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Tuscany on the Itinerary for 2014
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For 2014, the Greater Akron Chamber is offering an exciting guided trip to Italy.
On November 3-10, explore Tuscany and the Italian Riviera on a tour that includes rustic countryside and rich culture and history. This trip has several unique culinary experiences you can't get anywhere else. Book now and save $250!
Click here to learn more about Tuscany and the Italian Riviera.
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Space available in Experience Greater Akron
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Experience Greater Akron is the ultimate guide to living, working and playing in Summit, Portage and Medina counties.
This print and online magazine makes a newcomer's move as informed and stress-free as possible with authoritative sources, useful articles and must-have contact information.
Click here for advertising opportunities or to view the publication from previous years. |
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The mission of the Greater Akron Chamber is to drive economic development and prosperity for the people of the Greater Akron Region.
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107th Annual Meeting is Huge Success
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The 107th Annual Meeting took place March 20 with a fantastic turnout of 950 attendees. Dr. Luis Proenza, president of The University of Akron, was honored with the H. Peter Burg award, given each year to recognize leadership in the Akron community. Watch the video here. The Chamber thanks our premier sponsors, NEOMED, The University of Akron, Brouse McDowell, Southwest.com, Akron-Canton Airport and CBIZ as well as our annual report sponsor, Huntington Bank, those who were in attendance, and the many others involved with sponsorship and donations that helped make this event so successful. Dr. Proenza has been president of UA for 15 years, where he has led its transformation into a powerful engine for regional economic development, collaborative initiatives and a preeminent public university in Northeast Ohio. Dr. Proenza noted eight of the last nine H. Peter Burg award winners are University of Akron Alumni, saying, "If the achievements and contributions of all these alumni do not stand as a testament to the University's importance for economic development, I don't know what will." 
Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, as previous holder of the Burg award, introduced Dr. Proenza. Plusquellic was introduced by Chamber CEO Dan Colantone as "a former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and among a group of urban leaders who are called on regularly to advise the White House, federal agencies and congressional leaders.
Mayor Plusquellic also recognized Akron as it welcomes the 2014 Gay Games and celebrated The University of Akron's Super Bowl commercial.
The annual meeting also featured a successful silent auction, which raised approximately $15,000. The auction proceeds benefit the ARDB Education Fund (501)(c)(3) - EIN 34-1202413, which help offset the Chamber's programs and services to the community.
See pictures of the event here. |
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Tri-County Receives $10.8M from State
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In the fall of 2013, Governor Kasich announced that the fiscal health of the state provided the opportunity to fund community economic development and arts/culture projects for the first time in six years. He turned to the Chamber and seven of Ohio's metropolitan economic development organizations for local input on key projects.
The FY 2015 and FY 2016 State Capital Appropriations legislation was signed into law on April 1, 2014. The law contains 17 community projects for Medina, Portage and Summit Counties totaling over $10.8 million. Combined with over $43 million in capital projects for state higher education institutions in the tri-county area, our region is poised to receive over $54 million in total. This is a testament to our regional public-private partnership efforts with the Governor and our local elected legislators.
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Chamber Hosts Annual Forum
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More than 100 economic development practitioners from throughout Northeast Ohio participated in the Chamber's 10th Annual Economic Development Forum, held at Greystone Hall and sponsored by Roetzel & Andress. This year's forum focused on Akron-Canton Airport (CAK), which had more than 1.7 million passengers last year. Richard McQueen, president and CEO of CAK, discussed the airport's transformation and its $100M+, 10-year capital improvement plan.
"Your airport is a strong catalyst for economic growth and opportunity for the entire Greater Akron Region," said McQueen. "Our partnership with GAC is more vital than ever, as the air service landscape in Northeast Ohio continues to evolve."
Michael Theiss, senior manager with Southwest Airlines, discussed Southwest's strategic alliance with the airport via the LUVCAK program. Rick Rebadow, executive vice president for the Chamber, noted that "Southwest Airlines' commitment will only enhance one of the most economically efficient airports in the country."
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Excellence in Business Awards
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 Make plans to attend the Small Business Council's Excellence in Business awards breakfast on Thursday, May 29, 2014, from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., at Sheraton Suites, 1989 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls. We will honor three local businesses who have consistently demonstrated outstanding performance, growth, staying power, innovation and leadership: EnviroScience, Inc., Nagy's Collision Specialists, Sequoia Financial Group, plus Metis Construction Services as Emerging Business.
Keynote speaker will be Mark Krohn, equity partner, Brennan, Manna & Diamond, LLC; chairman, Acquire Investments, LLC; and chief operating officer, ProSource Solutions, LLC.
The event is sponsored by Apple Growth Partners, Day Ketterer and Westfield Bank.
Register by noon on Friday, May 23, 2014, at (330) 376-5550 or online at www.greaterakronchamber.org. $30 per member; $40 per non-member; corporate tables of eight are available for $250.
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 The Greater Akron Chamber partnered with Team NEO in a Cleveland+ market outreach visit to Chicago, where the team met with seven corporate real estate and site selection consultants over a three-day visit. Many of the consultants have visited Northeast Ohio and know its strengths in advanced manufacturing, automotive, biomedical, information technology and polymers/plastics. All were interested in recent investments here by Alcoa, ATT, Goodyear, Newell Rubbermaid and PPG, and impressed by investments in our region's urban-core cities and adjoining neighborhoods. "These meetings let us tell our story to influential decision makers who--on a daily basis--work on deals that create and retain thousands of jobs," said Gregg Cramer, vice president of economic development. "To be on their short list, it is imperative for us to set Northeast Ohio apart from the national and international competition." The Chamber and Team NEO plan a second market visit to New York in the fourth quarter of 2014, aligned with the Chamber's five-year strategic plan, Advance Greater Akron. |
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2014 State of the City Address
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The Greater Akron Chamber once again co-hosted Mayor Don Plusquellic's State of the City address on April 2. The event drew over 600 attendees to the John S. Knight Center to hear Mayor Plusquellic talk about his vision for the coming year, as well as some of the achievements from the past year.
Among the highlights of his speech, the Mayor focused on the importance of educational opportunities and highlighted the partnership between Akron Public Schools, The University of Akron and Stark State, the ongoing sewer system upgrade project, and a soon-to-be-launched website aimed at engaging Akron citizens and groups about what they see as important to the city.
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Akron at Hannover Trade Fair
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 The Greater Akron Chamber partnered with the City of Akron, Summit County, City of Fairlawn, Team NEO and the National Tooling and Machining Association at the 2014 Hannover Messe in Germany, for more than 75 meetings with companies who could establish or expand their North American presence.
With 6,500 exhibitors from 60 countries and 250,000 attendees, the Hannover Messe is the world's largest industrial trade show.
Summit County Executive Russ Pry and City of Fairlawn Mayor Bill Roth led the "Akron, USA" delegation. Pry said, "These working relationships have strengthened our existing industry clusters and resulted in jobs and opportunity for the citizens of Summit County."
Co-chaired by the Chamber and the City of Akron, this was the 20th year that "Akron, USA" has exhibited and the 25th year we have attended the Hannover Messe. More than 25 leads were identified during the week in Germany, and the Chamber and City are working with international companies interested in visiting the Greater Akron Region.
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Economic Development Correspondents
Robert Y. Bowman, Deputy Mayor, City of Akron
Samuel D. DeShazior, Deputy Director, City of Akron
Stephen Kidder, President, German Link, Inc.
Richard F. Rebadow, Executive Vice President, Greater Akron Chamber
Gregg P. Cramer, Vice President, Economic Development, Greater Akron Chamber
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