Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

On Monday, Nov. 8, regional leaders gathered in Wilmington, NC, for our Annual Leadership Conference presented by Townebank. The annual conference is an event centered on making connections with other leaders and discussing topics important to our growth.  Attendees heard from a wide range of speakers while enjoying the comforts of the Hotel Ballast in Wilmington.

Here are a few key takeaways from the conference:

Economic Development

• Regionalism is a best practice in the world of economic development.
• Not only are we recruiting new companies, we are helping our existing companies grow and expand in the market. Recruitment AND expansion are important for growth.
  
  

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• Access = opportunities. Opportunities lead to full participation. Jump in and participate.
• We have the ingredients in this market for our startups and entrepreneurs: connectivity and accessibility.
  
  

Talent and Workforce Development

• Have a people first mentality. Fit the job around the person through support, training, and education.
• There is no other place in the U.S. that has the depth and variety of systems to train and prepare our workforce than right here.
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Regional Transit

• The Regional Transportation Alliance has an active legacy of regional business leadership on transportation (540 Triangle Expressway, Dynamic Left Turn, RDU Capital Infrastructure, etc.)
• Number one priority for the accelerated metropolitan mobility strategy – sustainable funding for Raleigh-Durham Airport.

 
See below for a few highlights from our interactive leadership discussion:

• Employees need and want to be part of something bigger now. Employment decisions go beyond the pay scale – it is about mission, vision, and values.
• We truly need to develop meaningful relationships in underserved communities.
• The new world of hybrid work brings about challenges such as device overload, burnout, and lost connections. How can we keep people connected and creative?
• We must move transit forward – especially with new companies moving in such as Apple.
• Our community is starting to look more like the world – we have global citizens moving here and that is exciting.  
• With new demands on the workforce and workplace, Human Resources is a critical pillar in the c-suite discussion.

 
To see photos and comments from event attendees, you can search the hashtag #RaleighALC21 on Twitter.
Be sure to register for upcoming signature events – our annual Elected Officials Holiday Reception and Launch 2022.  

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Raleigh Chamber Golf Tournament, presented by Blue Ridge Surgery Center, an affiliate of SCA! 
 
Winners from this year’s tournament are listed below.

FIRST, SECOND, THIRD PLACE
Fairways First:
Raynor Smith
Matt Smith
Jeff Stocks
Chris Wilson

Fairways Second:
Billy Johnson
Mark Blaha
William Patterson
Mike Pomaville

Fairways Third:
Jeff Smith
Josh Dipaulo
Drew Walsh
Ed Boyle

Meadows First:
Andrew Soriano
Kyler Bender
Robert Doreauk
Robert Hillman

Meadows Second:
Daniel Wright
Mark Sams
Nic Jones
Carmen Lozaw

Meadows Third:
Hal Bowen
Betty Parker
Chris Merrill
 
Highlands First:
Greg Winkler
Gary Greene
Jeff Hendrick
Michael Mesnard

Highlands Second:
Will Pridgen
Lucas Carpenter
Jim Byrd
Tom McSwain

Highlands Third:
Eric Perkinson
Kyle Nelson
Greg Kuruc
Zach Evans

Royal Caribbean Cruise Winner ($2,000 value)
Nicholas B. Tribble

COURSE GAMES
Fairways:
Longest drive – Marley Shields
Closest to the pin – Jake Yount

Meadows:
Longest Drive – Harrison Kaylor
Closest to the pin – Blake Hall

Highlands:
Longest drive – Lee Simmons
Closest to the pin – Jim Byrd
 
Additionally, thank you to each of our sponsors who graciously donated a raffle prize for our reception:
 
Prestonwood Country Club
Merz Aesthetics
Triangle Shooting Academy
Barnes & Thornburg
Dewberry
 
Congratulations to all our winners!

Thank you once again to our sponsors for your support in ensuring this year’s tournament was a success! To view a list of our sponsors and their website, please visit our Golf Tournament event page.

If you would like to secure your sponsorship for next year’s tournament, or have general sponsorship questions, please email [email protected].