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 Weekly Update November 28, 2012
NEXT..Innovate. Commercialize. Grow.
NEXT Initiative Annual Economic Impact Results 

We've calculated and released the annual economic impact results of our award-winning NEXT economic development initiative. Executive Vice President John Moore presented the results at the Chamber's November board of directors and ACCELERATE! Investor meetings.

 

The data, which comes from an annual survey of NEXT company CEOs, reveals the following impact figures for the 96 companies supported by NEXT as of September 30, 2012:

  • 662 Full-Time Direct Jobs Including 168 New Jobs Added the Last 12 Months (34% growth)
  • $68,560 Average Full-Time Salary (172% of the Greenville County Average Wage)
  • $43,353,486 Total Payroll Full-Time Direct Jobs
  • 1,654 Total Full Time Jobs (Includes Direct and Indirect Jobs)
  • $34,446,813 in Capital Raised the Last 12 Months
  • 104 Interns Employed the Last 12 Months

As of January 2010, NEXT became a full-time initiative funded by ACCELERATE!, the Chamber's five year strategic effort to reverse declining income competitiveness in the Greenville area. NEXT is uniquely dedicated to increasing the number of globally-impactful headquarters in the area by supporting the growth and attraction of early-stage high-growth companies, leading to immediate job and wage growth, plus long-term wealth creation. NEXT supports knowledge-based companies in a variety of industry sectors including software/IT, life sciences, advanced materials, and consumer electronics.

 

NEXT Advisory Board Chair and CEO of Gnoso, Peter Waldschmidt notes, "After just a few short years, the support and infrastructure projects led by NEXT are producing substantial results. The outstanding capital investment and job growth numbers reported for the past 12 months demonstrate that high-growth technology ventures can flourish here. We are just now beginning to gain critical mass, and we'll see these gains multiply into larger economic growth for the community over the next few years."

 

According to Moore, "This targeted group of companies is turbo-charging a positive change in the Chamber's key economic metric, per capita personal income. The real heroes of NEXT are the CEOs of the high-growth companies and the tireless effort they and their staffs put in to competing in the global marketplace. It is critical that we continue working with the business community and our economic development allies to build an even stronger, more sustainable model for NEXT with the goal of making Greenville the top location in the southeast for launching and growing a knowledge-based company."

Kick Off the Season at the Greenville Chamber's 
Annual Holiday Drop-in Tomorrow!
Thursday, November 29 5:30-8pm 
Join us for some holiday cheer and to enjoy the finest treats from our members!
Admission is one new, unwrapped toy for the United States Marine Corps' Toys For Tots campaign. Don't have time to shop? Let us do the shopping for you! Make a donation when you register and we will purchase a toy for you! 
For more information, contact Jennifer Powell at 864-239-3731. 
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Please join us for our 2012 Legislative Breakfast
Thursday, December 6, 8:30 to 10:00 am

Westin Poinsett Hotel

Registration starts at 7:30 am and Program starts at 8:00 am

Click here to learn more and register.

Member to Member Deal of the Week: Bulk Discounts at Camelot Cinemas!

As the weather gets chilly and people need to find more things to do inside, why not the movies? Camelot Cinemas is now offering Greenville Chamber members discounted movie tickets in bulk. Local corporations, businesses, and other organizations have found this offer useful and effective for employee incentives, rewards, discounts, gifts/giveaways, contest winners and more! Camelot Cinemas wants to help you succeed and meet your goals. Think your business can benefit by partnering with Camelot Cinemas? Contact their office today at 864-233-7700! 
www.greenvillecamelot.com Ref #: Chamber Business Offer Exp: 12/31/2012
 

Save the Date for our 
124th Annual Meeting
Thursday, February 21, 2013!
Featuring Fluor Chairman & CEO David T. Seaton

Sponsorships Available! Learn more.

Get Involved in 2013! 


Be a Chamber Ambassador!
The Chamber's team of dedicated Ambassadors engage new members throughout their first year of membership. They provide personal contacts and advice on how to make the most of their Chamber membership. Ambassadors meet at the Chamber for lunch once a month to share best practices for engaging new members. Contact Lorraine Woodward at 864-239-3742 to learn more today.

 

Join the NEW Ribbon Cutting/Grand Opening Committee! We are looking for members to get involved with and attend our member Ribbon Cuttings and Grand Openings. Contact Lorraine Woodward at 864-239-3742 to learn more today.
BEST Tip of the Week Americans generate up to 70% of their waste at work. Start thinking seriously about the waste stream in your business. The less garbage your business throws into the dumpster, the more likely you will be able to reduce your frequency of pick-ups and/or your container size. This saves money on your bottom line!  Consider making an informal inventory of what you use and throw away. A good place to start is by you and your employees inspecting the office trash cans. Ask yourselves whether the products you discard are needed at all, or could they have been reused or recycled? Through this quick assessment, many businesses can cut in half the amount of materials that are thrown out!  Visit FurmanBEST.biz for more ways to take control of your utility costs.
Feature Your Business! 
2013-2014 will be our 125th year of operation. In celebration, we are re-launching the official printed Greenville Chamber Business Directory. We hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to further your support of the Chamber and promote your business to our membership, prospective members, area newcomers and more. 
Have you uploaded your Greenville Chamber App?
Go to web.greenvillechamber.org from your smart phone, follow the instructions to upload the Application to your Home Screen, and get to our Business Directory to find fellow members quickly and easily while you're on the go! If you have questions, please contact Marion Mann at 239-3729. 
MORE UPCOMING EVENTS

View our calendars for more upcoming events: 
Have you been impressed by a small business lately?
PAY LESS FOR WHAT YOUR COMPANY IS ALREADY BUYING! 
Are you taking advantage of your Greenville Chamber group buying power programs?  
  
Accident Fund
Our SmartBuys partners Accident Fund (NEW!), BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Office Depot, and Windstream Communications are dedicated to helping your buisness save money. Start saving today!

 


Individual Health Care Plans Are Available!
 

Blue Cross Blue Shield SC

If you need a health care plan that lets YOU control costs, the Chamber's individual insurance program may be a perfect fit. This Individual plan has 10 plan designs to choose from with four different deduction levels. Contact Jennifer Powell for more information at 864-239-3731.

 

NationJob: Chamber members with 0-25 employees can post local job
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listings for FREE at NationJob! Take advantage of this valuable benefit by E-mailing the job description to [email protected] and note that you are a Greenville Chamber member. Sponsorships for the Chamber's Employment page are also available.Call 888-256-0919 for further details. 
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