the Chamber's twice monthly e-newsletter

President's Message

Welcome to The Phoenix, the Chamber’s e-newsletter.

In this edition, read about the kickoff for the 2008 Chairman's Committee Fundraising Campaign on April 17.

In addition, read a personal account from Hans Gant about the Chamber's recent mission to China, as published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Lastly, read about the Transit Planning Board's town hall meeting, hosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce on April 29. Residents throughout the 11-county region will have an opportunity to engage in a public information session on the Transit Planning Board's proposed transit vision and address issues specific to their county.

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

Correction: The 2008 Georgia General Assembly recap that ran in the April 10 edition contained errors. Below is the corrected version.

http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/enews/enewsletter_April10_08.htm

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's Annual Campaign Kicks Off

It was standing room only at The Coca-Cola Company last Thursday, April 17, where our board leadership and volunteers kicked off this year's Chairman's Committee Fundraising Campaign, "Atlanta, It's Your Business." With our chairmen Jackson Kelly, vice president of The Coca-Cola Company; and Willem Hattink, executive vice president of SunTrust Bank; leading the volunteers, the campaign is off to a great start of more than $800,000 raised. Thank you to The Coca-Cola Company for sponsoring such a great event and VIPGift.com and AirTran Airways for their support throughout the campaign.

The annual Chairman's Campaign is one of the primary sources of revenue for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, funding new and existing Chamber programs and initiatives. Volunteers from more than 20 corporate partners in metro Atlanta will sell memberships, advertising and sponsorships from April through August to finish at the $3 million goal. If you would like to join your corporate partners on the campaign, contact Rebecca Brubaker  for more information.

Strong leadership from the business community is key to the success of the Campaign. Kessel D. Stelling, president and CEO of Bank of North Georgia and 2008 Metro Atlanta Chamber Chairman; Jackson Kelly, vice president of The Coca-Cola Company and 2008 Campaign Chairman; Sam A. Williams, president of The Metro Atlanta Chamber; and Willem Hattink, executive vice president of SunTrust Bank and 2008 Campaign Co-chairman, show their commitment at kick-off, on April 17. Photo courtesy of Leland Holder.

China's Fortunes: Architecture, Growth Make China Fascinating

In China, “guanxi” (pronounced gwanjeye) is the Chinese word meaning relationships, and it is one of the keys to successfully doing business in China. When doing business in China, it is particularly important to build relationships with the Chinese government officials, especially at the provincial and local levels and with central government bodies dealing with trade and economic cooperation.

Because of its 1.3 billion population, rapidly growing economy, large research and development investments, and contineuing opening of it's markets, China is considered an emerging superpower and place to invest and build business ties. Many Metro Atlanta companies already have a strong presence in China and the Chamber continues to build our their successes and “guanxi.” The Chamber has led several effort s to build ties with the Chinese government, cities and businesses.  In the last 18 months, the Chamber and the Georgia Economic Development Department have announced nearly $100 million in Chinese investment in the metro Atlanta area by General Protechct, Sany, and Kingwasong who will be manufacturing their products In Metro Atlanta. In addition our efforts to secure a direct flight to China came to reality on March 30. Also as a result we have several more companies looking to invest here.
Click here to read entire article.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Hosting
Transit Planning Board Town Hall Meeting

Join us as the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce will host a town hall meeting to introduce the Transit Planning Board's regional transit vision for metro Atlanta on Tuesday, April 29,
at the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library Auditorium from 4 - 8 p.m.

Residents throughout the 11-county region will have an opportunity to engage in a public information session on the proposed transit vision and address issues specific to their county. Meetings are conducted in an open house format and interested persons may attend at any time during the scheduled sessions.

“Our goal is to provide a basis for a future regional transit system that will connect the region, provide travel choice, and offer auto competitive travel time and travel time certainty to the region's commuters and visitors,” said TPB executive director Cheryl King. “The plan includes commuter rail, extensions of MARTA rail, light rail/streetcar lines, Bus Rapid Transit lines, and expanded express bus and cross county suburban bus services, expanded local bus services along with expanded local and activity center circulator services.”

Input from the public will be used to refine the plan before its completion which is scheduled for the end of 2008.

For more information and additional town hall meeting sites, please visit the Transit Planning Board website at www.tpb.ga.gov. Residents are also encouraged to take the TPB Public Involvement Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/TPBconcept3survey.

2008 A+ Awards to Honor Top Teachers, Business and Community Partners with Help From Notable Atlanta Public School Alumni

Once again this year, the Metro Atlanta Chamber's A+ Awards will honor the top teachers, business and community partners who are making Atlanta Public Schools stronger. This year's A+ Awards luncheon will also honor the past, present and future of Atlanta Public Schools by having notable Atlanta Public School alumni serve as presenters.

The luncheon will be held in the Thomas B. Murphy Ballroom of the Georgia World Congress Center on May 14, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The event is hosted by the Atlanta Partners for Education, a joint venture between the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Public Schools.

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ...
The 2008 Small Business Person of the Year

You are invited to join us as we announce the 2008 Small Business Person of the Year Award Winner. The 22nd annual luncheon, co-hosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, will be held on Friday, June 6, at The Ballroom at
TWELVE – Atlantic Station from noon - 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are available for Metro Atlanta Chamber members for $50 and can be purchased by emailing Katie Grosshans at events@macoc.com or by calling 404.586.8534. For more detailed information click here: http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/fm_sbpoty.html

Special thanks to this year's sponsors: AirTran Airways, AT&T, Bank of America, WABE-FM 90.1, Exact Target and IBM.

Member Testimonials

The Growth Coach

Most people join the Chamber to grow their business and make new contacts – which are great reasons to be a member – but I've also found it to be a place to meet supportive people who are interested in my success.

Kat Collum
The Growth Coach
www.growthcoachatl.com

B. J. Ball & Associates

This is an awesome relationship building opportunity – which is really how business is conducted.

Brian J. Ball
B. J. Ball & Associates
bjballassociates@bellsouth.net

Chamber Events

Community Events

Invest One Hour and Save Three Days

When disaster strikes, there's no time to prepare. With that in mind, it's critical to invest time and money now that will save you in the long run.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping its members and sincerely wants them to be prepared in the worst cases.

That's why we encourage you to turn to the Ready Georgia campaign for emergency supply lists and pertinent preparedness information today. Remember, taking the right steps now can save hardship in a disaster situation. Get ready today!

To find out more about emergency preparedness in Georgia and get a full list of suggested emergency supplies, visit the Ready Georgia Web site at www.ready.ga.gov.