Learn more about this deadly scourge Meth has on our workplaces and homes April 12th, 2011, 8-10 a.m. in Administrative Board Room, Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, 1200 6th Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901! "Deadly Meth" will be presented by Ken O'Shields of The Business Resource Center of the Pastoral Institute. 

The cost is $25 for Chamber members and $40 for future-members, pay at "the door." For more information contact rhinze@columbusgachamber.com.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of our members for their support of the Chamber and, especially, to our Enhanced Investors, some of whom are included below:

Continuous Sponsors

Aflac; Bassett & Becker; Clear Channel Broadcasting; Columbus Bank and Trust Company/Synovus; Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Inc.; Georgia Power Company; NCR Corporation; PMB Broadcasting, LLC; St. Francis Hospital Inc.; TSYS; W.C. Bradley Company 

Bronze Sponsors:

AT&T GA; Ben Carter Companies, LLC; Boral Bricks; Clark Realty Capital, LLC; Columbus State University; Flournoy Development Company; Humana Inc.; IBM, Inc.; Jay Automotive Group, Inc.; The Jordan Company; Jordan, Jones & Goulding; Kellogg's Snacks; Kodak; KPMG LLP; Lance Private Brands; McCarthy Building Companies; MeadWestvaco Mahrt Operations; Precision Components International, Inc.; Robins & Morton; Stanley, Beaman & Sears, Inc.; Strayer University; TIC Federal Credit Union; Warr Grading Contractor, Inc.

As a not-for-profit organization, the Chamber provides the ideal venue for public-private partnerships to maintain a pro-business region. While we appreciate all of our members, many business leaders recognize the value of investing more than their membership fees in the Chamber's mission to benefit the region. The Chamber's Enhanced Investor levels include Continuous, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper Sponsors.

Our enhanced investors receive Chamber benefits in accordance with the different levels of investments. We would like to have the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the benefits of becoming an enhanced investor or increasing the sponsor level of your current investment. Please contact Ashley Winkler at  706-596-7010 or awinkler@columbusgachamber.com.

Strategic HR Partners has partnered with the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce as a Strategic Partner. Because of this Strategic HR Partners will do a free HR audit for any member of the Chamber of Commerce for no charge. The audits will take anywhere from 4 to 16 hours maximum and have value of $2,400.

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Partners In Education (PIE) will host its annual awards banquet at 6:30 p.m. on April 26 at St. Luke Ministry Center. This event recognizes and celebrates more than 230 partnerships which exist amongst five different school districts. This well attended event is a great venue to have your organization recognized as a sponsor. A variety of packages are available and some are limited. Don't miss this opportunity to be a champion for education through support of PIE.

For more information regarding the impact and value of this program, visit www.iamthechamber.com or contact Dana Whaley, dwhaley@columbusgachamber.com.

Our reasons for choosing Charlotte were many. One of the reasons being our chamber visited Charlotte for its very first inter-city leadership conference trip.

It was 1994, Columbus had passed a one percent sales tax and we were in the middle of preparing for the 1996 Olympic Fast Pitch softball venue. It was decided that we as a community needed to look to other successful cities to assess what they had done to improve in many areas, such as, education, quality of life, economic development. Several of the results of that first trip were:

• The Valley Partnership was formed and patterned after the Carolina's Partnership.
• The City of Columbus purchased four uptown blocks of property after observing the success of the Charlotte effort in downtown revitalization. A major uptown campus for the nationally-recognized TSYS company was subsequently located there.

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Register Now

When:
Thursday May 19, 2011
Columbus, GA Convention and Trade Center
Room 211
801 Front Avenue
7:30 a.m. - Registration
8:00 - 12:00 noon - Program

Topics:

• Are your pay practices going to make you pay?
• Think about OSHA before OSHA thinks about you.
• The new ICE age - Are you ready for an I-9 Audit?
• Protecting your assets - Use of restictive covenants and an update on Georgia's new non-complete law.

Speakers:

Joseph P. Shelton, Mark Y. Thacker and Shannon R. Stevenson
Fisher & Phillips LLP

Click here to read more about the event.

We need more businesses participation in our regional workforce survey (complete details below). The survey typically takes 15-20 minutes and no preparation is necessary. Ryan Hagerty with Georgia Tech is conducting the interviews. If you are willing to participate, then you can

1. email jtucker@columbusgachamber.com and your contact info will be forwarded to Georgia Tech
   OR   
2. you may email or telephone Ryan Hagerty directly at ryan.hagerty@innovate.gatech.edu or phone 404-894-2685

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In 2009, the hospitals of Columbus Regional Healthcare System generated more than $916.4 million in revenue for the local economy according to a recent report by the Georgia Hospital Association, the state's largest hospital trade association.

The report found that during the same time period, the hospitals of Columbus Regional provided more than $33 million in uncompensated care while sustaining 5,544 jobs throughout Columbus and the rest of the state. The 2009 data used to compile the report was provided by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and is the most recent information currently available.

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Aqua Design Systems, one of the South East's fastest growing aquatic specialty contractors, has established offices in Columbus, Ga. The company began leasing space at the Columbus State University Regional Technology Incubator at 3100 Gentian Boulevard in January.

"There are many active construction projects starting in West Central Georgia, which makes Columbus the natural hub for companies who want to be part of the areas growth," said Randy Chancey, president of Aqua Design Systems.Aqua Design Systems was selected to create a aquatic facility for the Auburn University - Montgomery Wellness Center, which is set for completion in fall 2012.

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