News from Greater Akron Chamber

At last month's Annual Meeting, Dan Colantone and Chair Virginia Albanese introduced many of the reasons why the Greater Akron Chamber is excited about the prospects for 2011 and beyond. Along with introducing our region to new companies and providing established organizations with tools to grow, the Chamber is investing in efforts that support short- and long-term growth.

Below are several highlights from Dan's and Virginia's speeches about the Greater Akron Chamber's direction:

Six strategic areas have been identified as the key focal points for the Chamber. Goals have been set for each one, with results tracked quarterly. The six areas are growing Greater Akron, investing in human capital, improving perceptions, revitalizing physical assets, enhancing value for small businesses and creating the capacity to succeed.
2011 will see continued teamwork with the city, county, state and federal governments, regional partners, and business and educational leaders.
By 2017, nearly 60% of all Greater Akron jobs will require more than a high school education. We must work with our businesses, government and educators to prepare for a workforce that employs higher-skilled and high-level thinking individuals.
The Chamber is working hand in hand with Summit Education Initiative, Northeastern Ohio Council on Higher Education, Akron Public Schools and our local universities and foundations to support our regional education effort.
Through YPN, we are engaging Akron's young professionals so that they will be prepared to carry our community to new heights through leadership.
Introduction of the Capacity to Succeed campaign, which is directed at increasing funding and involvement from Chamber members.

Many of the evening's highlighted points reflect the mission of the Chamber's A Factor campaign. For more about the A Factor and information that was shared during the Annual Meeting, read our 2010 Annual Report.

Building an International "Akron Brand"

The Greater Akron Chamber partnered with the City of Akron, NEOTEC and Team NEO to schedule and staff nearly 100 pre-qualified meetings at the 2011 Hannover Trade Fair. The meetings were with companies looking to establish or expand their North American presence within three to five years.

Mayor Don Plusquellic and County Executive Russ Pry led the Akron delegation at the German exposition. With 6,500 exhibitors from 65 nations and 225,000 attendees, this is the world's largest industrial trade show.

"The face-to-face meetings that were conducted are invaluable due to their ability to quickly forge a working relationship that--ultimately--can lead to an investment in our city and jobs for our citizens," said Mayor Plusquellic.

The Greater Akron Chamber, Team NEO and the City of Akron are currently working directly with several companies that have shown an interest in visiting the Greater Akron region in the next 60-90 days.

Our Membership "Pitch"

On April 26 at 6:00 p.m. the Chamber will open a new, volunteer-driven membership campaign, the World Series of Membership, at Canal Park before the Aeros game. The campaign, which runs through June 30, will encourage teams of volunteers to refer prospective members.

In early June, the Chamber will hold a "Seventh Inning Stretch" after-hours event to review the scoreboard and reenergize the teams. To wrap up the campaign, a celebration event will be held to welcome new members, recognize volunteers and award the top teams and individuals with prizes.

For more information on signing up your team, click here.

Greater Akron Chamber and Cleveland Plus take Chicago

The Greater Akron Chamber recently collaborated with regional partners, Team NEO and BioEnterprise, in a Cleveland Plus Market outreach visit to Chicago. Meetings with eight global site-location consulting firms that focus on activities within the Midwest were the focus of the two-day visit.

This marked the fourth and final market visit by the Cleveland Plus partners this year. Other visits, aimed at generating new investment opportunities, were made to New York/New Jersey, Atlanta and Dallas. The Greater Akron Chamber participates to support its Advance Akron, five-year strategic plan.

YPN Goes Unplugged

The Greater Akron Chamber's Young Professionals Network (YPN) is providing Akron's future and current young leaders an opportunity to go "unplugged" with Mayor Don Plusquellic on May 10 at the Martin University Center. The candid conversation will cover the state of the city and how young professionals can become more engaged in shaping the city, along with the factors that make Akron a desirable place to live, work, raise families and succeed.

For more information or to register for this event, click here.