the Chamber's twice monthly e-newsletter

President's Message

Ni hao!

I have just returned from a very successful Chamber mission trip to China led by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and including top Georgia business leaders. You can get a recap of day-by-day trip highlights and photos by clicking the link on our Metro Atlanta Chamber home page. This trip, which included visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Hong Kong, was a great opportunity to expand Atlanta’s reach around the world, showcase metro Atlanta and the state, and to brand Atlanta as a great destination to do business.

In this edition of The Phoenix, we’ll also tell you about how the Chamber, Arthur Blank and other business leaders are partnering with Atlanta Public Schools for the “Principal for a Day” program. This is an innovative program in which CEOs, celebrities and other leaders in the community spend one day each school year shadowing a principal at one of Atlanta’s 89 public schools.

You’ll also meet David Hartnett, the Chamber’s new vice president of technology industry expansion.

Thanks for reading. We will continue to keep you informed on the issues you care about.


Sam A. Williams
President
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

Hot Topics

Chamber Mission to China Led by Mayor
Forges Stronger Relationships

A Georgia delegation led by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin completed a successful nine-day mission to China that included visits with business leaders and senior government officials in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Wuhan from Sept. 5-13.

“We had a very productive trip to China, including being warmly received by China's ministers of foreign affairs and commerce and by the vice minister of aviation,” said Mayor Franklin. “Our mission was to strengthen relationships that will help us achieve our long-term goals of winning the next People’s Republic of China consulate, new passenger air routes and new business. We owe a special thanks to the National Association of Chinese-Americans for their work over the last two decades to create a relationship between the People’s Republic of China and Atlanta.”

“On this trip, we stood on the shoulders of the dozens of Atlanta companies that have been successfully operating in China for decades, such as UPS, Coca-Cola, IBM, GE, ING, Portman Holdings and Troutman Sanders,” said Chamber President Sam A. Williams . “ We networked with Atlanta companies in every city we visited, and built on the foundation the Georgia Department of Economic Development has already laid through its work to open a Georgia trade office in Beijing in 2007.”
MORE>>

Click the icon below for a brochure of photos from the China trip.

Chamber Names David Hartnett As New Vice President
of Technology Industry Expansion

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has named David B. Hartnett, pictured to the right, as the new vice president of technology industry expansion for the economic development division.

“David will be instrumental in this role as the Chamber continues to focus on increasing the presence of the technology industry clusters in Atlanta, including: bioscience, advanced telecom and software,” said Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “ In the last five years, the state has moved from 11th place to seventh place in the number of biotechnology companies located here.”
MORE>>

Education

Guess Who's Getting Sent to the Principal's Office?

A: Arthur Blank, UPS's Evern Cooper Epps, Chamber President Sam A. Williams & Merrill Lynch’s William Lorenz

At a Principal for a Day rally on Sept. 19, community leaders rallied around public schools by urging peers to become “principals” for a day.

Arthur Blank and Merrill Lynch's William Lorenz talked to other volunteers about what to expect on Oct. 30 when hundreds of business and civic leaders step into the shoes of a principal at one of 89 Atlanta Public Schools. Volunteers also heard from Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, State Superintendent Kathy Cox, and Chamber President Sam A. Williams about the Principal for a Day program.

Now in its seventh year, “Principal for a Day” is designed to forge long-term partnerships between the community and schools. The program is sponsored by the Atlanta Partners for Education, a longstanding partnership between the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Atlanta Public Schools.
Click here for a news release on the Principal for a Day Program
Click here for the Principal for a Day fact sheet

Chamber Events

Hold your next special event in the J.B. Fuqua Rooftop Pavilion
The J. B. Fuqua Rooftop Pavilion overlooking the Atlanta skyline and Centennial Olympic Park is offered to Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce members for a special discounted rate.

The open-aired rooftop venue is the perfect space to entertain clients or your staff in 2006. Enjoy a great night overlooking Centennial Olympic Park and the lights of downtown Atlanta as your guests enjoy breath-taking skyline views.

For more information please visit: www.MetroAtlantaChamber.com/macoc/home/rooftop.shtml

OfficeMax Metro Atlanta Chamber Golf Challenge Supported by HP

Golf anyone? Since 1988, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has hosted the largest one-day golf tournament in the Southeast. More than 700 of the region's key decision makers enjoy a spectacular day of golf, making this event one of the most successful places to network.

This year's 18th Annual OfficeMax Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Golf Challenge supported by HP is being held Monday, Oct. 16, at five of Atlanta's premier golf courses including: Bear's Best, Country Club of Roswell, Country Club of the South, Standard Club and Windermere Golf Club. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. followed by lunch and shot gun start.

After a day of golf, everyone is invited to Country Club of the South for the McJunkin Awards Reception at 6 p.m. Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin for each course. And don'tmiss the incredible items available at the silent auction.

Foursomes are being reserved quickly. Don't miss out on the action!
Reserve your foursome today following this link: http://www.MetroAtlantaChamber.com/macoc/members/golf_highlights.shtml

September

20 Wednesday
IBM hosts member reception
Hosted by: Lee Torrence, Senior State Executive, IBM
Location:4111 Northside Parkway - Hillside Auditorium
Time: 5:30- 7 p.m.
RSVP Required
Members Only

27 Wednesday
Professional Development Series:
How to Create and be a Part of a Winning Sales Team
Members are invited to bring their lunch and join Art Schoeck, CEO of Data Dome, Inc. to learn sales strategies and techniques for managing a great sales team.
Location: Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
235 Andrew Young International Boulevard.
Time: 11:30 - 1 p.m.
RSVP Required
$50 non-member fee
RSVP required

October

4 Wednesday
Member Orientation
10:15 a.m. Registration/Networking
10:45 a.m. Program
Noon-1pm Lunch/Networking
Location: Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce- 235 Andrew Young International Blvd.
Lunch Sponsor: Imperial Fez
Event sponsored by Bank of America & Office Depot
RSVP required.

Community Events

Atlanta to Host 18 Sister Cities
to Promote Economic Development Worldwide

The City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission (ASCC) and CIFAL Atlanta, the North American affiliate of the Decentralized Cooperation Programme of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) are organizing the "Economic Development Global Partnership Conference" to be held in Atlanta from October 19-20, 2006 at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

The conference will approach the topic of economic development from an integrated perspective, using the United Nations' interactive and participatory knowledge management tool. The conference will kick-off with a welcome address by Mayor Franklin on October 19 at 9:15 a.m. MACOC members are invited to attend any of the sessions including the welcome session with the Mayor. Seating is limited, please contact Sebastian Mathews at CIFAL for details on conference admission and sponsorship opportunities at 404.962.4841 or by e-mail at smathews@cifalatlanta.org.
Visit http://www.cifalatlanta.org/ to view the latest agenda.

Pandemics, Crises and Prices:
Business Continuity and Commuting

How will your employees commute in the event or aftermath of a natural disaster or regional emergency? Being prepared in advance can make all the difference. Join us to learn from knowledgeable experts within the private and public sector.
Lunch Provided
Date:Thursday, Oct. 26
Time:11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (registration begins at 10:45, program will begin promptly at 11:00)
Location: Maggiano's Little Italy
Corleone Room
4400 Ashford-Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30346
For more information and to register, please go to: http://www.cleanaircampaign.com/for_employers/register_for_training

The Nano4Food 2006 Conference

The upcoming Nano4Food 2006 Conference will be held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute on Oct. 12-13.

The conference is designed to provide a business perspective on the entire value chain of nanotechnology’s commercial development as it relates to the current and future needs and opportunities for the food industry. Nano4Food 2006 will offer an in-depth analysis on the industry’s needs, including first-hand comments from leading representatives of the manufacturing, distribution and consumption communities.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce members can enjoy a 20 percent discount on applicable registration fees by registering on-line at http://www.nanofood.info/register.php.
Simply enter the code (25741) into the “Discount Code” field during registration for the discount to apply. Members who register by Sept. 5, can also take advantage of the “Early Bird Offer,” providing an additional discount on registration fees.