February 2016
CHAMBER CONNECTION New chairman points to Leadership Jackson as turning point in his community involvement
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nce again, the Jackson Chamber’s on the board of Hands Up! Preschool and leadership program has the West Tennessee Workforce Development launched yet another person into Board. involvement in the Jackson community. He was the chamber board’s vice As Ben Ferguson stepped into the role chairman of public affairs and community of chairman of the Jackson Chamber board development/leadership before beginning his Feb. 1, he could look back to participating two-year term as chamber board chairman in Leadership Jackson in 2006 as the turning this month. He replaces Jim Campbell, whom point in his community involvement. he calls “a natural born leader. No matter the “Leadership Jackson is a formative obstacle or the opportunity, he rises to the experience,” he said. “It shows you how the occasion and makes good things happen.” city and county work and how you can help. A 1997 graduate of the University School It gave me the opportunity to get plugged in.” of Jackson, Ferguson was born and raised in One of his first volunteer activities was Jackson. After earning a business degree from helping the Jackson Chamber launch U-40, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a program designed to engage young adults he worked in Florida for Pentair Tool and in the chamber. The group has evolved into Equipment. While there, he earned his MBA Jackson Young Professionals, which meets Ben Ferguson, Jackson Chamber’s 2016 Chairman of the Board of Directors, receives from Stetson University. for lunch, networking and a program every He returned to Jackson in 2005 to the gavel from Jim Campbell, 2014-2015 Chairman. other month. become president of Personnel Placements, Ferguson, president of Personnel a full-service staffing agency that has seven He was a member of the Jackson-Madison County School Placements Holdings LLC, also is a co-founder and System Strategic Planning Committee and was co-chairman of the branches for recruiting and training personnel for CEO of theCO, Jackson’s thriving entrepreneur businesses and industry in Tennessee and parts of Superintendent Search Firm Selection Committee. He is a charter development center. He worked with local high Mississippi and Arkansas. member of the Society for Human Resource Management for West schools in developing a program to teach coding. Ferguson is honored, he said, about his new Tennessee. He has served on the board of the Jackson Area Chapter “I strongly believe in educating young people for role with the chamber. “The chamber does a lot of of the American Red Cross and the Jackson Regional Partnership success and in creating the ecosystem at theCO good for the community with a great staff and great Committee for Workforce Development. that nurtures entrepreneurs as they start their own leaders in place. This is an exciting time for Jackson. In 2011, he was named the Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year. businesses.” Quite honestly, I hope I don’t slow them down.” He didn’t slow down. His current volunteer work includes serving
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Wichita, Jackson chambers share strategies
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wo of Jackson Chamber’s top officials, President and CEO Kyle Spurgeon and Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Ryan Porter, visited Wichita, Kan., in January to learn more about a similar city. They were invited by the former publisher of The Jackson Sun, Roy Heatherly, who served as chairman of the Jackson Chamber before becoming publisher of the Wichita Eagle in 2015. With a metropolitan population of more than 380,000, the city is much Pictured from left are Kyle Spurgeon, President and CEO of the Jackson Chamber; Gary Plummer, President and CEO of the Wichita Metro larger than Jackson. However, Chamber; and Ryan Porter, COO and General Counsel for the Jackson Chamber. Spurgeon speaks to members of the Wichita chamber. Spurgeon said, they are pursuing several of the same initiatives. “It was jam-packed with really meaningful meetings with “I know it was a valuable experience for Kyle and Ryan, “Scale-wise, their progress has been about the the high-end leaders in Wichita,” Porter said. “It was a good but we also learned a lot from them and heard some good same as ours,” Spurgeon said. “Any time you go to ideas about what is going on in Jackson,” Plummer said. “It another community for a city-to-city visit, you can opportunity to see some of their successes, but also some of the things that didn’t work that we can learn from.” was a win-win.” examine specific ideas and validate some of the Specifically, the leadership in Wichita is making strides After the visit, Spurgeon and Porter thanked Heatherly things you are doing in your own community.” for the opportunity. Not only did Heatherly develop the The visit featured two full days of meetings with in its tourism and workforce development efforts, which expansive itinerary, he also welcomed them into his home organizations such as the Wichita Metro Chamber are two areas identified in Forward Jackson 2.0 – a fiveyear economic development campaign led by the Jackson so they wouldn’t need a hotel during their two-night stay. of Commerce, Greater Wichita Partnership, Chamber. Porter said Jackson can learn from the Kansas “We are really appreciative of him and his wife, Beth, for Visit Wichita, Wichita Downtown Development community’s accomplishments in recruiting and retaining their hospitality,” Porter said. Corporation and other economic development young professionals. Spurgeon said city-to-city visits are common in larger initiatives. “We as a community need to do a better job of not only metropolitan areas, and Jackson plans to expand on the “In his six months there, Roy has met a lot of keeping the young talent in Jackson but also recruiting idea. people,” Spurgeon said. “He set these meetings up millennials,” Porter said. Next October, the chamber will head back to Wichita for us to learn and share ideas with the leadership The visit was also an opportunity for both cities to share with a delegation of key economic development in Wichita.” success stories. Gary Plummer, president and chief executive officials from across Jackson. The group will meet their Spurgeon and Porter also met with officials of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, said the visit counterparts and discover new ways to improve their from Wichita State University and the local was beneficial for everyone. community. United Way.
Chamber staff members earn promotions - pg 2 Henson Construction Services uses ‘unique, cost-effective approach’- pg 3 Davenport sets record attendance - pg 4