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Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, will be the keynote speaker at the Chamber’s annual membership meeting, Thursday, Jan. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Von Braun Center North Hall.

The company's flagship publication, Forbes, is the nation's leading business magazine, with a circulation of more than 900,000. Forbes and Forbes Global together reach a worldwide audience of nearly five million readers. Forbes writes editorials for each issue of Forbes under the heading of "Fact and Comment."

A widely respected economic prognosticator, he is the only writer to have won the highly prestigious Crystal Owl Award four times. The prize was formerly given by U.S. Steel Corporation to the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate. Continue »

“I really enjoy getting out and making the contacts with other business professionals. Becoming a part of this program helped me learn more things about this community. The Chamber makes it a lot of fun while at the same time participating enabled me to really grow my business,” said Lisa Lane, President and Owner of Savvy Gifts. “Joining the Chamber was one of the first things I did when I started my business. Becoming a volunteer with the Chamber was the second,” added Lane.

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Donna McCrary at 535-2027 or email her at dmccrary@hsvchamber.org.

Changes to small business size standards may affect businesses significantly including their ability or qualifications to apply for loans, certifications, tax incentives and to participate in government procurements.

The forum will feature Lee Rosenberg, Missile Defense Agency’s director of small business programs and Gary Heard, local SBA Representative.

Discussion topics will include how local small businesses or other interested entities can individually, or collaboratively provide input to the SBA which could potentially have an impact on the SBA’s final rulings for each sector.

Reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing Mitzi Floyd at mfloyd@hsvchamber.org.

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The Boeing Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded $397,900,000 to continue development of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program from the Missile Defense Agency. The principal place of performance will be at the contractor's facility in Huntsville.

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command is the contracting activity for a second project that will be carried out by the company’s Reading Park, Pa. location. The second contract is for work on aircraft and is valued at $620,744,955.

“We’re going to have a party, not a series of long-winded speeches,” according to Larry Capps, the Space Center’s CEO. “This will be a celebration honoring the many Huntsvillians who were so largely responsible for the overall success of the Apollo program.”

The Year of Apollo gala will also include the presentation of the first Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger Visionary Award, dedicated to the memory of von Braun rocket team member and long-time Huntsville resident Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger. Additionally, ribbon cutting ceremonies for three important new exhibits in the Davidson Center will take place Feb. 7, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Apollo 12 astronauts Dick Gordon and Alan Bean will be on-hand for the dedication of the Apollo 12 Mobile Quarantine Facility, the isolation chamber in which they were housed following their historic lunar voyage. Last year, the MQF was discovered at an abandoned research facility in Perry County, Alabama. A 1:10 scale model of the Ares I, sponsored by ATK, and a 1:10 scale model of the Ares V, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, will also be formally dedicated.

A number of astronaut authors will be on-hand during the day on Feb. 7 to greet the public and autograph copies of their respective publications. Their books and prints will be on sale in USSRC gift shops.

Corporate seating and individual tickets for the Year of Apollo gala are now on sale. For more information, visit www.spacecamp.com or call the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at 1-800-63-SPACE.

This map shows the cities the Chamber traveled to in 2008 and planned cities for 2009. Recruitment trips for 2009 will focus on career expos for those leaving the military for civilian careers and cities with similar industries to Huntsville. Meetings with regional colleges and universities will also be a priority. View larger map »

“When the workforce division was established in 2006, our members said they needed help ‘selling’ the community,” said Jim Bolte, the Chamber’s vice chair for workforce from 2006 through 2008. “We responded with marketing materials aimed specifically at job seekers and with a national awareness campaign to supplement employers’ recruitment efforts.”

To better reach the workforce of tomorrow, the Chamber built relationships through campus recruiting trips to state colleges and universities such as Auburn, University of Alabama and Jacksonville State. Regional universities were also targeted such as the Big Ten schools, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Tennessee Tech, Texas A&M, University of Georgia, University of Texas and Virginia Tech. Continue »

Members of Bridges Class 6 participate in a team-building exercise.

The Bridges Class is a fun, interactive program that brings together young professionals from different work environments to meet peers while learning more about the Huntsville/Madison County community. Over three half-days, participants learn about the rich history and exciting future of Huntsville/Madison County. Workshops cover topics such as adapting to corporate culture, advanced degree programs and generation Y in the workplace. Information on cost of living, hands-on volunteer opportunities and a panel discussion with young professionals show participants why Huntsville/Madison County is such a great choice for today’s twenty-somethings.

Marshall Space Flight Center has been a strong supporter of Bridges, and the program has helped them tremendously. In the past year, the Marshall Center increased its co-op conversion rate – the percent of co-ops who accept an offer of permanent employment in Huntsville – from 50 to 100 percent. It credits the Bridges program as a contributing factor.

For more information on Bridges Class 7 or to register, contact Mitzi Floyd at mfloyd@hsvchamber.org or 256.535.2089.

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The Chamber's website provides a wealth of information for your company, your clients and your employees. Our goal is to be the source for community and economic information. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Thank you for your continued support and investment in the Huntsville/Madison County community through the Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to serving you.

The report highlighted Huntsville being named one of “America’s 50 Greenest Cities” by Popular Science magazine in 2008. Huntsville’s ranking of 18 was the highest of any city in the South. It also put Huntsville ahead of a number of major cities including New York, Denver and St. Louis. Popular Science used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and National Geographic Society's Green Guide to see how cities compare in terms of renewable energy, public transit, recycling and setting aside land for parks and nature preserves. Huntsville scored high for its efforts in recycling and land preservation.

Huntsville was also commended on new “green” construction projects. One Huntsville project cited was The NASA Child Development Center located on Redstone Arsenal.