ChamberLink May 2012 : Page 2

2 ChamberLink • maY 2012 B O A R D A N D S T A F F FREDERICKSBURG REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE President’s Perspective O F F I C E R S Mark Steele , Chairman, The Title Professionals, LLC Kathryn “Kathy” Wall , Vice Chair, Mary Washington Healthcare Woody Van Valkenburgh, Immediate Past Chair , Rappahannock Goodwill Industries Regis Keddie, Acting Treasurer, Davenport & Co Susan Spears, President, Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. e l e c t e d d i r e c t o r s Mona Albertine, Jabberwocky Inc. Gene Bailey, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance Greg Calvert, Kloke Transfer Mike Fidgeon, Providence Service Corporation Maria Franklin, Union First Market Bank Bill Hession, Lockheed Martin Kathy Hoffman, Mary Kay Cosmetics Richard Hurley, University of Mary Washington Mike Jones, Tricord Cos. Glenn Kinard, PNC Bank Hart Rutherford, SimVentions Shawn Sloan, The Media Partners, LLC Joe Wilson, PermaTreat Pest Control Eric Watkins, Infinity Technologies Lunch with Chamber members offers chance to learn of local business concerns Chamber members gathered in April for an intimate luncheon with Chamber President Susan Spears. Attendees shared their thoughts about the state of the economy and what the Chamber can to do help spur economic growth. By Susan Spears We often hear – especially during an election year – that an incumbent office holder is “out of touch” with the concerns of the average citizen. The higher a person moves up the political ladder, the more easily he or she can grow isolated – surrounded by staff that keeps much of the outside world at bay, shielding the office holder from interaction with constituents. From a political standpoint, this can prove fatal as various incumbent presidents, U.S. Senators and mem-bers of Congress have learned. This type of isolation can also affect business leaders of small and large enterprises. It’s a bit of a paradox – we’re more connected now than ever via e-mail and social media yet we seem to have less and less face-to-face interaction. No question that we can easily shut ourselves in our offices behind our computers and have little contact with our colleagues and customers. One of my goals as president of your Chamber is to stay in touch with you and keep abreast of the issues most important to you. To help ensure that I do so, we’ve launched a new program – Lunch with the President. Once each quarter, I’ll host an intimate luncheon with interested Chamber members. We’ll enjoy breaking bread together and talking in a relaxed atmosphere about what’s on your minds. This is an opportunity for me to hear your feedback about the Cham-ber, the community, and other ideas you have about your business and the business of our region’s economy. We held our first luncheon on April 12 at Courtyard by Marriott Historic Fredericksburg District. Participants reflected the diversity of our mem-bership, with attendees representing banking, healthcare, marketing, government, environmental services, education, federal contracting, in-surance and realty sectors, to name a few. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet some members for the first time and to catch up with members that I know very well at the same time. The next Lunch with the President will take place in July. Keep an eye out for more details here in ChamberLink and in our QuickNotes e-mail. I urge all of you to make sure that you don’t let the day-to-day grind of business isolate you. Make time to attend Chamber events such as this new addition and network with your peers in the busi-ness community. Strong relationships are the key to making your business successful. See you in July! Susan Spears is president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce l e g a l c o u n s e l Charles Payne, Jr., Hirschler Fleischer c h a m b e r s t a f f Tammy Campbell, Administrative & Member Services Support, tammy@fredericksburgchamber.org Michele Renee Dooling, Director of Finance, michele@fredericksburgchamber.org Mary Garber, Director of Programs and Administration, mary@fredericksburgchamber.org. Alexis Neustatter, Member Services Coordinator, alexis@fredericksburgchamber.org J.D. Southerland, Membership Account Executive , jds@fredericksburgchamber.org Susan Spears, President, Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. Whitney Watts, Member Services Manager, whitney@fredericksburgchamber.org George Whitehurst, Communications Director, george@fredericksburgchamber.org c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n Telephone 540-373-9400 Facsimile 540-373-9570 Internet www.fredericksburgchamber.org ChamberLink is published monthly—12 times per year—by the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. Layout, design and production, including advertisements, by The Journal Press, Inc., P.O. Box 409, King George, VA 22485; (540) 775-2024. Postmaster, send 3579 to FRCC, P.O. Box 7476, Fredericksburg, VA 22404 m i s s i o n The mission of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce is to facilitate healthy economic growth. Leadership Fredericksburg 2012 class to present projects, graduate from page 1 The Chamber is now accepting applications for Leadership Fredericks-burg’s 2013 Class. “Leadership Fredericksburg provides motivated individuals with a unique opportunity to broaden their horizons – both professionally and personally,” Ms. Spears said. “Our previous graduates are already making a difference in our community while enjoying a tremendous new networking resource with the Alumni Association. Truly the fastest growing network of leaders in the Fredericksburg Region, we continue to look for others who are ready to lead using guiding principles of integrity, service, and dedication.” To apply for Leadership Fredericksburg, call the Chamber office at (540)373-9400 or send an e-mail to whitney@fredericksburgchamber.org. To RSVP for the 2012 graduation ceremony, call the Chamber office at (540)373-9400. v i s i o n Be the leader for the business community assuring that the Fredericksburg Region is a major economic center in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Leadership Fredericksburg 2012 Program Sponsors Title Sponsor Mary Washington Healthcare Gold Sponsors City of Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority Courtyard by Marriott Historic District Fredericksburg Stafford County Union First Market Bank The Journal Press is pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia's policy for achieving equal hous-ing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

Lunch with Chamber members offers chance to learn of local business concerns

Susan Spears

We often hear – especially during an election year – that an incumbent office holder is “out of touch” with the concerns of the average citizen. The higher a person moves up the political ladder, the more easily he or she can grow isolated – surrounded by staff that keeps much of the outside world at bay, shielding the office holder from interaction with constituents. From a political standpoint, this can prove fatal as various incumbent presidents, U.S. Senators and members of Congress have learned. This type of isolation can also affect business leaders of small and large enterprises. It’s a bit of a paradox – we’re more connected now than ever via e-mail and social media yet we seem to have less and less face-to-face interaction. No question that we can easily shut ourselves in our offices behind our computers and have little contact with our colleagues and customers. One of my goals as president of your Chamber is to stay in touch with you and keep abreast of the issues most important to you. To help ensure that I do so, we’ve launched a new program – Lunch with the President. Once each quarter, I’ll host an intimate luncheon with interested Chamber members. We’ll enjoy breaking bread together and talking in a relaxed atmosphere about what’s on your minds. This is an opportunity for me to hear your feedback about the Chamber, the community, and other ideas you have about your business and the business of our region’s economy. We held our first luncheon on April 12 at Courtyard by Marriott Historic Fredericksburg District. Participants reflected the diversity of our membership, with attendees representing banking, healthcare, marketing, government, environmental services, education, federal contracting, insurance and realty sectors, to name a few. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet some members for the first time and to catch up with members that I know very well at the same time. The next Lunch with the President will take place in July. Keep an eye out for more details here in ChamberLink and in our QuickNotes e-mail. I urge all of you to make sure that you don’t let the day-to-day grind of business isolate you. Make time to attend Chamber events such as this new addition and network with your peers in the business community. Strong relationships are the key to making your business successful. See you in July! Susan Spears is president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here