about starting a business or growing their existing businesses. Due to the tremendous response from some of these classes, the Chamber plans to repeat these sessions throughout the year, according to Jenni Jeffers, director of small business and membership services for the Chamber.
“When starting a business, many entrepreneurs don’t even realize that they should have a business plan much less the general understanding of accounting, human resources and marketing,” stated Elizabeth Morard, vice chair of small business for the Chamber.
Mayor Loretta Spencer cut the ribbon for the 4th Annual Business Expo and opened the doors to an event that has grown in popularity and attendance every year. “From my experience with the military, I know the exchanges you have at expos like this one are important to building lasting and successful relationships,” said Spencer as she welcomed everyone to the event.
Other sponsors of the 2008 Business Expo included: Cumulus Media, The Huntsville Times, Jerry Damson, Daniel’s Photography, The Port of Huntsville and Managed Healthcare Administration, Inc.
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South Carolina Construction Company Enters Huntsville Market
Jim Heard of M.B. Kahn Construction Company recently spoke at the Board of Directors’ meeting at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County about M.B. Kahn Construction entering the Huntsville market.
M.B. Kahn is one of the largest construction companies in the southeast. The South Carolina-based company specializes in commercial, industrial, healthcare and retail construction. The company will put emphasis on their capabilities in industrial, commercial office space and the healthcare industry construction in the Huntsville/North Alabama market.
Heard said he is confident in his company’s decision to move into Huntsville because of several factors, including a booming economy.
“We picked Huntsville because of the people,” Heard said. “When I came to Huntsville on my fourth visit I was blown away by the business and spirit of the community. We hope to have deep roots in Huntsville and we plan to be here for a long time,” Heard said.
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Industry of the Year Nominations are Open
The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the “Industry of the Year” award which recognizes the community’s highly successful large businesses. Modeled after the annual Small Business Awards Celebration, the Industry of the Year recognition is limited to companies with 350 or more local employees. Completed applications must be received by the Chamber by December 15 in order to be considered. The award winner will be recognized at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting, scheduled for January 22, 2009 at the Von Braun Center. For an application, contact Loren Traylor at ltraylor@hsvchamber.org.
In order to qualify, companies must meet the following criteria:
- Been in Business in Madison County Prior to December 31, 2005
- In good standing with the Better Business Bureau
- Must be enrolled as a Chamber Member by January 1, 2008
- Must have more than 350 employees
- Completed a company profile
The 2008 Industry of the Year will show a panel of anonymous judges:
- How they responded to challenges or adversity
- Measure results against long and short-term business goals
- Employment growth or stability
- Innovativeness of the product or service they offer
- Significant community involvement
The Industry of the Year is a successful and recognized annual Chamber award. The Huntsville/Madison community is fortunate to have so many companies which excel in their respective industry sectors, and this award brings much deserved recognition to Chamber member companies as well as the Huntsville/Madison County community.
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“Show Me the Money” Brings Careers to Tomorrow’s Workforce
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New Hope High School students Lexie Robinson, Beth Locy and Annie Goodwin Friday attend an event at the University Center on the UAHuntsville campus. The event, a career and workforce expo for area 10th graders, was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.
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Nearly 300 students took a step toward their future careers recently with help from 24 local employers. “Show Me the Money”, a pilot program of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County and Junior Achievement of Northern Alabama (JANA), brought 10th graders from Bob Jones, Huntsville, Lee, Madison County and New Hope high schools together with employers from all sectors of the economy and representatives from Alabama A&M, Calhoun Community College, Drake State Technical College and UAHuntsville. The career expo was held on campus at the University Center at UAHuntsville.
The program was conceived as a precursor to Junior Achievement job shadowing for 11th and 12th graders and was designed to add more rigor to career exploration. The students were guided through the online Kuder assessment that indicates the career clusters they should pursue based on their interests. Career clusters are 16 nationally recognized groupings of career by industry and job description. Careers in all but two of the 16 clusters were represented at the event, and students had several choices within each cluster. Continue »
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Huntsville Hospital Marketing wins six awards in state competition
The Alabama Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (AHPRMS) honored Huntsville Hospital’s Marketing and Public Relations Department with four gold awards and two silver awards during the state society’s annual conference.
Members from the Kentucky Hospital Association judged this year’s works from Alabama hospitals. Huntsville Hospital received gold awards for television advertising, total hospital advertising, total advertising campaign for SportsMax and the community relations for “Scale Back Alabama”. The hospital received silver awards in television advertising for the SportsMax commercial and in print advertising for “The Heart of Our Mission.”
This year, the AHPRMS received 80 entries from hospitals statewide and presented 39 awards including 14 gold, 21 silver and four “Best in Show” awards. The AHPRMS annually honors hospital departments across Alabama which demonstrates professional excellence in the field.
The AHPRMS is an affiliate of the Alabama Hospital Association and serves as a forum for public relations and marketing practitioners in healthcare to sharpen their professional skills, share ideas and strengthen the profession.
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