Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

​Diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) are essential values that shape our society.  As the voice of DEI in our business community, we are proud to initiate and support efforts across the Triangle that promote DEI among our businesses. Every year, we recognize an individual who embodies these values and has significantly contributed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our region.

The Phil Freelon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Award is one of the most prestigious honors in the business community. Named in honor of Phil Freelon, a renowned architect who advanced architecture and construction as a vehicle for social justice, diversity, and inclusion through his work and efforts, the award recognizes individuals who have worked tirelessly to create a more just and equitable society.
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As we open nominations for the 4th Annual Phil Freelon Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Award, we invite you to join us in celebrating those who have made a difference in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in their workplace or community. This includes having made significant contributions to promoting DEI in the Triangle through a wide variety of professional projects and service initiatives, and their efforts continue to have a positive impact on their workplaces and communities.  Previous winners of the Phil Freelon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Award include Donald Thompson of The Diversity Movement (2023), Courtney White from BASF (2022), and Cheryl Parquet of Blue Cross NC (2021). ​

​Nominations are officially open for this year’s Phil Freelon Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Award. This is your chance to nominate someone who has made a difference in promoting DEI in your workplace and community.

The recipient of the 4th Annual Phil Freelon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Award will join an esteemed group of honorees and be recognized at a special ceremony during the 2024 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity Conference in partnership with Bank of America.

​The 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Conference, in partnership with Bank of America, is not only an opportunity to honor and recognize the contributions of those who have made a difference in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity, but it is also a great opportunity to network with other business leaders who share your commitment to creating change. This year, The Focus is the Future and we are preparing to learn from industry leaders who will share their insights and best practices on inclusive leadership, organizational culture, generational diversity, and more!
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Your nomination, attendance, and engagement at the conference is vital to help us recognize and celebrate those who are working to create a more just and equitable society for all. Join us in celebrating and learning more about promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our community. Submit your nomination on our website and register here! Nominations are due by June 21 at 5 p.m. 

​As we enter the second quarter of the year, it's time for business owners to go beyond mere reflection and take action to elevate their business.

The most successful companies will be those with leaders who are keenly versed in knowing costs structures, focused on core competencies and understand the market. These fundamental skillsets can equate to successful bottom lines, regardless of your specific industry or economic conditions.

 Given this, here are a few steps business leaders can take to leaders to assess their business's current status and determine the critical factors that will help achieve success in the rest of 2024.

Regularly reviewing and adapting your business plan is critical to ensure you’re operating in a realistic and nimble manner. When updating a business plan, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.

• Compare last year’s business performance to prior years by checking sales results and marketing tactics to spot trends. This will help you determine the best strategies in 2024.
• Keep your budget in mind and ensure you are updating salaries, your projections, any fixed costs or money you’ve used to grow your business over the past year.
• Source feedback from others when updating your business plan. Speak with your employees, your customers and fellow business owners to get a sense of what’s working well and what needs to be changed to perform better this year.
• Evaluate your customer service offerings. At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re keeping the customer happy, so look at your strategies, such as loyalty programs, to ensure you’re creating repeat customers. 

​Despite demand, many entrepreneurs face difficulties accessing capital. Traditional bank loans may feel like the strongest capital source, but it’s important to consider that it might not be the best fit for your business. This is where business grants that do not need to be repaid can help bolster your small business finances. Also, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) can be helpful sources of capital for underserved entrepreneurs. In the Triangle, Carolina Small Business Development Fund is a great resource. If you’re looking for somewhere to start, ask your banker or visit Bank of America’s Access to Capital Directory, which offers a variety of free and low-cost capital resources to consider.

​It’s important to evaluate your hiring or retention processes, as nearly half of small business owners are impacted by labor shortages, according to Bank of America’s 2023 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight, often leading to entrepreneurs working more hours and raising wages. Whether it’s sourcing candidates, setting a clear employee growth timeline, or creating an internship program, businesses can explore various ways to bring candidates to the interview table. As talent acquisition grows increasingly competitive, our bankers have also been working with more businesses to offer benefits packages as additional ways to recruit and retain top talent.
 
The new year is also a great time to recognize your current team to set a positive tone for the year ahead. Take time in the new year to set S.M.A.R.T. expectations and goals for your team – meaning goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. If you didn’t already, it’s also important to acknowledge the great work your team did in the prior year, which can serve as a motivating factor for growth in 2024.
 
As the nation’s top small business lender that has served the Triangle for more than 100 years, Bank of America is proud to offer these steps that can help put your business on the path to a strong and successful 2024.

Don’t forget to also celebrate and promote your small business during the upcoming Triangle Small Business Week from April 28 – May 4! The Raleigh Chamber and our partners are celebrating by offering events and resources to support the organizations that are important economic drivers for our region. List your special deals or events happening that week on the official site www.trianglesmallbusinessweek.com and record a Small Business Spotlight to promote your brand today!

The 2024 Inter-City Visit & Leadership Conference presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners was an eye-opening experience for more than 175 regional leaders who traveled to Atlanta to learn about the city's success in attracting businesses and talent.

Attendees were inspired by the city's commitment to diversity and inclusion, corporate philanthropy, regional collaboration and the role they all play in driving economic growth and promoting quality of life. Through numerous panels, tours, and group discussions, attendees saw firsthand how Atlanta is leading the way in innovation, infrastructure, and community development. The event was also a reminder that other major metropolitan areas have numerous lessons for our business and civic leaders to learn and apply to our own region and create a more prosperous and inclusive community.

Attendees explored The Battery, the incredible live-work-play development surrounding the Atlanta Braves stadium, and what lessons we can bring back to PNC Arena’s upcoming redevelopment. We learned about Piedmont Park and how large urban greenspaces like Dorothea Dix Park provide critical physical and mental health infrastructure.  We also visited the National Center For Civil and Human Rights to discuss how diverse relationships and a mindfulness of cultural differences build a stronger community and benefit the economy. Find more images and takeaways from the 3-day trip using the event hashtag #ICVLC24.

The Raleigh Chamber would like to thank all our speakers, venues, attendees, and sponsors for their support in making the 2024 Inter-City Visit & Leadership Conference a truly inspiring and valuable experience.

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and right here in our community. Celebrated every year on March 8, it is a day that recognizes the incredible contributions that women have made to society and highlights the ongoing progress toward gender equality. But the month of March is also Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the journey of women leaders and the obstacles they have overcome along the way.

​March is our chance to celebrate the trailblazers who have paved the way for future generations of women leaders, and the Raleigh Chamber is proud to present several events to honor, celebrate, and learn from the women in our community. We hope you will join us for our upcoming Coffee with Leaders featuring Angie Thacker of Pinam Construction, the Chamber Professional Women’s Luncheon featuring Sharon Delaney McCloud, and Triangle DEI Alliance’s We Connect event with Shirnetta Harrell of The No Woman, No Girl Initiative.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we are also reminded of the incredible strides women have made in leadership positions. Embracing your leadership journey as a woman means breaking down barriers and challenging the status quo. It means being a role model for the next generation of women leaders and creating a world where gender is not a barrier to success. It means understanding that success is not just about climbing the corporate ladder but also about positively impacting the world around you.

​At this year’s Women’s Leadership Conference, presented by PNC we will encourage attendees to Embrace Your Leadership Journey with a celebration of women’s growth, leadership, and success.

With an attendance of over 1,000 emerging and established business leaders, this annual conference provides women and their colleagues with the knowledge and skills needed to have a more significant impact and broader influence within their organizations and far beyond into our community. This year’s conference on Tuesday, May 21 at the Raleigh Convention Center will be a chance for professional women to come together, learn from one another, and grow as leaders. 

Happy International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month! We hope you will continue to celebrate and Embrace Your Leadership Journey with us this May. Register today for the Women’s Leadership Conference!

It is time for the city to draft a new Comprehensive Plan, the cornerstone that provides overarching guidance for the city’s growth and future development over a roughly twenty-year period. Our current Plan comes from 2009 and was most recently updated in 2019.  Since the plan was aimed to get us to 2030, the city is beginning work for the next plan to get us to 2050.

Much has happened since the 2009 creation of the document- beyond adding over 75,000 residents in the city’s boundaries alone (not to mention the population explosion in the surrounding municipalities and county), Raleigh created a brand new Strategic Plan, Community Climate Action Plan, Affordable Housing Goals & Consolidated Plan, and business plans for every individual city department. Since 2009, there have been major sea changes in how municipalities view racial equity, environmental sustainability, Affordable Housing, multi-modal transportation, and remote work behaviors changing office and commuting patterns. The city has reached the point of diminishing returns by revising our current plan, so it’s time for a new one. ​

In anticipation of mapping future land use for 20+ years, the city will be undertaking a massive public outreach initiative including focus groups, conferences, and strategic planning meetings to gather input. The Raleigh Chamber will be involved in these discussions and more as we work to make sure the business community is represented in drafts of the Comprehensive Plan. 

After 11 years of delay, the city council is finally moving forward with plans to widen Six Forks Road, albeit a much shorter length than originally planned.  The project will add lanes (for six total) between Rowan Street and Millbrook Road, with new eight-foot multi-use paths installed in a parallel corridor to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Key to the council’s decision was the modified plan coming in under the city’s budget (though it’s worth noting that the original cost for a longer stretch of widening was $37.1 million, compared to the current estimate of $56.1). It’s a good example of what happens when a major project gets delayed for review for too long – costs spiral upward, and overall project scope must be reduced to meet fiscal realities. While consideration and study are important to road projects, speed is equally critical to providing infrastructure improvements to keep the city moving forward.

Also worth noting from the decision was Councilman Jonathan Melton’s comments on his vote in favor: while he personally doesn’t support the road widening, he still voted in favor of the project since previous councils had promised the project to their constituents and because designers had been able to add the multi-modal path to the project. The Chamber applauds Melton’s willingness to support the expansion while also working to add new infrastructure to the corridor to serve a more diverse population. ​

Now that the widening has been approved and the funding allocated, construction will begin in early 2026 and will take two years to complete. 


To learn more about our GA priorities you can visit our webpage.

We take immense pride in acknowledging the contributions of Black Americans to Raleigh, the Triangle, and North Carolina. Raleigh has a rich history of Black culture and heritage, represented by institutions such as Shaw University, the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the South. Founded in 1865, Shaw University holds a special place in our community’s heart and symbolizes the resilience and strength of the Black community.
St. Augustine's University is another HBCU in Raleigh, founded in 1867. St. Augustine's campus is home to the St. Agnes Hospital, which served Black Americans all along the East Coast during a time of racial segregation. Raleigh's Black economy thrived with East Hargett Street as its core and has left an indelible mark on the city's history and culture.
We honor and celebrate the Black leaders who have inspired our community, not only during Black History Month but every day. To commemorate this occasion, we would like to highlight some of our Black-owned business members and Black Business Leaders who are part of our community. Join us in honoring their journey and discovering more about the Black leaders who have made Raleigh a vibrant and inclusive city.

Lileah Akiode is the proud owner of The Black Diamond Agency - a recruiting firm with a lot of heart and passion for helping people. When she's not matching incredible people with companies that will value their talents, you'll find her chasing after her energetic four-year-old son and enjoying time with her wonderful husband. Lileah started The Black Diamond Agency because she knew there was a better way to help both businesses and candidates thrive. She's a connector at heart who loves bringing people together for a common goal. If she can spend her days helping talented individuals from all walks of life make positive change - while balancing her home life - that's living the dream! The Black Diamond Agency allows her to do that in a way that aligns with her values around diversity, inclusion, and empowering people's full potential.

Wanda McArn is originally from Lumberton, NC, and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. She retired from WW Grainger in 2020 to pursue her ikigai (or reason for being). She is a caregiver for her 91-year-old mother, middle child of 3, family historian, poet, writer, mentor, connector, and mental health advocate. She is also the great-great auntie of 2 nieces and one nephew but is known as Aunt Wanda to many in her circle of influence.

Wanda is the Founder and CEO of Next Step Development Corporation, a nonprofit developer of tiny home communities for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Next Step Development Corporation was formed in 2021 and is looking to start its first community of 10-15 homes in 2024. She aims to provide safe, attractive, and affordable communities that allow their residents to access the wraparound services they may need to live successful lives.

The Triangle Tribune is a multimedia conglomerate that covers the Triangle's African American community in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. They engage readers through a Sunday weekly newspaper, website, YouTube page, and social media platforms. The Triangle Tribune covers state, local, and national stories and opinion pieces. They stand in as the voice of the black community. They also highlight pivotal figures in black history as well as business partnerships and small business growth.
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The Triangle Tribune is owned by The Charlotte Post Publishing Company, which is a minority-owned and operated company. The Charlotte Post Publishing Company has served North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina for over 140 years!

The Black person who most inspired Bonitta in her career so far is Robin Roberts. Before Robin Roberts became a star at Good Morning America, she was the first Black female sportscaster on ESPN. Bonita has always loved sports, and Robin inspired her to switch careers in her thirties to do what she loves, even if it meant starting with no pay. Robin showed Bonitta that it was OK for a woman to love sports, know just as much as a man, and not apologize for it.
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Check out stories from The Triangle Tribune to learn about other pivotal figures in Black history, such asConstance Baker Motely, theU.S. Army's first all-Black WWII paratrooper unit,and thewomen behind the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

As Black History Month comes to a close, we want to continue to honor and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to Raleigh, the Triangle, and North Carolina. We also want to continue highlighting the Black business leaders in our community, such as Lileah Akiode, Wanda McArn, and Bonitta Best, who inspire us with their determination and vision! Let us continue to honor and uplift Black voices, not just during this month but every day–let us know about a Black leader who inspired your journey on social media by tagging us at @raleighchamber and @triangledei on LinkedIn and X. 
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This blog can also be found on the Triangle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Alliance's website here.

​Tuesday night, ten Raleigh Chamber representatives attended a city council meeting to show support for modifications to the city’s Comprehensive Plan (which provides policy guidance for growth and development in the city) and zoning changes along the New Bern Avenue corridor for the Bus Rapid Transit system being built there. Board Treasurer Kristen Hess, Partner and CEO at HH Architecture, delivered remarks on behalf of the Chamber urging the council to approve the recommended changes. Her remarks focused on the positive benefits of transit-oriented development along the corridor, including increased housing options, more amenities to benefit locals and city-wide residents, and future catalysts for economic development.
 
Beyond urging better zoning rules, the Chamber also expressed support for enhanced metrics for measuring change along the corridor and services and resources for citizens who struggle with those changes. While the city needs to grow in smarter ways along mass transit systems, it must also ensure that economic opportunities are available to all.
 
Thanks to the Chamber’s strong showing at the meeting and partnership with other interest groups, the council saw immense community support for smarter growth in strategic areas along transit lines. Oftentimes the council only sees those in opposition to development projects, so to have such a large turnout in favor was critical to show the community wants these changes.
 
After public discussion ended, the council voted 5-3 to update the Comprehensive Plan to deter car-dependent development (like drive-throughs and car washes) along the mass transit corridor. They also decided to break up the rezoning of the whole corridor into more geographically distinct segments for rezoning consideration. This means that distinct parts of the street may have different zoning rules applied from each other, which allows the council to better tailor future development to enhance amenities while also preserving existing communities more granularly.
 
The Chamber is happy with the Raleigh City Council’s decision on how to move forward on New Bern Avenue. The next official meeting on the rezoning process will be March 5, and Chamber staff will be engaging with city staff and elected officials in advance to ensure they know the business community’s position.
 
If you or your company would like to support zoning improvements along New Bern Avenue’s Bus Rapid Transit line, contact Andrew Blackburn for resources and communications recommendations. 


​To learn more about our GA priorities you can visit our webpage.

The Raleigh Chamber is calling for the reintroduction of immediate federal tax deductions of Research & Development (R&D) costs which were the norm for over seventy years until January 2022 when the tax code required them to be amortized. While this change impacts all companies that engage in research and development, it most drastically impacts startups and small businesses who rely on those immediate deductions for their financial models to work.​

In collaboration with several other metropolitan chambers across the state, we are encouraging our federal delegation to revert the R&D tax rules. Conversations are positive and it looks like these changes will happen soon, but with so much on the line for so many regional companies, there’s no time to waste.

The council is moving forward with plans to change how many elected officials represent Raleigh, how often they must run, and several other changes to how we elect our city leaders.
 
Details are yet to be decided, but there seems to be consensus to adopt four-year terms (from the current two-year terms), with potentially the mayor remaining on two-year terms to increase citizens’ ability to hold them accountable. Should four-year terms go into effect, candidates would run in staggered terms, eliminating the possibility of a whole council turnover in a single election.
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There also seems to be agreement that more seats need to be added to the council table due to the city’s explosive growth over the past decades, but there does not seem to be agreement on how many new seats would be added (anywhere from one to four were brought up), whether they would run in districts to represent specific parts of the city, or whether they would be at-large to represent the city as a whole. Yet to be discussed in depth are whether council members should receive more compensation for their time in their position, and how much that increase would be.

The council will go through all of this in much more detail at future work sessions, but whatever changes they agree on will go on the November 2024 ballot for citizens to approve or reject, with the goal of the changes going into effect for the 2026 election cycle. ​
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To learn more about our GA priorities you can visit our webpage.

Monday, January 15 is the 116th Founders Day celebration of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and Torri Staton, Ph.D., who serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity for the Raleigh Chamber, and the Director of Equitable Economic Development for Wake County Economic Development, is proud to be a member of the Sorority. Torri has been associated with the Raleigh Chamber for almost two years and has previously worked in the education sector for more than a decade. Torri initiated her DEI work in her previous roles and is thrilled to continue advocating for DEI policies in the business community.

​According to Torri, working at the Triangle DEI Alliance (a program of the Raleigh Chamber) is enjoyable because it allows her to witness the positive impact of the DEI advocacy work accomplished by the Chamber and connect with members of the community. Torri also uses the power of the Chamber to shift the way the business community thinks and approaches DEI work and is happy that she gets to help more diverse businesses utilize the Chamber’s resources.
​While you can usually find Torri talking to community members and investors about new ways to implement DEI policies in their workplaces and across the Triangle, Torri also values planning events with her team. Torri works with DEI Coordinator Serenia Parsons to plan programs such as We Connect and Courageous Conversation, one of Torri’s favorite programs to host and attend. Torri admires the Courageous Conversation series because it offers an excellent platform to raise awareness about significant community issues and engage in meaningful discussions.
​Torri often uses the events planning skills she learned in her sorority to plan DEI events. As an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman, Torri has learned the importance of making connections and loves seeing her sorority members who often attend the Chamber’s DEI events. Torri is excited about her work moving forward, especially progress centered around the A Better Wake Blueprint to Dismantle Systemic Racism. If you want to learn more about this Blueprint and how it is pushing important conversations in the business community, check it out here.  

​For those unable to attend Launch 2024 presented by Wells Fargo, we have you covered! Launch 2024 is an annual economic forecast that allows Triangle area professionals to reconnect with colleagues and refresh their business focus with the latest trends and data. This year’s event is scheduled for January 3 at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, and it will feature two renowned economists, Tom Barkin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Sarah House, Managing Director and Senior Economist for Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking.

The experts will present their research and data on economic trends and forecast what to expect in 2024 for Raleigh and beyond. They will also share their insights on the economic trends and make key predictions for the New Year. If you have any questions for the speakers, email them at [email protected]. Please submit your questions before the event so the speakers can address them during their presentations.

For those unable to attend the event’s program from 8 to 10 a.m., you can watch the livestream from our media sponsor, WRAL-TV Channel 5, and follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #RCLaunch2024. 

​Additionally, we are pleased to announce that Sarah House's presentation and Wake County Economic Development’s Economy & Business Publication will be available online!

​Stay tuned for Launch 2024, presented by Wells Fargo, and get ready to learn about the economic outlook for 2024!