Business expo to focus on area’s innovative efforts

ThisWeek UA 2/23/2011

http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/upperarlington/stories/2011/02/23/business-expo-to-focus-on-areas-innovative-efforts.html?sid=104

    

The Upper Arlington Area Chamber of Commerce will celebrate local innovative efforts in business at their annual meeting.

“The trajectory of business has changed forever,” Upper Arlington Area Chamber of Commerce President Becky Hajost said.

In response to the current economic reality of today, the chamber, alongside the city and the Community Improvement Corporation, joined the central Ohio regional business retention task force.

The Ohio Department of Development awarded regional grants to create a business crisis early-warning network. According to the ODOD website, the network will identify businesses that are at risk for layoffs and closures, then task force members will provide assistance to the business for accessing resources focused on job retention.

At this year’s third-annual Upper Arlington Area Chamber of Commerce business expo and awards ceremony, slated for March 4, the focus of the keynote will be innovative efforts like the early warning network and Columbus 2020!, as ways to maintain and build economic growth in central Ohio.

Keynote speaker Kenny McDonald, Columbus Partnership chief economic officer, is leading Columbus 2020!, a public-private partnership that, according to the chamber, “will leverage central Ohio´s research and academic institutions and diverse industries to position Columbus to become the fastest growing economy in the country and one of the nation’s leaders in economic development.”

The Columbus Partnership’s website states that McDonald joined the organization after serving seven years as the executive vice president of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a public-private economic development organization in the Carolinas. In that role he led a nationally recognized economic development program, which successfully attracted many domestic and international companies to locate in the Charlotte region, while also fostering high value job creation through their existing industry support programs.

“We are excited to hear what Kenny has to say about how UA fits into Columbus2020!,” Hajost said. The chamber’s board chairs also will provide a year-in-review report in a unique “inside the chamber studio” format.

This year the event moves to the University Plaza Hotel on Olentangy River Road, after having outgrown the space at Hastings Middle School, where the event was hosted in previous years.

More than 20 Upper Arlington businesses will have booths at the expo in the University Plaza Hotel atrium. The expo is open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to get to know their local businesses while enjoying cocktails and snacks.

Businesses can reserve a spot in the expo by contacting the chamber at 614-481-5720. The business expo will begin at 4 p.m., and the awards ceremony and speaker will follow at 6:30 p.m.

The expo and awards ceremony is free and open to the public. For individuals interested in the formal dinner, the year-in-review presentation and the keynote address, tickets are available through the chamber for $50 a seat.

Assistant City Manager Joe Valentino said, “I’m so pleased that this event continues to be a great opportunity to recognize businesses in the city and the great work they do. Anytime we can lift up our local businesses it is a good thing.”