By Nanci Washington
Partnership Developer NC State What do you get when you mix the next batch of Raleigh’s leaders with city-wide influencers, in-depth exposure to the city’s economic infrastructure, and a two-hour scavenger hunt? A lot of insight and one tired group of professionals! This week, to kick off Leadership Raleigh 38, we had the pleasure of interacting with a knowledgeable and seasoned group of professionals representing economic development, real estate, and higher education. The group of roughly 50 Leadership Raleigh participants began the day with breakfast at Parker Poe Law Firm located in downtown Raleigh, while engaging in an insightful panel discussion including Adrienne Cole (Raleigh Chamber), Tom Rabon (New Kind), and David Spratley (Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina). Michael Haley (Wake County Economic Development) moderated the discussion. The panel highlighted many of the “behind-the-scenes” ways in which the city works to recruit companies to the area. Other topics included collaborating broadly with city partners like NC State, as well as explaining the city’s value-add, competitive edge, and incentive packages. The discussion was good-natured and candid, leaving participants with a deeper appreciation for what is required to attract and retain businesses. The remainder of the day’s activities were complementary to the foundational breakfast Q&A panel. Participants traveled to NC State’s Centennial Campus to learn more about the university, its co-located partners, and how the marriage between industry and academia contributes to economic development. The lunch hour was jam-packed with a delicious buffet-style lunch at Sitti’s extended special events area, “Jiddi,” and featured presentations from Andrew Stewart (Empire Properties) and Kris Larson (Downtown Raleigh Alliance). Participants gained a better understanding of Empire’s vast real estate presence, in addition to some of downtown Raleigh’s history, and plans for future development. Following lunch, the day’s formal activities concluded with a two-hour scavenger hunt throughout downtown Raleigh. Groups were divided into small teams and tasked with finding clues to successfully complete the challenge. Despite the knowledge gained earlier in the day, participants were most likely surprised to know that there is a cat called the “Oak City Kitty” with its own Instagram page, makes daily appearances in downtown Raleigh, is chauffeured around in a stroller, and is about 20-years-old. Who knew?! Scavenger hunt winners were announced during the post-day happy hour, held at Trophy Brewing, an activity that was enjoyed by all. It was an awesome way to kickoff what we foresee as an insightful, challenging, and collaborative program year. Special thanks to the previous Leadership Raleigh groups responsible for pulling this day together. -Nanci Washington (LR38 - NC State)
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By Susan Edwards Leadership Raleigh 37 Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch ![]() The Leadership Raleigh Class 37 kicked off the year with a walking tour of Raleigh to learn about and experience the city’s Quality of Life. As a newcomer to Raleigh, it was a great opportunity to learn about places that I did not know existed. For example, Stop 1 was Charter Square on Fayetteville Street. The building is home to law firm Womble Bond Dickson, where our first panel awaited us. Real Estate Developers Greg Hatem (Empire Properties), John Kane (Kane Realty Corporation), and Smedes York (York Properties) discussed development plans and trends. The three businessmen took our questions about Raleigh’s booming population and discussed how the city is a target for new and expanding businesses. Mr. Kane made an interesting point that, “Whether we land Amazon or Apple, now we’re on everybody’s radar.” Next we headed to Industrious, a co-working office space also located in Charter Square. The floor is styled in a mid-century modern, industrial office space, made up of several glass wall offices. Industrious provides office rentals for start-ups and growing businesses. Fortunately for us, it was National Vodka Day and there were free Bloody Marys! Social House Vodka supplied the drinks. After our tour, we left Charter Square to head to the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on South Street. Following a tour of the theater from Jim Lavery, general manager for the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, we enjoyed a panel discussion. Chris Malarkey (Booking Agent, Lincoln Theater), Michele Weathers (Executive Director, Carolina Ballet), and Lauren Kennedy Brady (Producing Artistic Director, Theatre Raleigh) discussed the challenges they face in the Arts and how, as one Arts company improves, it forces the others to improve, too. Next was lunch at The Raleigh Times on Hargett Street. After enjoying delicious food and a beautiful balcony, we walked over to Marbles Children’s Museum and heard from the Athletics Panel. Loren Gold (Executive Vice President, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors’ Bureau), Curt Johnson (President and General Manager, North Carolina FC) and Gary Buete (Chief Executive Officer, North Carolina FC Youth) spoke to us about the possibility of a Major League Soccer team based in Raleigh. They also discussed building a multi-modal stadium in downtown Raleigh. Next we made our way to Raleigh Union Station on Hargett Street. Add this to the list of things I did not know existed. What a beautiful station! Herbs and foliage grow from its “green” roof and the building is made from repurposed cranes and metal sheeting. There are five roundtrip trains daily, including three to Charlotte. After a station tour from David Eatman, transit administrator for the City of Raleigh, we ended the day with a walk to Brewery Bhavana. Leadership Raleigh Class 35 greeted us with free drink tickets. Drinking spicy margaritas was the perfect way to end our first day with Leadership Raleigh. Next month, we are scheduled to learn about Raleigh Law Enforcement. They are planning police ride-alongs, so you might see us out and about again in a few weeks! “I’m in.” Two words that proved to be the catalyst for Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital. Hamilton once wondered when, if ever, she would find the success she was searching for, especially after multiple nights sleeping on a hard floor or going without food. But this didn’t stunt her desire to build a venture capital firm and provide funding for underrepresented minorities and women. As a woman of color, and a lesbian, Hamilton saw early on the need to fund companies whose ownership didn’t necessary fit into the perfect box. Some of the best early stage tech companies she came across had owners who were diverse, part of the LGBT community, or women and couldn't secure funding for various reasons. As a smart business woman, she knew that investing in diversity in the tech field likely would have a high return as many traditional venture capital firms in Silicon Valley simply overlooked these companies.
Since the time we received a “yes” from Hamilton, agreeing to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Innovate Raleigh Summit on Nov. 9, she has quickly become a household name across the country for entrepreneurs look to fund their dreams. Similarly, the city of Raleigh and the Research Triangle region are on a fast trajectory of recognition. An Inc. magazine article published in June 2018 titled, “Why Raleigh Will Be the Next Startup Hub,” shows the region’s focus on startups and entrepreneurship and how early stage companies could potentially propel Raleigh further into the spotlight. It makes sense that someone like Arlan Hamilton will open the 7th annual Innovate Raleigh Summit which will focus on funding, talent, and inclusivity. Hamilton will speak to all three topics as these are core elements of her venture capital firm. She promotes the importance of funding underrepresented startups, believes talent should be diverse, and has built her life around inclusivity in entrepreneurship. What more could we want for our Summit? The only question remains—are you in? Register today for the Innovate Raleigh Summit. Join the conversation on Twitter! @InnovateRaleigh @RaleighWake @raleighchamber #IRSummit2018 We know bright things are ahead for Raleigh and the region. Jobs continue to come. Wake County grows by more than 60 people a day. Our area has a superior quality of life. But, for our area to remain better and faster, Jeremy Gutsche says, “Don’t be complacent.”
“We naturally become protective, complacent, and repetitive at anything that we’re good at,” the CEO of Trendhunter.com told the audience at the Raleigh Chamber’s 130th Annual Meeting. “But, by being those things, it means that you will miss out on opportunities.” Gutsche, the keynote speaker at our Annual Meeting, is the author of The New York Times bestseller, Better and Faster: The Proven Path to Unstoppable Ideas, which focuses on ways to adapt to change, be disruptive, and out-innovate the competition. Trendhunter.com has more than three billion page views. Gutsche also is an innovation advisor to more than 400 CEOs, billionaires, and big-name brands, including Cisco, Coca-Cola, Hughes Aerospace, IBM, Sony, and Victoria’s Secret. You can take Gutsche’s Better & Faster Innovation Assessment to discover your innovation archetype and specific tactics to realize your potential faster. Also, you will find out how to maximize your impact on the innovation potential of other colleagues, coworkers, and clients. “Fight complacency by being insatiable,” he said. “Instead of being repetitive, be curious. Instead of being protective, be willing to destroy.” The theme of this year’s Annual Meeting also was Better & Faster. Gutsche challenged the audience that, “Everyone wants to get better and faster. It’s just that not everyone puts in the effort.” He pointed out how smart teams consistently have missed great ideas that were right in their grasp. Gutsche said 52 percent of Fortune 500 companies from 2000 are gone or have been replaced. But he said your next breakthrough is closer to your grasp than you might think. “Opportunity is everywhere,” said Gutsche. “You need to be able to connect the dots.” He discussed the importance of aligning yourself with tiny trends that are emerging. Gutsche’s overall message? “There’s never been a better time to be innovators, creators,” he said. “Now is the time for action. Now is the time to take risks and push your team because nobody else will.” Gutsche ended his keynote by telling the audience, “Be revolutionary!” Look to the Future Gutsche’s address was the culmination of a very successful Annual Meeting. This year, we honored Dr. Stephen Scott, the recently retired president of Wake Technical Community College, with the A.E. Finley Distinguished Service Award. A true visionary and innovator, Scott made it a priority to cultivate new degree options and, in his 15 years at the helm of Wake Tech, he helped grow it to the largest community college in the state. Wake Tech now serves more than 74,000 students, has expanded to six campuses and training centers, has added competitive athletics, and has increased its total budget from $60 million to $279 million. One in 10 adults in Wake County is served by Wake Tech. Scott graciously accepted the honor and told the audience, “You, the Greater Raleigh Chamber, are the secret sauce in this community to help grow existing businesses and attract new businesses. You are our past leaders, current leaders, and the future leaders of our community.” He also encouraged the audience to support the $349 million Wake Tech Bond Referendum, which would fund new healthcare programs, a building and lab space for the automotive and collision repair program, a law enforcement simulation and tactical response center, along with college-wide infrastructure improvements. That message went hand-in-hand with the Better & Faster theme. Speakers discussed the importance of planning ahead. “We know the growth is coming, no matter what,” said Jimmy Goodmon, the outgoing chair of the Chamber Board of Directors, and the president and chief operating officer of Capitol Broadcasting Co., Inc. “We can plan for the growth or just leave it up to luck.” “What we do is not business as usual,” said Adrienne Cole, president and CEO of the Raleigh Chamber. “We are driven by innovation and collaboration. From supporting infrastructure and business creation to recruiting new businesses and jobs and developing our region’s talent pipeline, our fundamentals are strong. Our focus and drive to be forward-thinking is what moves us ahead. It’s a pleasure to celebrate the accomplishments we’ve achieved together.” Goodmon talked about those accomplishments, including announcing nearly 8,000 new jobs and $377 million in investment in the past year, launching the equitable economic development program with the support of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, accelerating the completion of 540, successfully advocating for the 2017 Raleigh Transportation Bond referendum, and forming a new partnership with Innovate Raleigh. Jim Hansen, the new chair of the Chamber Board of Directors, and the regional president of PNC, discussed how exciting it is to live and work in Raleigh and Wake County, and be a part of the Raleigh Chamber. “Together, we are charting our future, leading innovation, and creating a region that is prosperous for everyone,” he said. “We are committed to supporting our members by providing programs that foster leadership and offer resources to help your business grow. Whether it’s at C-Suite Perspectives, Coffee with Leaders, or the Young Professionals Network Conference, be sure that you and your team are engaged in your Chamber.” Hansen also announced that the 2019 Inter-City Visit and Leadership Conference will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. Our 2018 ICVLC trip was to Seattle, Washington. The Chamber also announced that, in lieu of attendee gifts for the Annual Meeting, we are making a donation to the Red Cross Hurricane Florence Disaster Relief fund. “We are all North Carolinians,” said Cole. “When some of us are hurting, we are all hurting.” We want to thank all of our sponsors and everyone who helped make our Annual Meeting such a success. We generated a lot of interest and discussion on social media, as well, as our official Twitter hashtag, #AnnMtg18, was the top trending topic in the Raleigh market for much of the day. Please join us at the Elected Officials Holiday Reception on Nov. 29. We will gather to thank our elected leaders for the work that they do and connect with other Chamber members. Attendees include our U.S. Congressional delegation, N.C. Council of State, members of the N.C. General Assembly from our 13-county region, Wake County Board of Commissioners, Wake County Board of Education, mayors of Wake County municipalities, and Raleigh City Council. We hope to see you there! ![]() When His Excellency Ambassador Dan Mulhall arrived in the Triangle on Wednesday, Oct. 3, he had never been to a college football game. By the time he leaves Raleigh, that will change. “I’m going to the NC State game tomorrow,” said Mulhall, Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S., during his visit to the Raleigh Chamber. “In Ireland, we’re not used to college sports having the impact they do here. I’m going to have to become an NC State fan from now on.” Even before he sets foot at Carter-Finley Stadium, Mulhall already is incredibly impressed by what he’s seen from the universities in our region. He spoke at a leadership roundtable with an audience of business and community leaders, elected officials, and economic development executives. “You have this dynamic Triangle and there is a lot happening here,” said Mulhall. He spoke not only about the university ecosystem, but also the talent in our region, our industries, and the quality of life. “This area is increasingly becoming a place that Irish companies coming to the U.S. will want to locate,” said Mulhall. He told the audience that he’s heard about what has been happening in the Triangle and one of his priorities was visiting our area to see it firsthand. “From the very beginning, we knew in Ireland that America was a special place,” said Mulhall. “We want to explore America in its diversity and look for the opportunities that are there all over the country.” Mulhall said, in recent decades, Ireland’s economy has been revolutionized by foreign direct investment. As he looks for opportunities across America, he sees a great opportunity in the Triangle. “Not everything happens in places like New York, Boston, and San Francisco,” he said. “This is a great place to live, with its talent, quality of life, and education.” Mulhall said the U.S. and Ireland already have a deep, complex, and mutually beneficial economic relationship and he wants to see that relationship flourish further. “I’d like to see us connect more together so we don’t miss opportunities here and you don’t miss opportunities in Ireland,” he said. After the event, Michael Haley, executive director for Wake County Economic Development, said he was impressed by the similarities between the Triangle and the Republic of Ireland. “We have similarities in the areas of talent, advanced industries, and high tech,” said Haley. “That means more partnership opportunities between us.” Also following the discussion, Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Jessica Holmes and Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane presented Ambassador Mulhall with a photo of the Raleigh skyline. We join Holmes and McFarlane in expressing our sincere gratitude to Mulhall for spending time experiencing Raleigh and the Triangle, and for sharing his great perspective and insight with us. As for the football game, NC State Football saw our comment on Twitter about him attending the game and responded, “Happy to have you! We’ll supply the BBQ, you supply the Irish luck!” We know the ambassador will enjoy his first college football game, just like he enjoyed his first visit to the Triangle. |
AuthorGreater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Archives
January 2025
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