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.

Transportation, Green Conference, NASCAR - News From The Chamber

** UNC Charlotte's Center for Transportation Policy Studies, headed by Dr. Edd Hauser, has released a report describing CATS transit operations and the development of the South Corridor light rail line. Among other things, the report compares CATS' operations and construction costs with comparable cities, including four in North Carolina. To read the study in its entirety, visit http://www.transpol.uncc.edu/.

** On Thursday, May 17, the Chamber's Green Transformation Conference will highlight the unique nature of Northwest Mecklenburg, Mountain Island Lake, Upper Lake Wylie, Mount Holly & Belmont and determine the best way to coordinate efforts to brand this special area as a unique eco-sensitive region. The conference will be held at the Pine Island Country Club and will be followed by a boat tour. To register, click here.

** Recognize the successes of the Charlotte region's women in business by submitting a nomination for the 11th annual Women In Business Achievement Awards. The 25 winners will be recognized in a special publication in the July 20, 2007, Charlotte Business Journal and at an awards luncheon on Monday, July 16. To nominate a woman business leader with a strong record of innovation or outstanding business performance in her for-profit or non-profit business, click here.
** Need to know how many people live in zip code 28216, what the total retail sales in Pineville are or the projected growth for an area of Charlotte? The Chamber's zip code demographics can provide you with detailed data for all zip codes within Mecklenburg County. Click here for zip code demographics.


** United Way of Central Carolinas' Young Leaders present "The State of Education in Charlotte" on Thursday, May 24, at the Charlotte Convention Center. The panel discussion luncheon will feature Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson, North Carolina State Superintendent; Dr. Phil Dubois, UNC Charlotte; Maurice Green, CMS; and Dr. Tony Zeiss, CPCC. To purchase tickets or for more information, click here.

** Get your tickets today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 19. More info.

** Inc. Magazine is expanding its acclaimed Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States to include 5,000 dynamic businesses. The new list will be called the Inc. 5,000. Not only will companies that apply get a chance to rank in the Inc. 5,000, they'll also have the opportunity to rank in top 100 lists in region and industry categories. The application takes only a few minutes, and there are no fees to apply or qualify. Go to http://www.inc.com/inc5000?partner=5000assoc to apply before the May 15 deadline.

** Find out how you can keep your organization's financial operations and performance on track at a price you can afford using OmniVue's PROFITPOINT, built on Microsoft Dynamics GP, at a free event on Tuesday, May 22. Read more...

"Street Skills For Cyclists" Class Offered In Charlotte, May 30th and June 6th

B.I.K.E.S. of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, announced that it will offer a classs where bicycle owners can learn the essentials of safe, confident and legal travel for the enjoyable cycling on Charlotte streets. Send me an email with your fax number and I will forward you the press release that I recieved.

BIKE CHARLOTTE WEEK, May 4th- 13th

Recently, a hard working member of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Greenway Trails Advisory Council sent me an email regarding Bike Charlotte Week. The week's festivities includes a Bike Commuter Challenge which is sponsored by the Bike Mentor Program. Basically work, neighborhood and other social groups form teams of people who already or are willing to commute to and from work any or all of the days during Bike Week.

There are prizes and recognition for teams with the highest participation and for miles ridden. The primary purpose of the even is to expose people and the community to the fun and challenges of bike communting in a city that is working towards becoming more bike and pedestrian friendly.

For more information, you can contact: Dick Winters @ 704-544-2046

GREEN TRANSFORMATION CONFERENCE

May 17th, 2007 - 9 until 1 - Pine Island Country Club

An effort is underway to highlight the unique nature of Northwest Mecklenburg, Mountain Island Lake, Upper Lake Wylie, Mount Holly and Belmont in eastern Gaston County; and determine the best way to coordinate efforts to brand this special area as a unique eco-sensitive region.

Networking and registration followed by a theatre-style conference will include a continental breakfast, bar-b-que lunch and boat tour of Mountain Island Lake. For registration information contact Cherise Walker @ The Charlotte Chamber (704) 378-4106.

Update From Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department - April, 2007

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation staff represented the department at the U.S. National Whitewater Center news conference April 26 for designation of the center as an official U.S. Olympic Committee Training Site. World class Olympic kayaking athletes were on hand from the United States and Canada for a preliminary 2008 Olympic Trials event this weekend at Whitewater and our Historic Tuckaseegee Ford Park.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation staff met with a design consultant to begin planning the new Berewick District Park in southwest Mecklenburg County. This site is intended to be a sportsplex, and staff is also working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to site an elementary school on the park property.

The Outdoor Recreation Section concluded The Bass Federation National Championship Tournament April 17-24 at McDowell Nature Preserve/Copperhead Island. The tournament was a huge success and will be televised on Fox Sports Network May 26. It is a credit to the Department and Mecklenburg County to be chosen to partner and host such a national event.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation staff met with the Local Organizing Committee of the 2008 USA Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships April 25. Committee assignments were made and Anthony James, Recreation Specialist, will serve as Meet Director. More than 10,000 athletes and spectators are expected to attend the event June 24-29, 2008. The Charlotte Regional Visitor Authority, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte Flight Track and Field Club, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department, Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, CMS-Vance High School, Hilton University and the USATF-NC have partnered to host the event in Mecklenburg County.

Update From Charlotte Chamber

** Does your business have a plan for reacting to a major disaster, pandemic flu or terrorist attack? If not, please plan to attend the Ready Business Summit, a free seminar hosted by the Charlotte Chamber, the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Health Department in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, May 22 in the McKnight Hall, Cone Center at UNC Charlotte. To learn more, visit http://www.charlottechamber.com/summit To register for this event, click here.

** Celebrate NASCAR Day on Friday, May 18, and make a difference in the lives of those who need it the most. NASCAR fans, corporations, schools and organizations across the country are encouraged to donate $5 and all participants will receive a collectible 2007 NASCAR Day lapel pin for their donation. Proceeds benefit the NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities and the United Way of Central Carolinas. Visit www.nascar.com/nascarday to get involved and be sure to enter "UWCC" as the promotion code.

** On Tuesday, May 8, escape those lunchtime doldrums and enjoy a "Picnic in Paradise" as the Charlotte Chamber SouthPark Chapter presents its 7th Annual Picnic at SouthPark. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pavilion at Symphony Park and will feature food from local restaurants, live entertainment from a steel drum band and giveaways. To purchase your tickets, click here.

** Mayor Pat McCrory will honor corporate philanthropy and volunteerism of global companies and individuals at the Mayor's International Cabinet Community Awards Gala on Thursday, May 17. Seating for the event, which will be held at the Westin, is limited. For ticket information, call (704) 336-2174 or click here for more information.

** Ever need a one-page summary of what makes Charlotte a great place to be? A rich history, exceptional market access, financial powerhouse, manufacturing center, superior education and growing international community can all be summed up in the Chamber's Components of Success fact sheet. Click here for a PDF version.

** 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, visit http://www.charlottecoalition.org/ or contact Beth Walker at bethwalker@earthlink.net or (704) 535-9220.