April 2006 - Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors andExecutive Committee 2006Executive CommitteeDave Hargrove, ChairBrad Jones, Chair-ElectJim Link, Immediate Past ChairEvans Quinlivan, Secretary/TreasurerIrma Tuder, Vice Chair Economic DevelopmentDear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends:Very soon the Chamber of Commerce will kick off this year’s Total ResourceCampaign, which in 2005 was a phenomenal success. Under the leadership of2006 TRC Chair Scott Seeley of Regions Bank, over 100 Chamber volunteers willmarket a variety of Chamber services to member companies. The theme of thisyear’s TRC is The Amazing Race, with volunteers working to reach a goal of$600,000 in revenue by mid-year.Why is the financial success of this campaign important to the Chamber and ourcommunity? As the lead economic development organization for the Huntsvillearea, the Chamber is directly responsible for performing a variety of economicdevelopment services which are critical to the stability and growth of our localeconomy. The Chamber coordinates the recruitment and expansion of localemployers, and our first responsibility is to ensure a professional response toevery economic development opportunity we work. In each situation, our workmust be on time and it must positively influence the consultant or the companyto be impressed. This work requires technology, marketing materials and aprofessional staff that are second-to-none. The Chamber’s financial stabilityenables us to provide this level of service. That’s exactly why the success of theTotal Resource Campaign is essential for our community to remain competitivein economic development. In essence, the TRC complements other Chamberprograms by providing additional resources to effectively carry out the missionof the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative.Much of Huntsville/Madison County’s success in economic development for thelast half century has involved the recruitment of foreign-based employers.Companies like Toyota, Siemens and 39 others collectively provide 8,000 jobsfor local employees. Additionally, international trade and transportation servicesand foreign relations are important to our community’s global presence.This edition of Initiatives focuses on Huntsville’s international business andcommunity programs. You’ll also find other interesting articles on localentrepreneurs and business successes.As Huntsville continues to make headlines, our global outreach is continuing topositively influence our community’s image and economic success!Brian HilsonPresident & CEOChamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison CountyJoe Ritch, Vice Chair Governmental AffairsCharley Burruss,Vice Chair Image DevelopmentGerald Toland, Vice Chair Investor RelationsBill Watson, Vice ChairResearch & Information ServicesDr. Dorothy Huston, Vice Chair Small BusinessJim Bolte, Vice Chair Workforce DevelopmentTommy Beason, Chamber Foundation ChairJoe Austin, Chair-AppointedChairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-AppointedBill Gurley, Chair-AppointedMayor Loretta Spencer, Chair-AppointedBrian Hilson, President/CEOElected BoardJoe Alexander, Camber CorporationPete Apple, Torch TechnologiesJoe Austin, Huntsville HospitalScott Averbuch, Averbuch Realty Co., Inc.Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of ArtJim Bolte, Toyota Motor ManufacturingAlabama, Inc.Frank Caprio, Lanier Ford Shaver & PayneJohn Cooper, Avocent CorporationDick Fountain,Fountain, Parker, Harbarger & AssociatesDr. Frank Franz, UAHDr. Greg Gum, Radiology AssociatesBill Gurley, SAICLinda Hait, The Boeing CompanyJeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic CenterTharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics, Inc.Dr. Eric Janssen, SportsMedDr. Robert Jennings, Alabama A&M UniversityCharlie Kettle, First Commercial BankRon Klein, BelzonDan Montgomery, Northrop GrummanCaroline Myers, Foreign Language Services, Inc.Jim Owens, AmSouth BankJerre Penney, Bill Penney ToyotaPete Schofield, SPARTA, Inc.Scott Seeley, Regions BankKaren Stanley, Stanley Construction Co., Inc.Sandra Steele, Enfinger Steele Development, Inc.Paula Steigerwald, Huntsville Botanical GardenHerman Stubbs, Colonial BankAl Sullivan, COLSA CorporationGerald Toland, Redstone Federal Credit UnionIrma Tuder, Analytical Services, Inc.Gail Wall, Beason & Nalley, Inc.Bill Watson, WachoviaJohn Wilmer, Wilmer & Lee, P.A.Tom Young, Qualitest Pharmaceuticals8 April 2006 Initiatives