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Bruce Anderson

At a press conference held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and ADO Director Neal Wade announced that recently retired NASA employee Bruce Anderson would head the office. Continue »

Chamber Board Chair Evans Quinlivan (right), presents a plaque commemorating the opening of eclipse Business Services to co-owners Lisa Wolfe and Greg Wilson.

“Our community is enjoying tremendous economic growth, from companies that are relocating to Huntsville to those that are starting up here to capitalize on the amount of economic development occurring in this community,” Quinlivan said. “And so we are celebrating the grand opening of eBS, a company that can meet every one of those needs for any of these companies.” Continue »

Fortune Small Business ranked metropolitan areas by a combination of business friendliness and lifestyle offerings. The criteria for ranking included housing prices, schools, cultural and recreational attractions, quality of labor force, taxes and regulatory climate. Fortune Small Business acknowledged Huntsville as a strong engineering and technology hub, saying that “Huntsville transformed from a sleepy North Alabama agricultural town to a space-age destination.”

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The Chamber All-Star line up of volunteers is set to begin the 2008 TRC season on April 7. Fourteen teams, including 90 volunteers led by Scott Seeley, TRC “Commissioner” and president of Bryant Bank, are ready to play ball and score some runs for the Huntsville/Madison County community.

These teams will offer Chamber sponsorship opportunities and memberships to a wide range of small and large companies. The TRC is designed to allow companies to better align their marketing plans with Chamber’s sponsorship opportunities for the entire year and to maximize their return on investment. Continue »

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions

This annual event provides Senator Jeff Sessions with an opportunity to update the business community on those critical business, NASA and military issues facing the Huntsville/Madison County community. Sessions’ briefing includes his views on the past year’s progress on the issues that impact the North Alabama region and his outlook for the year ahead. The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. Contact Tina Leopold at tleopold@hsvchamber.org for more information.

2008 Washington D.C. Trip Set For May 18-20, 2008

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s Washington D.C. Trip is timed each year to put the Chamber and its federal agenda in D.C. when the budgets that are most important to the Huntsville/Madison County community are being considered on the Hill.

The itinerary includes two days of meetings, briefings, lunches and receptions with members of the Senate and House, NASA, military leaders and others that impact the region. Registration cost is $575, and room block rate at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill (on New Jersey) is $319. Room block closes April 19, so attendees are urged to reserve rooms as soon as possible.

For more information, contact Tina Leopold at tleopold@hsvchamber.org. Extend your D.C. trip visit by a day or two to help support NASA by participating in the Citizen’s for Space Exploration D.C. fly-in May 20 – 22. Contact Mike Ward at mward@hsvchamber.org for additional details.

Online Registration » Registration form »

Got jobs? We want to help you fill them. Post your jobs on www.ASmartPlace.com and take advantage of the Chamber’s recruiting and marketing efforts. Contact Mitzi Floyd at mfloyd@hsvchamber.org to register for this FREE member service. We are investing thousands of dollars in advertising and getting in front of hundreds of job seekers across the country. Be a part of the success in workforce recruitment!

First Commercial Bank will soon present Best Places to Work 2008. On April 22, 2008, the Chamber, NASHRM, NCAC and the Best Places to Work sponsors will host a high-energy awards luncheon to unveil Huntsville/Madison County's outstanding companies whose benefits, policies and practices are among the metropolitan area's best. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Huntsville's newest hotel, The Westin, located at Bridge Street Town Centre in Cummings Research Park. Continue »

Armed Forces Celebration is a week-long celebration that honors American soldiers and their contributions to the Huntsville/Madison County community. The Chamber and the community recognize the significant contributions the military makes to the local economy as well as to the defense our nation.

The Armed Forces Celebration will move to June 23-28 in 2008. Events include the Armed Forces Luncheon on June 25; Concert In the Park on June 23 at Joe Davis Stadium, Armed Forces Week Fireworks on June 23 at Joe Davis Stadium; Soldier Shows June 24-25 in the Concert Hall at the VBC; and the AUSA Golf Tournament on June 27 at Redstone Arsenal Golf Course. June 28-29 will feature aerobatic flying and performances from the Golden Knights and the Blue Angels at the Huntsville International Airport. Contact Tina Leopold at tleopold@hsvchamber.org for more information.

Those relocating to the Huntsville/Madison County community have a new healthcare information tool at their service. Local hospitals want to welcome these employees and are offering assistance in helping make the transition to the community as smooth as possible. Representatives can recommend physicians in the area and answer questions about the healthcare services available in the Huntsville community.

Huntsville Hospital's BRAC Relocation Assistance toll free physicians hotline is open weekdays at 866-581-BRAC (2722). For more information, please visit www.huntsvillehospital.org.

Crestwood Medical Center Physician Referral Line is answered Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at (256) 429-5000. After hours or on the weekends, please leave a message with your mailing address. For more information, please visit www.crestwoodmedcenter.com.

This year the Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit will be held at the Von Braun Center May 28-29. Topics include Corridor Research Parks: Leveraging our Corridor Smart Parks to Create Private Sector Success, Corridor Federal Alliance: Advancing Our Federal Missions for Regional Success, The Tennessee Valley Corridor: Advancing America's Competitiveness, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center: Exploring New Worlds to Improve our Own, Turning Energy Innovation into Economic Opportunity, BRAC: New Commands. New Missions. New Opportunities, and Our National Security: Transforming and Training for the Future. A number of exhibitors will be on hand as well.

Reservations can be made at the Embassy Suites at a discounted rate of $139 in the reserved Corridor room block. For more information on this event, including hotel information, sponsorship details and an agenda, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org/summits/detail.html

The SE Software Engineering and System Engineering Conference 2008 will be held May 12-14 at the Von Braun Center. The theme is Next Generation Technologies – Challenges and Opportunities. The Department of Defense, NASA, Academia, and Industry are trying to address questions such as: How will you prepare for the next generation of Systems and Software Engineering Opportunities, Challenges, Risks, and Threats? How will your organization optimize the utilization of the unique skills of your youngest workers (video gaming, texting, etc.)? How will you develop Systems and Software flexible enough to utilize tools and techniques that do not currently exist and be able to adapt to future threats that are not currently anticipated? Continue »

Panoply Arts Festival, presented by The Boeing Company, is scheduled for April 25-27 in Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville. Panoply has been a Huntsville tradition for more than a quarter century and is annually listed as one of the top spring festivals in the southeastern United States. This three-day outdoor festival features presentations, demonstrations, fireworks, and fun while promoting the arts. It’s a family environment with activities for all ages.

Boasting weekend crowds of close to 100,000 it’s no wonder the Southeast Tourism Society continually ranks Panoply among their “Top Twenty Events,” and Governor Riley has declared it one of Alabama’s “Top 10 Tourism Events.” Visit www.panoply.org for more information.

The City of Huntsville Recreation Services is partnering with the National Center for Sports Safety in educating the public on basic procedures for parents and coaches of youth sports. The goal is to decrease the number of injuries by helping youth and high school sporting events to become safer venues through emergency action planning. This educational program is provided at no cost to the citizens of Huntsville. It is provided by the State of Alabama through a grant with Alabama State University and the National Center for Sports Safety.

The deadline for completion is May 30. Continue »

The Maltese Falcon, directed by Jim Zielinski, assisted by Robbie Shafer, and adapted by Helen Borgers, from the novel by Dashiell Hammett is coming to Renaissance Theater Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m., and also at 2 p.m. on April 5 and April 6. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. It is produced in Association with the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library for The Big Read.

For more information, visit www.renaissancetheatre.net or call (256) 536-3117.