110th annual meeting of Albany Area Chamber

THE ALBANY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HOSTED ITS 110TH ANNUAL MEETING, PRESENTED BY AB&T, ON JANUARY 23, CELEBRATING THE SUCCESSES AND WINS OF 2019 AND SHARING A CLEARLY CHARTED COURSE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE REGION’S LARGEST BUSINESS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION.

The evening’s key themes included the Chamber’s renewed focus on small business development and entrepreneurship; an ongoing focus on existing businesses and economic development; a leading role in talent creation and development, and in military affairs; and an expansion of the organization’s successful local, state and federal legislative advocacy program.

“We are, unapologetically, a business partisan organization,” said Albany Area Chamber President and CEO Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “You can expect us to continue to work closely with our governmental partners and our elected officials to ensure your voice is heard and you can expect us to continue our work to enhance job retention and job creation, and to protect, defend and push the pro-business policies that support job-creating entities.”

2020 ALBANY AREA CHAMBER PERRY REVELL, LEFT, CELEBRATES BEN BARROW, PRESIDENT OF LRA CONSTRUCTORS AND THE CHAMBER'S 2020 LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT.

Holmes and 2020 Chairman Perry Revell, senior vice president of AB&T who was officially installed during the evening program, said the Chamber’s new strategic plan supports a new vision for success in a new era.

“The economic playing field has shifted, again,” Holmes said. “We believe we’re well positioned to tackle these issues and to lead. You should expect us to be aggressive, and that together, we will succeed and thrive in a new economic environment.”

During the event, which brought together nearly 400

AB&T, WHOSE EXECUTIVES, TEAM MEMBERS AND BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDED THE EVENT.

business and community leaders, the Chamber recognized Scott Tomlinson, CEO of Flint Community Bank, for his leadership as 2019 chairman, and presented Ben Barrow, president of LRA Constructors, Inc., with its prestigious 2020 Lifetime Service Award.

Jeffrey Cooley Jr. of the U.S Defense Missile Agency and of Marine Corps Logistics Command before that was named the Albany Area Chamber's Albany Under 40 Young Professional of the Year.

The 110th annual meeting was sponsored by AB&T, Albany Technical College, Draffin Tucker, Georgia Power, MillerCoors (now MolsonCoors), Albany Area Primary Health Care, the Albany State University Foundation and Mitchell EMC.