Chamber of Commerce
Executive Committee and Board of Directors 2015 Executive Committee Rey Almodóvar, Chair, INTUITIVE Rose Allen, Chair-elect, Booz Allen Hamilton Robert Mayes, Imm. Past Chair, BlueCreek Investment Partners Ron Poteat, Chamber Foundation Chair, Regions Bank Cynthia Streams, Secretary/Treasurer, Domino’s Pizza (Valley Pizza) Joe Newberry, Vice Chair - Economic Development & Industry Relations, Redstone Federal Credit Union
A Message from
Chip Cherry
Jim Rogers, Vice Chair - Gov. & Public Affairs, Lockheed Martin Gary Bolton, Vice Chair - Membership, ADTRAN Emily Lauder, Vice Chair - Workforce & Education, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama
Tharon Honeycutt, Vice Chair - Small Business & Events, MSB Analytics
Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: Congratulations to the nominees, contenders, and winners of our 2015 Small Business Awards! During the black-tie gala presentations on September 11, it was inspiring to hear the stories of the winners of how they became successful in our community and beyond. Equally impressive were the stories relating to the many challenges they faced and the mentors who helped them navigate through business obstacles. Several of the recipients commented that it took multiple tries before they won a Small Business Award and they used what they learned from the process to improve their companies. It also was an encouragement to those who did not win to continue, and an acknowledgement that what we learn from applying for an award is often as valuable as the award received. Small business represents a very special part of our community and we are proud to support them. Also in September, the Chamber hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together leaders from a seven county region to discuss best practices in workforce development and ideas for improving the effectiveness of workforce training. Our region has been very fortunate to have secured a number of expansions and new industry locations, and this growth in jobs will create job opportunities for residents of the region. The challenge we face is ensuring that our students and educators are aware of these opportunities and the skill sets required for success in career fields where jobs are being created. We have a wonderful opportunity to enhance our programing in this area and will share more in future issues of Initiatives. As we transition into fall we look forward to football games, cooler nights, and the approaching holidays. I am going to get a jump on my what I’m thankful for list by saluting our educators. Teachers and those who support them all deserve a very special thank you. You play a vital role in preparing our young people for life, and your impact on them is significant. Thank you for all you do for our young people. I hope to see you at a Chamber event soon!
Chip Cherry, CCE President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
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initiatives OCT-NOV 2015
Kim Lewis, Vice Chair - Marketing & Communications, PROJECTXYZ Penny Billings, Vice Chair - Member Engagement, BancorpSouth Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Mark Curran, Chair-Appointed, L-3 Communications Corp. - HSV Ops Trip Ferguson, Chair-Appointed, Remington Outdoor Company Chairman Dale Strong, Chair-Appointed, Madison County Commission
Mayor Troy Trulock, Chair-Appointed, City of Madison Danny Windham, Chair-Appointed, Digium Chip Cherry, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce
Elected Board Dr. Robert Altenkirch, University of Alabama in Huntsville Bob Baron, Baron Services Dr. Marc Bendickson, Dynetics Miranda Bouldin, LogiCore Greg Bragg, Consolidated Construction Company Greg Brown, Brown Precision Janet Brown, Belk Micah Bullard, Turner Construction Kevin Byrnes, Raytheon Company Kevin Campbell, Northrop Grumman Corporation Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Michael Cox, PARSONS Angel Crespo, Raytheon Redstone Missile Integration Facility Dorothy Davidson, Davidson Technologies Gene Goldman, Aerojet Rocketdyne Jeff Gronberg, deciBel Research Mike Gullion, SCI Technology – a Sanmina company John Gully, SAIC Jan Hess, Teledyne Brown Engineering Steve Hill, AEgis Technologies Group Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Andrew Hugine, Alabama A&M University Hank Isenberg, IronMountain Solutions Jeremiah Knight, JXC Consulting Group Janice Migliore, PALCO Telecom Service Johnny Van Osborne, J. Smith Lanier & Co. Jim Owens, FirstBank Alicia Ryan, LSINC Dr. Gurmej Sandhu, Sigmatech Charlie Sealy, Sealy Management Company Crystal Shell, WILL Technology E.J. Sinclair, SES - Science and Engineering Services Dr. Ashok Singhal, CFD Research Corporation David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital Mike Stanfield, Ducommun Miltec Nilmini Thompson, Systems Products and Solutions Tim Thornton, nLogic Ken Tucker, The Boeing Company Frank Williams, Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep