Tony Jones, vice president and senior site executive, the Boeing Company.

E.J. Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of SES.

SES will receive U.S. Army Apache helicopters at the SES West Aviation and Integration Facility located in Huntsville, where the aircraft will be disassembled, inspected and repaired as necessary. The components and airframe will be shipped to Boeing in Mesa, Ariz. for integration into the newest model Apache helicopter, the AH64D Apache Block III.

Don Nalley, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, congratulated the company on its expansion.

“The Chamber offers congratulations to Boeing and SES – together these two great companies illustrate why the Huntsville/Madison County community is rightfully considered one of the best places to do business in the United States right now. Today’s announcement shows why this community is considered a smart place to live, work and play. At a time when many communities are losing jobs, today we stand tall for our community and for our great state and show that we are, once again, adding jobs—great jobs,”

“This decision by The Boeing Company will positively affect the Tennessee Valley over the course of the next several years,” said E. J. Sinclair, COO of SES. “SES anticipates being an integral part of the Boeing Apache Block III Team and working on the greatest attack helicopter in the world. This work continues to build Huntsville’s reputation as a Rotary Wing Center of Excellence for the Army.”

“As a supplier team member working on the Apache program, SES will add to the scope of aviation work being performed for Boeing in North Alabama and provide additional aerospace employment opportunities in the region,” said Tony Jones, vice president, Boeing Huntsville Site Executive.

Headquarters, Army Contracting Command provides global contracting support to combatant commanders, and Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command plans and executes contracting support for Army service component commanders in support of Army and joint operations. Headquarters, Expeditionary Contracting Command also provides support for multi-national contracting requirements.

Both contracting commands will collocate with the U.S. Army Materiel Command and the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, which are also moving to Redstone Arsenal as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The collocation of these organizations will serve to improve the integration of contracting services within the continental United States, overseas installations and theater operations.

The Annual Meeting is the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s largest event of the year. The Annual Meeting is the location for the honoring of Industry of the Year and the Chamber’s most revered award, Distinguished Service Award. This year also feature a keynote address from Gen. (Ret.) John Abizaid. At the time of Abizaid’s retirement, he was the longest-serving commander of United States Central Command, with responsibility for an area spanning 27 countries in the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and the Horn of Africa. During a distinguished career, he commanded units at every level, serving in the combat zones of Grenada, Lebanon, Kurdistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Abizaid worked on the Joint Staff three times, the last as director.

The Annual Membership Meeting is presented by S3. The Annual meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 in the Von Braun Center North Hall. Gold sponsors are Agility Defense & Government Services, Axiom Solutions, LLP, Beason & Nalley, Inc., Bridge Street Town Centre, SAIC, Southern Convention Services, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. and WHNT News 19.

(L-R) Maj. Gen. James Myles, Madison County Commission Chair Mike Gillespie, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley show their support and commitment for a complete count of Madison County in the 2010 census.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie and Maj. Gen. James Myles of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command all signed a resolution declaring their support for a complete census count of Madison County. According to the Census Bureau, every person counted in the census amounts to $1,200 in funding.

The 2010 decennial census begins this March with the mailing of the census form, a 10-question survey that takes 10 minutes to complete. The 10-question survey will determine how more than $400 billion is allocated among the states and their communities for community development, housing, education, transportation and social services.

Gillespie says that Madison County’s participation in the census will help demonstrate how the community speaks as one.

“We are one community with one voice and this census will show that,” he said. “Alabama had a 61 percent response rate; Huntsville had an average of 70 percent. We fully expect that we will have a 75 percent response rate. That five percent makes a huge difference of millions of dollars.”

Battle says that the community’s participation in the census will prove why the community has received so many recognitions recently.

“Huntsville has been recognized as one of the best communities in the country. Now is our time to prove it,” he said.

Battle also said that participation is important for future rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).

“Our ability to support the current and future growth needs due to BRAC will be affected by our response to the census,” Battle said.

Finley said that Madison’s response rate of 73 percent was among the highest, an accomplishment he wants repeated. “In order to lead the state again, we need everyone’s help and participation.”

Maj. Gen. Myles said that it is part of Redstone Arsenal’s responsibility to be a good neighbor and that participating in the census is a way for everyone to be seen.

“We [Redstone Arsenal] represent 32,000 people whose mission is to support the warfighter and those defending the nation. We also have a responsibility to be a good neighbor. All of us need to give the right information so that our elected officials in D.C. can do what they do best,” Myles said.

The newspaper teamed with The Princeton Review to name the 50 best education values among public universities in America. UAHuntsville was the only public university in Alabama to make the list. The group also chose the top 50 values among private universities.

"This report is a validation of how our campus provides a high-quality education for students at a reasonable cost," said UAHuntsville President David Williams. "The strength of our faculty and scholarly research in all of our colleges combined with small class sizes and generous financial aid allows us to provide the best college education value to our students."

The schools were selected based on surveys of administrators and students at more than 650 public and private college and university campuses across the country.

The overall selection criteria included more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Academic ratings were based on student surveys about such issues as professors' accessibility and class sizes, as well as institutional reports about student-faculty ratios and percent of classes taught by teaching assistants.

In the report, Princeton Review cited the following about UAHuntsville and the community:

"The business and nursing are among the many solid majors available at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, but let's be honest: This place is primarily a science and engineering school. Atmospheric science, computer science, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering are nationally recognized programs. UAHuntsville receives millions of research dollars each year, and students can participate in a variety of cutting-edge, really cool, and really important research projects. There's also a fabulous cooperative education program that allows students to work for local companies and earn righteous bucks while gaining professional experience. Good grades don't come easy here, though. Like at every other school where science and engineering reign supreme, the academic atmosphere ranges from challenging to absolutely grueling.”

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By participating in a roundtable, Chamber members will have the chance to gain valuable insight on other participants’ successes and achievements, and learn how to avoid the pitfalls of past mistakes. The groups meet once a month for breakfast or lunch, usually at alternating member locations, for about an hour.

There are certain requirements to join a group, but most importantly, these roundtables are exclusive to small business owners, CEOs, presidents and organizational leader. There is no charge for this service.

Those interested in this resourceful service should register as soon as possible.

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 smart place 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 the Bridges class, contact Mitzi Floyd at mfloyd@hsvchamber.org or 256.535.2089. Registration for Bridges is available on the Chamber’s website.

With the ability to view the database at 60 frames per second, security forces can utilize the database using real time scenarios, line-of-sight (LOS), operational planning and disaster response. Also, because the virtual dataset is built upon open-source standards, it can be viewed in many different viewing applications. The dataset is also extensible, which allows the user to add or modify modeling archetypes within or on the virtual terrain. This allows the user that ability to place models of emergency vehicles, buildings, or even human models into the view shed for simulation.

Because the world is ever changing, the ability to update keeps geospatial accuracy, thus allowing Vancouver security forces a correct operational picture of their environment. The world of modeling and simulation has merged with the geospatial world, helping keeping Olympians and the people and visitors of Vancouver safe.