News From Charlotte Chamber

Mecklenburg County has ranked as the top large county for recuritment and attraction in Expansion Management magazine, one of the leading publications dedicated to corporate relocations. The magazine recently completed a study with the National Policy Research Council that looks at the success that communities have had in attracting corporate locations and expansions. A database of some 19 million companies was analyzed to determine where the companies are locating and Mecklenburg County topped the list. To read the article in its entirety, click here.
Charlotte School of Law (CharlotteLaw) has chosen its permanent location, at the intersection of Suttle Avenue and Wilkinson Boulevard. The location is next to historic Bryant Park at the Western gateway to Charlotte's Center City District and will serve as an anchor for future development of Charlotte's west side. The new building is expected to be completed in August of 2008. Read more.
Don't miss the Chamber's 4th Transit Summit this Friday, June 29, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Westin Charlotte. Featured panelists will address "Why Transit Matters" and "A View from the Corridors." A keynote luncheon address from Senator Dan Clodfelter will be followed by a guided tour and LYNX train ride for participants. Tickets are $40 each and a table of eight is $300. Register today.

The Charlotte Business Journal's 11th Annual Women in Business Achievement Awards luncheon will honor 25 Charlotte women for their ingenuity and success. The luncheon will be held Monday, July 16, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center. Ruth Shaw, recently retired executive advisor to the chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, will be presented the third annual Wachovia Lifetime Achievement Award and will also be the event's keynote speaker. For more information, visit www.charlotte.bizjournals.com.

Sign up for CulturePicks! at http://www.charlottecultureguide.com and enter to win two free tickets to see BODY WORLDS at Discovery Place. CulturePicks! are weekly emails from charlottecultureguide.com highlighting events in the Charlotte region. BODY WORLDS offers visitors a rare opportunity to see the complexity of human anatomy and physiology. Those who embark on this amazing journey below the skin's surface will view an extensive collection including more than 200 authentic organs, systems and whole-body displays.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has received a $1.9 million federal grant to launch a pilot pay-for-performance program, that will link student achievement to teacher and principal pay. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Education, will be used to increase student achievement by piloting pay-for-performance compensation at six test schools in CMS next year. The test schools include Billingsville Elementary, Wilson Middle, E.E. Waddell, Garinger, West Charlotte and West Mecklenburg high schools. Read more.

News From The Charlotte Chamber

** ALL ABOARD - THE BUS IS HEADED TO RALEIGH. Please join the Charlotte Chamber's Education Committee for its annual trip to Raleigh on June 27, 2007 to talk with our elected officials. We will be working to educate the elected officials on our 2007 legislative agenda as it relates to Education and Workforce Development and engage in a panel discussion regarding the need for lateral entry teachers, competitive salaries and merit-based pay. The bus trip is from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks on the way back. The cost is $40 per person. Click here to register online.Contact Stacey Randall at srandall@charlottechamber.com or 704.378.1311 for further details.

** The Chamber is launching free Lunch & Learn programs. The first focuses on how you can make the road to success a lot less painful when you stop shooting yourself in the foot. Join us for an informative, eye-opening, introduction to iMAGE RISK management tm. Learn how to significantly improve your business with minimal cost and essentially no risk. Take control of 5 points of contact and you will enjoy greater profits, longer lasting relationships, and a stronger competitive position. Remember, it's not what you think but what they believe that counts. Bring your bagged lunch and join us for this free presentation on Wednesday, June 13 from noon-1 p.m. at the [O]-Zone Training Center, 511 Enterprise Drive, Charlotte, NC 28206. RSVP online.
** In an upcoming issue of Expansion Management magazine, Mecklenburg County is ranked the number one large county in the nation for business recruitment and the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill MSA is ranked the number two large metro for Recruitment and Attraction. There are 3,141 counties in the U.S., so making the top 20 list means Mecklenburg County is in the top half of 1 percent of all counties in the U.S.!
** The Mayor's Youth Employment Program (MYEP) is gearing up for another awesome summer! Initially started in 1986, the MYEP aims to provide meaningful employment opportunities for Charlotte area youth to gain a greater understanding of career demands, skills sets and qualifications for employment in business, industry and local government. The City is seeking employers interested in hosting an intern for 8 weeks (minimum 20 hours a week) for summer 2007. If you are interested, please contact the MYEP Manager Alicia Jolla at (704) 336-2116, ajolla@ci.charlotte.nc.us. For more information, please visit:
CPCC Summer Theatre 2007 Season-single tickets are now on sale. CPCC Summer Theatre has been a fixture in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg scene for 34 years. Providing the best in Broadway entertainment for the entire family at affordable prices, CPCC Summer Theatre is the place to be in the summer time. Now located in the new Dale F. Halton Theater on the Central Campus, Central Piedmont Community College, CPCC Summer Theatre brings together the finest talent in the region for your entertainment. Visit their website for up-to-the-minute information.
Enjoy All Things AsianYou are cordially invited to a day of total immersion in all things Asian at the Dragon Boat Festival and Asian Festival on June 9, 2007, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Ramsey Creek Park, Cornelius (I-77 North exit 28). Event Parking is available at Kenton Place/Palace Theatre, West Catawba Blvd. For more information, call Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce at 704-583-9421 or 704-588-4288 or visit http://www.caacc.com/ and http://www.charlottedragonboat.com/.
Join Walk Chair Tom Wurtz (CFO, Wachovia) on June 3, 2007 for Charlotte Walks Together, a fundraising walk-a-thon benefiting youth leadership programs of the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice (formerly NCCJ). The Walk unites corporate, family, faith and school teams from all walks of life to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion and social justice in the Charlotte region. For team recruitment information, contact Beth Walker at bethwalker@earthlink.net or 704.535.9220. http://www.charlottecoalition.org/.


Featured Member Discount: Training Matters, Inc. 10% discount on program facilitation fees.