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May was Justice & Public Safety Day for Leadership Raleigh! We started out at the Legal Aid of North Carolina, which is actually the third largest law firm in North Carolina. They offer free civil legal services to vulnerable North Carolinians in all 100 counties. Last year they received nearly 400,000 calls and served over 55,000 individuals. Thank you to Ashley H. Campbell, Scheree Gilchrist, and all the employees that educated us and toured us around their facility.
 
Next, we put on our safety vests and hard hats as Barnhill Contracting Company toured the class through 400H, a 20-story, mixed-used tower in downtown Raleigh. The space includes office space, ground-floor retail, and 242 apartments. We were able to walk out on the ninth-floor sky hub, where the pool, fitness center, and lounge will be. 
 
We stopped for a delicious lunch at Centro before heading to Moore Square, where Ambassadors from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance gave us an overview of what they do and how they can help. If you ever forget where you parked, need help finding your way around downtown, want to report suspicious activity, or need dining recommendations, just call them at 919.368.7962.
 
Captain Baker greeted us at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for an informative session that ended with a high-speed chase and PIT maneuver demonstration, followed by two helicopter take-offs! Then we headed to Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP where Chief Stella Patterson, Chief of Raleigh Police Department told us about the priorities of the Raleigh Police Department and their 800 officers, including community engagement, violent crime reduction, and employee wellness and morale.
 
We finished the day with a refreshing drink and plenty of time for networking at Tap Yard Raleigh. Many of us felt so lucky to live in such a gorgeous place where justice and public safety are priorities. Thank you to our class sponsors Wake County Bar Association/Tenth Judicial District Bar and Brady Services.
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Those interested in the Leadership Raleigh program can now apply! Applications are due by June 9, 2023 at 5 p.m. for the Leadership Raleigh Class 47/48.

More than a 1,000 women and men joined us for the 2023 Women’s Leadership Conference presented by PNC, yesterday at the Raleigh Convention Center. Beginning with a poll to engage local leaders and highlight current labor trends, the day was full of interactive and inspiring sessions that helped us all envision our futures and prepared us all to achieve our goals. Breakout sessions included memorable moments with several powerful female leaders and male allies. Look at just a few of the inspirational quotes shared at the event:
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• “Seek opportunities that you may not think are there!” – Emily Gray, Professional Athlete for The NC Courage, in the Courageous Mindset breakout session.
• “Constantly we have to pivot and reevaluate and that’s okay, don’t get hung up on the timeline its not about the when, its about the why.” – Valerie Currin, President and Managing Director of Boon Edam, Inc., in The Art of Actively Managing Your Career breakout session.
• “You should already be talking to leadership about what your goals are and where you want to go…if you are in that conversation hopefully it’s because you raised your hand and want to grow!” – Nadiyra Walker, Head of Drug Product and Finished Goods Manufacturing for FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, in the “Quiet Hiring” breakout session.

​Attendees at this year’s conference also heard from keynote speaker Sally Earnshaw, Managing Director of Culture Change Practice for Gallagher. Sally shared specific tools and expertise to help us “Make It Happen” including the famous Accountability Ladder. She guided attendees through several collaborative prompts that could help them understand not only what they want but also why they want it and which direction to go in for it. If you missed Sally’s presentation you can find some of the data, tools, and expertise she shared in her presentation here.
 
You can also find more quotes, takeaways, and images from the 2023 Women’s Leadership Conference by searching for our social hashtag #RaleighWLC23.

​We are thrilled to share that Raleigh Chamber President and CEO Adrienne Cole has been awarded the TCREW 2023 Impact Award for her significant contributions and achievements in the Triangle’s commercial real estate industry! Watch above as Harvey Schmitt, President Emeritus of the Raleigh Chamber, announces Adrienne’s big win and honors her achievements over the years. You can also learn more in Wake County Economic Development’s latest blog here.
 
Adrienne was also recently named to BusinessNC’s Power List 2023 for Economic Development, a testament to her dedication to the Chamber and the Triangle community. Learn more about her distinguished career and discover Adrienne’s best advice for industry newcomers here.

​This year’s Dreamville Festival brought almost 100,000 people to Raleigh and, although we will not have the official numbers for a few weeks, a big boost to the local economy. In fact, ABC 11 Eyewitness News reports that 40% of vendors at the event were local and the economic impact is predicted to be more than $7 million. The Raleigh Chamber was proud to have the opportunity to attend the festival and tell the story of how this annual celebration of local culture, food, art, and music impacted our local economy in such a profound way.

​Marc Dinitz, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Raleigh Chamber, shared his pride in the festival’s success. “The Chamber was extremely excited to help tell the story of the Dreamville Festival and support our mutual mission of providing a platform for local small businesses. We are thrilled that so many people visited our city for this incredible event.”

​The Dreamville Festival is an annual music festival held in Raleigh that celebrates local hip-hop culture and music. The festival brings together artists from all over the world for two days of great music and entertainment. It also serves as an opportunity for local small businesses to showcase their food, products, art, and services.
The Chamber is dedicated to creating a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable business climate that encourages a thriving economy and enhances our community's quality of life – and we believe this annual festival at Dorothea Dix Park does just that! One member we found at this year’s festival was especially grateful for the opportunity to work the event and expose his brand to a global audience.

The Raleigh Chamber is committed to helping women advance their careers during Women’s History Month and all year long. On May 23, the Chamber will host amazing women in leadership at our annual Women’s Leadership Conference, presented by PNC. 

Attendees Can Learn from Several of the Breakout Sessions Below:

The Art of Actively Managing Your Career
Discover and understand your leadership style to achieve success as your authentic self!
 
A Courageous Mindset
Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Learn how to develop a courageous mindset of success from an NC Courage player!
 
Curating Your Own Board of Advisors
Learn how to invest in your own Board of Advisors/Accountability Group through networking, fostering relationships, and curating a diversity of thought with various genders, ages, races, and management levels.
 
Growing Together: Negotiating Talent Retention
Learn strategies to negotiate talent retention and discuss the wants, expectations, and communication tactics of businesses and employees.

Feedback is a G.I.F.T.
G.I.F.T. Given with permission, Intent is for growth, For the person, not about the person, Targeted for success. If you want to grow professionally, learn how to receive, give, and ask for feedback.

“Quiet Hiring”
The concept of “Quiet Hiring” and its impact on professional women - instead of making new hires, employers give more work to an existing employee and typically this person is a woman.

• What is it?
• How to recognize it.
• How to have a conversation about it with your leader.
• What to prioritize and what to pause.
• The economics behind it.
• How to leverage it.

This year’s Women’s Leadership Conference will bring established business leaders who support women in the workplace into the conversation. Attendees will receive tools, tactics, and inspiration to build a more equitable, fulfilling future for themselves and others. Check our event page for additional content and speakers.

Happy Women’s History Month! We hope you will continue to celebrate and empower women with us this May at the 2023 Women’s Leadership Conference: Envision & Achieve!
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Leadership Raleigh: Health & Human Services Day
Sponsored by Barnhill Contracting Company, Catering Works, and Skanska USA Building

Written By Sloane Heffernan

We put our finger on the pulse of Raleigh during the Leadership Raleigh March class focused on Health & Human Services.
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The day began with a behind-the-scenes tour of PNC Arena from Jeff Merritt, Executive Director at Centennial Authority/PNC Arena. He shared the history and highlights of the arena in this VIP tour where the class got a spectacular bird’s eye view from the press box and stood in the backstage loading dock where amazing athletes and performers traverse before walking onto the stage. Merritt shared some of the unique requests his team had received from musicians who perform at PNC, such as Elton John reportedly asking for a separate room for his bobble-head collection!

We also learned that PNC Arena hosted its largest crowd (20,053) when Metallica came to Raleigh. The arena plays a big role in the economic health of the region. Merritt shared that 46% of the arena visitors are from outside the Raleigh area and fill an estimated 200-thousand rooms annually. The hospitality tax collected from those visitors helps financially support the arena. We also got the scoop on an exciting renovation project planned for PNC arena that includes opening a section to create a space for eating and drinking with a 360-degree view of the action.

Leadership Raleigh Class 46 then traveled to All Faiths Chapel at Dix Park for an engaging panel entitled: Hospital Leadership Forum - Where We’ve Been and What’s Next. It focused on the challenges, priorities, and needs in our healthcare systems. Representatives from Wake Med, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and UNC Rex Healthcare shared the struggles they face, from staffing shortages to the mental health crisis. We learned more about a new behavioral health hospital and the pending Medicaid expansion that should help improve care in our region.

Following the panel, we participated in a powerful Community Action Poverty Simulation led by Marisa Bryant, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Public School Forum of North Carolina and proud supporter of the Junior League of Raleigh. Each of us was assigned a persona and different life situations for the exercise where we faced unique circumstances, from being homeless to raising grandchildren while on disability. It was an eye-opening experience that made many of us realize the immense stress and difficult decisions that people in poverty face each and every day. We learned that 92-thousand people live in poverty in Wake County, 18% of those who live in poverty are children, and the average wait for federally subsidized housing in Wake County is four to seven years.

Executive Director of Dix Park for the City of Raleigh, Kate Pearce, then guided our Leadership Raleigh class on a walking tour of Dix Park land and facilities. Pearce was a walking historian reciting stories from Dix’s past as a plantation and psychiatric hospital. It was exciting to hear how the history will be incorporated into the future park with the Cultural Interpretive Plan. The first major park restoration project is the massive $62 million dollar playground, Gipson Play Plaza, that has been designed by a German company known for putting the “play” in playgrounds.

We ended the walking tour at the lovely Flowers Cottage at Dix Park. The cottage porch has one of the best views of the downtown Raleigh skyline and was a great location to end the day with networking and snacks. One thing we all agreed on? The pulse of the city has never been stronger!

For over 54 years, Leadership Raleigh has provided business and community leaders with the opportunity to discover the Triangle Region while making a lasting impact as a part of their project teams. Each team is responsible for supporting their chosen non-profit and they would love your help to make a difference! Check out a few of the projects below and see how you can get involved.
 
Leadership Raleigh Class 45 Projects:
 
Oak City Cares Birthday Bash
Thursday, April 13 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Maywood Hall and Gardens, located at 626 Maywood Ave., Raleigh NC 27603
Tickets are $35, which includes food and beverage tickets. The event will also feature a raffle with some exciting prizes from local businesses - raffle tickets available for purchase on site.
To join us, purchase your event ticket here.
For more information, contact Erica Boles at erica.boles@gmail.com.
 
Frankie Lemmon’s Gettin’ Piggy With It with Lawrence Barbecue & Friends
Sunday, May 21 | Noon – 6 p.m.
Maywood Hall and Gardens, located at 626 Maywood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27603
To join us, purchase your event ticket here after April 19.
For more information, contact Austin Wiser at Austin@frankielemmonschool.org.
 
Leadership Raleigh Class 46 Projects:
 
Note in the Pocket’s 10th Annual Socks & Undie 5K Rundie Run/Walk
Saturday, April 22 | 9 a.m. Kids Fun Run + 9:30 a.m. 5K
Note in the Pocket, located at 4730 Hargrove Road, Raleigh, NC 27616
To support or join us, visit our team page here.
For more information, contact Melanie Hawley at melanie.hawley@littleonline.com.
 
12th Annual bEARTHday Celebration
Saturday, April 22 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Raleigh City Farm, located at 800 N. Blount St., Raleigh, NC 27604
To support or join us, visit the event page here.
For more information, contact Heather Gately at hlgately@ncsu.edu.
 
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Saturday, June 3 & Saturday, June 17
Help deliver 20 beds for kids that need them, adults only please.
To help support, visit our team page here.
For more information, contact Megan Loftin at Megan.Loftin@captrust.com.
 
We hope to see you at several of these exciting community events! To learn more about the Raleigh Chamber’s Leadership Raleigh program visit our website and/or sign up for one of two upcoming information sessions on March 23 and April 12. 

Participants Include:

Small Business Development Team, City of Raleigh
Mark Weldon, Small Business Economic Development Leader
Carl Brooks, Small Business Development Coordinator
Ferdinand Rouse, Small Business Development Coordinator
Hanna Hemphill, Small Business & Workforce Development
 
Carolina Small Business Development Fund
Kevin Dick, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Lori Diaz, VP of Business Solutions
Ellysa Smith, Human Resource Director
 
The Wright Village
Mel Wright, Founder and CEO
 
Black Dollar NC  
Johnny Hackett, Jr., Chief Executive Officer at The Black Dollar Corp.
 
Wake Tech Small Business
Chris Weeks, Director of Entrepreneurship
 
Minority Women Business Enterprise, City of Raleigh
Lakesha Shaw MWBE Program Manager
Alisha Puckett, MWBE Coordinator
Maria Torres, MWBE Coordinator
 
U.S. Small Business Association
Eileen Joyce, Lead Economic Development Specialist US Small Business Administration   

Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
Janet Potter, General Manager/Senior Vice President
Marc Dinitz, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Dr. Torri A. Staton, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity, Raleigh Chamber
       Director of Equitable Economic Development, Wake County Economic Development
Serenia Parsons, Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Program Coordinator
Mary Kubeny, Content Manager
Jackie Huitt, Vice President of Membership
Shanita Robinson, Membership Engagement Director

Written by:
Sloane Heffernan
Leadership Raleigh Class 46

​The February class day, sponsored by Brasfield & Gorrie, was focused on education and talent in our thriving community. Raleigh consistently tops national lists of best places to live, work, and play. With more companies and jobs coming to the Triangle, it will be crucial to have a skilled workforce - and that begins with education.
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The class began with a panel and tour of The Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education. The mission of the Poe Center for Health Education is to educate and empower North Carolina children, youth, and their families to make choices that increase positive health behaviors. The panel focused on School Community Partnerships and included speakers from the Boys & Girls Club of Wake County, WakeEd Partnership, Communities in Schools of Wake County, District C, and a District Career Development Specialist from Wake County Public Schools. The panel discussed the challenges facing our children today, and the necessary skills they will need to be successful in the future. They also shared the importance of teaching “durable” skills (ie: critical thinking, collaboration, sourcing different ideas) to create value for businesses.
 
We were reminded that it takes a village when Heather Brosz White, Director of Government Foundation for the Boys and Girls Club said, “We need to take responsibility for our county’s children.”
 
Our next stop was the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Wake Tech. The state-of-the-art facility that opened last year allows the college to triple the number of students in it’s automotive systems technology program and add a new degree program in collision repair. They are also launching a program for Electric Vehicles. The panel discussed Building Tomorrow’s Talent Pipeline. It’s been said that the road to job opportunity runs through Wake Tech. We learned that 75% of Wake Tech students are from Wake County, and the average age of a student is between 26 and 27 years old. We also learned about the WakeWorks Apprenticeship Program where students attend Wake Tech for free, get a paid apprenticeship, and typically land a job when the program is done. Dr. Scott Ralls, President of Wake Tech, said 93% of apprenticeship program participants stay in their roles three to five years post program completion.

Our final stop of the day was at NC State’s newly redesigned Talley Center, for a panel about The Business & Politics of Public Education. We learned about the history of the public school system and how local and state lawmakers work together to shape policy and budgets for education.
 
Key takeaways from the experiences this month are focused on two items 1) Education Challenges and 2) Workforce Development.
 
Educational Challenges
There are limited resources and competing demands in public education. Teacher pay, recruitment, and retention were brought up as big concerns. We learned that while 90% of public school expenditures are spent on teacher salaries and benefits, our teachers are still paid below the national average but a raise of just one percent would cost $60 million. North Carolina has received about $6 billion in Covid Relief Funds for public education and it is still unclear how the money will be spent.
 
Workforce Development
It’s exciting to hear the news of companies coming and expanding in the Triangle. How do we fill those jobs with people who already call North Carolina home? Whether it is a tech job or a trade job, there are big opportunities on the horizon. Education and a talented workforce will be key factors to driving future success for our community.

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