Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

By Adrienne Cole
President and CEO
​Greater Raleigh Chamber





Did you know there are more than 60,000 businesses in Wake County with 50 employees or less? According to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, small businesses make up 98 percent of our state’s business landscape. In Wake County, 87 percent of the companies have 10 or fewer employees.

In celebration of Small Business Week, we invite you to stop by the Chamber office to watch webinars created by the Small Business Administration to support your business. You can also check out all the resources available online here.

​I sincerely appreciate your engagement with the Chamber. Small businesses make up more than 85 percent of our membership, and your entrepreneurship is a vital fabric in our community. National Small Business Week recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners that create two out of three jobs in the U.S.

Please join us at 800 S. Salisbury St. to gain great insight to support and grow your business. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and hear experts explore the following: 

• May 3 at 2 p.m.: 5 Fabulous Habits of Local Business Champions Presented by YP
• May 3 at 4 p.m.: Grow Your Business Online Presented by Google
• May 4 at 2:30 p.m.: The Future of Small Business Innovation Presented by Salesforce
• May 4 at 3:30 p.m.: How to Write Your Email Content in 15 Minutes or Less Presented by Constant Contact

Thank you for all that you do for our community—you are an integral part of what makes Raleigh and Wake County innovative and special.

This text originally appeared as an OpEd in the News & Observer on Sept. 28, 2016. ​

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By Jill Wells Heath
2015/16 Chair, Chamber Board of Directors
President and CEO, CALYX Engineers + Consultants





Over the last few years, we’ve seen Wake County become a national hotspot for growth. New businesses and families continue to move here to the tune of a net increase of 64 people per day. I couldn’t be happier with the growth of talent and opportunity in Wake County and the Triangle.

As we look ahead, we have to ask: How do we keep this growth continuing for another 10 years, without compromising the quality of life that drew people here in the first place?

The answer is public transportation.

This election, voters have an opportunity to fund a world-class, modern and effective public transportation system for Wake County.

Our approved transit plan will make a real and lasting difference by increasing access to jobs, health care, education and more. Once transit is fully implemented, 70 percent of all jobs will be located within a half mile of a transit stop and bus service will expand to 19 hours a day.

The multimodal, network-based transit plan emphasizes frequent bus service, bus rapid transit and commuter rail. Bus rapid transit in high-traffic areas will incorporate dedicated bus lanes, level boarding platforms and other enhanced features that improve the speed and quality of service. Commuter rail service will provide welcome relief for commuters on I-40 by providing a peak hour alternative to freeway congestion.

A more connected transit system will help Wake County residents spend less time commuting and more time with their families. Even if you don’t ride a bus or train, many of your neighbors will. The quality of life we enjoy in Wake County is one of our strongest assets. Passing this transit plan will help maintain and improve it.

The bottom line is that this is the right time to act and the right plan to act on. Over 50 community organizations and businesses have already endorsed the plan, and the transit referendum to fund it: chambers of commerce, environmental and community groups, disability and affordable housing advocates, homebuilders and realtors, colleges and many more.
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I hope you’ll join me in voting for the transit referendum – located at the end of the ballot – this fall.

Learn more about the transit referendum and how you can help move Wake County forward here.

By Joe Milazzo II, PE
Executive Director
Regional Transportation Alliance



​
​Thursday, the campaign to pass the fall Wake transit referendum held its kickoff event at Shaw University.

The approved transit plan for Wake County envisions a dedicated, locally-controlled half-cent sales tax as its primary local funding source. The voters of Wake County will decide on the sales tax in a November 2016 referendum.

The four co-chairs for the campaign, listed below (pictured above), spoke this morning about the benefits of enhanced transit in our market:

• Tashni-Ann Dubroy, President, Shaw University
• John Kane, CEO, Kane Realty
• James Roberson, Mayor of Knightdale
• Mark Stohlman, Mayor of Morrisville

However, if they were to summarize the primary goal and benefit of the approved Wake Transit Plan, it would simply be this:  the plan provides more transit—that is, more travel options—for more people, more quickly.

Many groups, businesses, and educational institutions—including the Regional Transportation Alliance business coalition—have endorsed both the plan and referendum. Join us in endorsing the referendum if you have not already done so.

We urge you to vote for the referendum, for enhanced public transportation, and for your community and region’s future this fall.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners, the Go Triangle Board of Trustees, and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization all unanimously approved the new Wake County Transit Plan in spring 2016.

The approved, bipartisan plan calls for the creation of an enhanced and improved regional transit system serving all of Wake County in a scalable, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

We can likely identify a number of goals for enhancing transit in this market, or any growing region for that matter. They might include:

• Create alternative to driving, congestion, parking
• Increase travel options as we continue to grow
• Expand access to jobs, healthcare, education, civic life
• Focus land use, support sustainable/walkable development
• Attract/retain talent in our growing community

Here is a simple chart that compares our current situation in Wake County, and the corresponding element of the plan:

Our situation                                       Approved plan

High growth market                             Rapid expansion

Growing traffic congestion                  Peak relief

Dispersed county, region                     Network approach

Inconvenient travel options                Frequent service

Limited funding                                    Scalable system

Rapid technology change                   Short-term completion

Each element in the approved plan is a strong benefit for our region. Taken together, they comprise a strong response to the challenge of growth and congestion in our market.

More information about the benefits  of the plan and referendum is available at letsgetmoving.org/waketransit. Thank you for your support of regional mobility, and thank you for supporting the referendum this fall.

This blog originally appeared here on Sept. 8.

Audience members at the 2016 Economic Forecast last week showed optimism for what 2016 holds. As part of the event, attendees participated in a live poll to gauge their thoughts about the new year.

When asked if they were more or less optimistic about the Triangle’s business environment in regards to the latest increase to interest rates, 59 percent of those polled responded “about the same” and 30 percent replied “more optimistic.” Only 8 percent of those surveyed said they were “much less optimistic” or “less optimistic.
 
Of the 164 attendees who responded to the second question about how they expect their business’s growth to be effected, 56 anticipated it to increase 3 to 5 percent and 33 said business should grow by more than 10 percent. Thirteen people expected business to stay the same, and just two foresaw a decrease.
 
Go here to see the full poll results—including the answers to two other questions.
 
Are you expectations in line with the audience’s? What do you foresee regarding your business in 2016? Let us know in the comments.