1,300 Chamber members attended this year’s Annual Membership Meeting at the Von Braun Center presented by S3.

Tommy Beason and Distinguished Service Award Winner Mike Gillespie, Madison County Commission.

2009 Board Chair Irma Tuder and 2010 Board Chair Don Nalley.

Gillespie was the recipient of the award, which is the highest individual award presented by the Chamber, based on his extensive involvement in the economic development success of the Huntsville/Madison County community.

Former Board Chair and current Chamber Foundation Chair Tommy Beason presented the award on behalf of the Chamber and praised Gillespie’s tenure in community service.

“Mike has been instrumental in recruiting virtually all of our local major employers in Madison County. He understands issues, and has an uncanny ability to develop and maintain relationships with everyone he meets which is vitally important in doing international business,” Beason said.

“The list of accomplishments and civic and government activities is far too long to review. But what I want you to know about this year’s honoree is that Alabama and our relationships are far better because of his dedication and leadership over the past 30 years.”

Gillespie said he was surprised and honored to win the award.

“Every one of these events I come to I always look at the Distinguished Service Award winners. Their shoulders are the ones we climbed as a community to get where we are,” Gillespie said. “I’ve been in office for a long time and there is a new team spirit alive. I have never been more excited about the future of this community.”

Lockheed Martin was the recipient of the Chamber’s Industry of the Year Award, which is given to a member company with at least 350 employees in Huntsville/Madison County. The first winner was Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama and in 2009 the winner was The Boeing Company. Tony Jones, Boeing vice president and Huntsville site executive, who accepted the award in 2009, presented the 2010 award.

In the past year Lockheed Martin, with about 1,200 local workers, was named the Top Performing Aerospace and Defense Company in 2008 and 2009 by Aviation Week & Space Technology; a Top 10 place to start a career by Businessweek; and finished #1 on the “Top 100 list of the “Largest Federal Government Prime Contractors” according to Washington Technology.

Retired Maj. Gen. John Holly, vice president, missile defense systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, was out of town and unable to attend but thanked the Chamber for the award and released the following statement:

“Lockheed Martin is proud to be part of this community and is dedicated to Huntsville’s growth and success.”

Annual meeting keynote speaker retired four-star Gen. John Abizaid, former commander of United States Central Command and currently Distinguished Chair of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, praised the Huntsville/Madison County community, calling it one of the few communities in the U.S. that counts as a true “center of excellence.”

“Congratulations for being a center of excellence and just as important a center of hope. You have really figured out how to bring industry, academia, NASA, the Department of Defense and local government together as one,” Abizaid said. “But you must have a problem here because I see too many smiles, number one rankings and retired generals here,” he joked.

The designation recognizes Huntsville for offering cultural and recreational experiences different from the typical vacation destination. According to the report, “Huntsville features dynamic neighborhoods, a rich architectural heritage, cultural diversity and a strong commitment to historic preservation and revitalization – all of which yield an abundance of character and an authentic sense of place.”

The title of Distinctive Destination is presented to cities and towns across America that offer an authentic visitor experience by combining dynamic downtowns, diverse cultural activities, attractive architecture, and a strong commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization.

To read the report, click here. »

John Donnellon, president of Decisive Analytics, cuts the ribbon for the company’s new office in Cummings Research Park.

According to John Donnellon, president of Decisive Analytics, the company looks forward to growing its footprint in Huntsville.

“We look forward to continue establishing a relationship with the community here and watching the community with amazed eyes at the technology being developed here. This is a place where a company like ours needs to be. NASA, the Army and Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency are all bringing their people here because of the quality of the workforce. We look forward to growing here as well.”

Donnellon added that he looks forward to having another ribbon cutting to celebrate an even bigger office soon.

Registration is available here. »

This year’s event marks a record number of nominations, 194 organizations, and a first for the event, a special award to honor Huntsville/Madison County’s best employees. The Chamber will collaborate with Quantum Workplace, the company who also develops the survey used to determine best places to work, to develop an employee engagement survey that will identify top workers in small, medium and large businesses. The free survey is employee-driven and anonymous, and it is open to all companies that participate in the Best Places to Work survey.

The awards ceremony will take place on April 20 in the VBC South Hall meeting salons at 11:30 a.m.

Gov. Bob Riley discusses his “Jumpstarting Jobs” plan at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.

Don Nalley, Chairman of the Board of Directors, declared the Chamber’s support for Riley’s plan.

“We greatly appreciate Governor Riley’s support for the economic growth of the state and our region and we are certain that even better days are coming,” Nalley said.

“Alabama needs jobs now, not one year or two years from now, but right now,” said Riley. “Despite years of record growth, Alabama’s economy has not been immune from the world-wide recession. Unemployment has risen and many Alabama families are finding it hard to make ends meet. Nothing is more important right now than building and sustaining economic growth in Alabama.

“That’s why jumpstarting job growth in Alabama and putting our state back to work must be the Legislature’s top priority in this session. I call on legislative leaders to take action on these bills. They shouldn’t sit on their hands and do nothing when Alabamians need help right now,” said Riley.

The “Jumpstarting Jobs” plan is made up of three proposals:

• A Back to Work Tax Credit, to offer tax incentives to Alabama companies for hiring unemployed workers.
• Targeted Job Creation Tax Credits, which provide a tax credit to businesses for every new job created in the 25 Alabama counties with the highest unemployment rates.
• Small Business Tax Incentives for Health Insurance, which would allow both small business owners and their employees to deduct 200 percent of the amount they pay for health coverage from their state income taxes.

Looking ahead in 2010, the Chamber is kicking things off with Business After Hours at the Smoke House restaurant at Bridge Street Towne Centre on Feb. 11, the Heritage Club on March 30 and The Holiday Inn Downtown in July. Reservations can be made online by visiting the Chamber’s Upcoming Calendar of Events.