Diversity Summit
7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Nov. 21
Sheraton - Birmingham

Presented by:

Alabama’s largest workforce diversity conference is back and better than ever. This year’s conference will host more than 50 exhibitors and nearly 500 business professionals, entrepreneurs and experts in the field of diversity. This year’s theme, “Be Engaged. Be Enlightened.” highlights the growing need for employers that are competing for talent to have proactive human resource programs.

The Summit equips business owners, human resource professionals and others with the ideas, tools and business networks needed for successful workforce diversity initiatives.

A new workshop this year is, “Put Yourself In My Shoes: Exploring Empathy” led by Keith Cromwell, Executive Director of Red Mountain Theatre Company as well as Duane L. Wade, a certified executive coach. Other workshops include:

• Creating Effective & Inclusive Teams
• The Best of Times: A Fresh Look at Generations
• Put Yourself in My Shoes: Exploring Empathy
• Current Trends in Corporate Diversity Programs
• Engaging in Difficult Conversations
• A Funny Thing Happened Along the Way: The Year 2008, In Review
• Politics & Policy in Tough Economic Times

Come to the Summit for these workshops that you can easily replicate in your company or organization. Visit www.birminghamdiversitysummit.com to register

Pre-Diversity Summit Conference
7:30 a.m.-noon Nov. 18
Cahaba Grand Conference Center

Enjoy a uniquely crafted program at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center as a prelude to the Chamber's annual Diversity Summit. In three sessions, presenters will emphasize the importance of providing a flexible work environment and highlight the benefits of diversity measures that embrace employees with disabilities and other exceptional challenges. Program will also recognize area Sloan Award winners. Various Presenters Including :

• Greg Roth, US Chamber of Commerce/Institute for a Competitive Workforce - Washington DC
• R. Curt Harrison, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham
• Gary Edwards, Ph.D., United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham
• Peggy Anderson, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

Visit www.bshrm.org for ticket info.

It’s no secret that the economy is spiraling downward and everyone is being impacted, both personally and professionally. So what can be done to help your business stay afloat? To help members during this time, the Chamber is introducing the “Tackling the Challenging Economy Online Toolkit”. This list of services is available in the website’s members-only section and tailor-made to specifically help members during these turbulent economic times. In this tool kit are insightful tips from other successful executives on how their firms are weathering the storm, special listings of procurement opportunities, an explanation on when and how to get your business visited by the Existing Business Team, and listings of various reports from our Chamber, the U. S. Chamber and many other helpful services. There is even good news on the region to make sure your attitude stays positive. All of this information is free to members as another tangible benefit of Chamber membership. For more information, please contact Niki Anthony at nanthony@birminghamchamber.com. Click here to log onto the members only section and click on Tackling the Challenging Economy on the left to enter the online toolkit

Entrepreneurial Business Summit Luncheon
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 12
The Harbert Center

In harsh economic times when strong leadership is key to your company’s survival, do you have the skills needed to step up to the plate? If you’re looking to further develop your leadership skills and secure your company’s survival, join us on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Entrepreneurial Business Summit Luncheon. Our keynote speaker, Debra Benton, will be informing us on how stepping up in harsh economic times can help your company to stand out. This event will be from 11:30am – 1:00pm at The Harbert Center. To register, visit our website or contact Kellie Harper at 241-8110. Don’t miss the critical advice from author and executive coach, Debra Benton.

121st Annual Meeting of the Chamber
noon-1:30 p.m. Dec. 9
The Sheraton Birmingham

The Chamber’s 121st Annual Meeting, sponsored by Regions Bank, will be held on December 9 from Noon until 1:30pm at the Sheraton Birmingham. This year’s keynote speaker is Andy Serwer, managing editor of Fortune magazine. He will speak on the impact of the presidential elections on the stock market. Serwer writes the Street Life column and covers the behind-the-scenes action on Wall Street. NewsBios calls him "perhaps the nation's top multimedia talent, successfully juggling the roles of serious journalist, astute commentator and occasional court jester.” He is a regular contributor on CNN's "American Morning" and "In The Money." Mr. Serwer is brought to us courtesy of Don Logan and the Birmingham Barons. There are three choices of corporate tables for members to purchase:

• Chairman’s Tables of 8 - $2,500: Includes 1st tier seating, 1st tier signage, private table steward, VIP parking, personally autographed copies for each guest of A Powerful Presence: The Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the History of Birmingham
• President’s Tables of 8 - $1,250: Includes 2nd tier seating, 2nd tier signage, a copy for each guest of A Powerful Presence: The Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the History of Birmingham
• Corporate Table of 8 - $500: Includes 3rd tier seating, 3rd tier signage
• Individual tickets are $65 each

To register, go to www.birminghamchamber.com/annualmeeting.

 

There is a new coalition in town and this one packs a serious punch. The recently incorporated Coalition for Regional Transportation (CRT) is spearheaded by the Chamber and several other key businesses. The CRT will promote the building and completion of the Northern Beltline/I-959. Vocal environmental groups have delayed the construction of the beltline, but now economic development interests in the region have a voice. The project will decrease traffic congestion at the I-65/I-20/59 junction and open the northern portion of Jefferson County and surrounding counties to significant economic development opportunities, just as I-459 did for the southern region. You can be a part of this important initiative. Learn how your business can support CRT by contacting Pascal Caputo at pcaputo@birminghamchamber.com or Alison Howell at ahowell@birminghamchamber.com.

Rep. Spencer Bachus recently provided an in-depth analysis of the nation's economic struggles to more than 250 members at the Chamber’s Fall Congressional Forum. Bachus explained his role in the passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), a $700 billion bill that will, among other things, provide the federal government the power to purchase distressed loans and guarantee troubled assets held by financial institutions. Bachus said supporting the bailout bill was one of the most difficult decisions he has ever in Congress. Despite his reservations, Bachus said the EESA was necessary due to the intensity of the financial crisis. For a complete summary of the bill, click here.

Bachus also voiced his support of the Northern Beltline in response to a question about the beltline and the Chamber’s recently formed Coalition for Regional Transportation, an organization that will advocate for the completion of the project. Bachus said he believes that the Northern Beltline will help spur economic development and promised to continue to advocate for the project in Washington.

The Chamber’s annual B.I.G. Trip to Austin, Texas in September was the first inner-city trip to focus on education. A decade ago, Austin’s school system resembled Birmingham’s today. B.I.G. Trip participants heard from the superintendent who transformed Austin’s school system through use of metrics and measurements and partnerships with business leaders, foundations and various non-profits groups.

Other focus areas of the trip were economic development, leadership, transportation challenges, technology transfer and image. Chairman of the Greater Austin Economic Development Corporation educated Birmingham leaders about a five-year regional fundraising plan that worked to attract new business and support education, existing business, and transportation in Austin. Birmingham leaders are now armed with that information and how similar programs could work for this region.

In addition to economic development and education, the 2008 B.I.G. Trip included sessions on the technology transfer model. Participants heard information on how universities like UT Austin and UAB can utilize the model to take intellectual property to commercialization. This has helped Austin generate millions of dollars through venture capital, which led to organic development of small businesses and has brought in industries from nearby cities and from as far away as India. Many are housed in a “Silicon Valley” style technology incubator at UT Austin, similar to Birmingham’s Innovation Depot housed at UAB. Participants also had the opportunity to attend breakout sessions where they learned about Austin’s regional transportation, transit and rail, downtown development and film incentive initiatives.

Are you looking a free speaker for your next meeting? Then look no further than the Chamber’s Speaker’s Bureau. Our trained presenters can talk on a variety of topics from “What’s Right with Birmingham” to attracting and retaining young professionals to the latest legislation in Montgomery. For a full list of topics, click here. Please give a three-weeks notice. For more information or to book a speaker, contact Brannon Dawkins at bdawkins@birminghamchamber.com.

Download the Birmingham Screen Saver Installer (about 4 MB).

If you received an error message during install, you probably do not have sufficient rights to install applications on your computer. You may need to download this file, and manually install. Follow these instructions:

1. Installing the Flash Player
   Please run the mm_fl_sw_installer.exe to make sure you have the latest version of the Flash Player. If you are certain that you already have the Flash Player installed, you may skip this step.
2. Installing the Screen Saver
   Copy the birmingham.scr file into your Windows directory, usually located at c:\Windows\system32.
3. Activating the Screen Saver
   Open Control Panel, and choose Display, then choose Screen Saver tab on the top of the window. Go to the pull down menu to choose a new screen saver, and you should be able to see your new Birmingham Screen Saver there. Select it and hit apply to activate it. There are no configurable options on this screen saver other than those offered by Windows.

If that doesn't work, contact your system administrator and they should be able to install the screen saver for you. Tell them "I want my Birmingham slide show!"

If you have additional questions, contact us at pmattison@birminghamchamber.com.