Chamber of Commerce Huntsville • Madison County
Staff 2004 Brian Hilson, President & CEO Holly McClain, Communications Director Laura Kendrick, Executive Assistant to the President
Economic Development
The Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors and Executive Committee 2004
Tommy Beason, Chair LTG James Link (Ret.), Chair-Elect
Ethan Hadley, Vice President, Economic Development Steve Finnell, Director, Industrial Development & Existing Industry Rick Davis, Director, Cummings Research Park Lillie Ben, Executive Marketing Assistant Amy Locke, Industrial Development Assistant Garrett Sheehan, Economic Development Assistant
Gail Wall, Treasurer
Investor Relations
Dave Hargrove, Vice Chair Investor Relations
Loren Traylor, Vice President, Investor Relations Pat Jackson, Membership Director Cheryl Schultz, Director, Small Business & Workforce Development Bill Holbrook, Coordinator, Small Business & Workforce Development Debra Dunbar, Launch Program Director Donna McCrary, Investor Relations Assistant Terrie Ledbetter, Membership Representative
Governmental Affairs Mike Ward, Vice President, Governmental Affairs Jay Snyder, BRAC Executive Director Tina Leopold, Program Assistant
Howard Thrailkill, Past Chair Joel Daves, Secretary Brad Jones, Vice Chair Economic Development Joe Ritch, Vice Chair Governmental Affairs Karen Stanley, Vice Chair Small Business Scott Seeley, Vice Chair Research & Information Services Joe Austin, Vice Chair Workforce Development Chairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-Appointed Bill Gurley, Chair-Appointed Mayor Loretta Spencer, Chair-Appointed Irma Tuder, Chair-Appointed Brian Hilson, President/CEO
Elected Board
Research & Information Services
Tommy Beason, Beason & Nalley, Inc.
Ken Smith, Director, Research & Information Services Kristi Sherrard, Publications/Graphic Design Specialist Hiroko Sedensky, Research Assistant Judith Short, Information Services Assistant Penny Carothers, Resource Desk Coordinator Bobbie Patterson, Resource Desk Coordinator
Joe Alexander, Camber Corporation
Finance & Administration Ken Williams, Finance & Administration Director Desman Holt, Network Administrator Dora Heisey, Financial Assistant Erica Gussie, Financial Assistant Tom Burnette, Building Manager Dallas Brown, IT Co-op Intern
Pete Apple, CSC Joe Austin, Huntsville Hospital Scott Averbuch, Averbuch Realty John Cooper, Avocent Marshall England, State Farm Dick Fountain, Fountain, Parker, Harbarger & Associates Dr. Greg Gum, Radiology Associates Bill Gurley, SAIC Michael Hall, DaimlerChrysler Corporation Richard Holloway, Timberlakes Developers, Inc.
Leadership
Tharon Honeycutt, WHNT-TV
Sarah Savage, Leadership Director Allison Harbin, Leadership Assistant Mary Stewart, Youth Leadership Coordinator
Donna Lamb, Lamb Commercial Services
Dr. Eric Janssen, SportsMed Millie Marshall, Toyota Motor Manufacturing-AL
Small Business Development Center
Jerre Penney, Bill Penney Toyota
Dr. Bill Killingsworth, Director, SBDC Carrie Davis, Assistant Director, SBDC Brenda McBride, Procurement Counselor Patsy Nayman, Executive Secretary 1 Felita Flores, Secretary 2 Hanson Howard, Executive Director, SCORE
Joe Ritch, Sirote & Permutt Remigius Shatas, Rymic Systems, Inc. Sandra Steele, Enfinger Development, Inc. Paula Steigerwald, Huntsville Botanical Garden Gerald Toland, Redstone Federal Credit Union Irma Tuder, Analytical Services, Inc.
Chamber of Commerce Huntsville • Madison County 225 Church Street Huntsville, Alabama 35801 (256) 535-2000 www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com
A Message from the President
Executive Committee
Johnnie Vann, Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne Bill Watson, SouthTrust Bank Jean Wessel-Templeton, Wesfam/Burger King
Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors and Community Leaders: This edition of Initiatives highlights Huntsville/Madison County’s international culture. Upon the arrival of Dr. Wernher von Braun and the famous 118-member German rocket team in Huntsville in 1950, our community learned quickly how to understand and embrace international friends. Not only did Dr. von Braun lead the development of space propulsion systems in Huntsville which ultimately put man on the moon, he helped our community understand how to develop relationships and think with a global perspective. In 1980, community leaders had a similar opportunity—to attract the first Korean-based industrial investment in North America. Huntsville was successful, and what was then Lucky Goldstar and is now known as LG Electronics continues to provide local jobs for more than 500 employees. In 2001, Huntsville announced the recruitment of Toyota Motor Manufacturing’s V8 engine facility, resulting in more than 30 foreign-based employers doing business here. Years ago, community leaders considered it very important that we attract, retain and expand non-government-dependent employers in order to secure a diversified economic base for the Huntsville area. We’ve been successfully pursuing foreign business investment since the 1970s, and the Chamber’s new Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative continues that strategy. The International Intermodal Center located at the Port of Huntsville provides a unique inland transportation capability to aid area companies in regional trade and transportation. The North Alabama International Trade Association, profiled in this edition, has lead international trade development efforts for our community. International relations is also a continuing priority for Huntsville. It is estimated that Huntsville has residents from more than 100 foreign countries, and international relations organizations are common here. The Chamber’s current marketing efforts point to business recruitment opportunities in the U.S. and abroad, including places like Canada, Germany, England, Japan, Korea and Singapore. These efforts are intended to maintain balance between Huntsville’s dependency upon federal space and defense programs and non-government employers. The Chamber is pleased to announce its affiliation with Development Counsellors International, a New York-based firm which specializes in media promotion opportunities for its clients which include U.S cities, states and even some foreign countries. The Chamber will utilize DCI’s efforts to promote favorable media attention on our community, companies and technologies. We are also pleased to announce the addition of Holly McClain as the Chamber’s new Communications Director. She will coordinate the DCI effort, and her broad communications background will ensure that the Chamber’s promotional materials, media and public relations efforts are effective. It is now more important than ever that the Huntsville community aggressively project a favorable image. A recent University of Alabama in Huntsville study commissioned by the Chamber identified a number of local challenges to economic growth, including a deficiency in the number of 20-34 year-olds living here as compared with other metropolitan areas. It is our responsibility to address this issue and at the same time promote our community’s image. To aid in this effort, we are also pleased to announce a new pictorial coffee table book for Huntsville which will be published in the spring of 2005. Consistent with our efforts to recognize Huntsville’s aerospace technology that began with von Braun, and to position Huntsville for the attraction of global employers and young professionals, the book’s working title is One Sky, Countless Stars. Thank you for your continued support and investment in local economic growth through the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.
Peri Widener, The Boeing Company
Brian Hilson
Keith Wilson, Wyle Laboratories
President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Tom Young, Intergraph Corporation
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05 April 2004 Initiatives
Initiatives April 2004