HR Partnership | August 9, 2010

As the tough times continue… Where is our regional economy headed? How does our port size up against other east coast container ports? What can we learn about light rail from other cities? Why are we feeling so much pain in the office/industrial real estate markets? How are we doing? Dashboard indicators of Vision Hampton Roads.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. James V. Koch, President Emeritus and Professor of Economics, Old Dominion University Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 Time: 7:45 a.m. Registration; 8:00-9:30 a.m. Breakfast and presentation followed by discussion Location: Norfolk Waterside Marriott

The Annual State of the Region Address will provide the most comprehensive review of the region’s current economic strengths, challenges, and interrelationships. Engage in discussion with business, community, and government leaders from the 17 communities of greater Hampton Roads. Attendees will receive a copy of “The State of the Region 2010″ produced by the Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University.

Register HERE.

For more information, contact Angela Blackwell Carter, Vice President, Leadership Programs for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, 500 East Main Street, Suite 700, Norfolk, VA 23510 at (757) 664-2528 or Desiree Ellison, Coordinator, Leadership Programs at (757) 664-2516 or dellison@hrccva.com.

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Economy | No Comments »
Tags: Chamber, Economy, Hampton Roads, ODU

HR Partnership | August 5, 2010

Dr. Juan Montero II, MD, FACS, was inducted as President, along with fellow board members, to the newly formed Asian Association of Hampton Roads on August 2^nd at the recently renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel Downtown Norfolk. The Association’s mission is to strengthen the Asian communities of Hampton Roads through cultural, economic, and social empowerment.

The AA-HR board has representation from six Asian communities (China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) working collaboratively, finding synergies within nationalities and individual communities, and optimizing each others’ strengths and weaknesses to find opportunities to grow and develop our local community.

In addition to representing the different Asian communities in Hampton Roads, the AA-HR board is also representative of many different types of business and community organizations in addition to its board members geographically located throughout the region. Other board members include some of Hampton Roads’ top Asian business and community leaders.

“We have only just begun to assemble a great board and core members. We are excited to share our vision and purpose, what sets us part, and how we believe we can make a difference,” ­said Dr. Montero II.

Dr. Montero II, a retired general thoracic surgeon from Chesapeake VA, has been recognized throughout his career for his excellence in medicine and volunteerism work.

In 1978, he served as founding president of the Philippine Medical Association of Virginia. In that capacity, he developed a mobile clinic project as the organization’s charitable arm to serve medically needy migrant workers from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The Mobile Clinic was used for six years until medical care for the migrant patients became better organized through a government subsidy.

In 1992, he founded the Chesapeake Care Free Clinic to care for the uninsured working poor population in the area. The clinic’s health coverage services have become one of the most comprehensive medical, surgical, and dental treatments in the nation, and all services are offered free of charge. Today over 6000 patient visits are accommodated annually at Chesapeake Care.

Dr. Montero II is currently leading teams of doctors to Third World nations with Physicians for Peace, has founded a new branch of the organization dedicated to the work in the Philippines, and continues to work with the free medical clinic he founded in Chesapeake.

He also serves on the Strategy Committee to provide oversight for Vision Hampton Roads, the first Hampton Roads region-wide comprehensive economic development strategy

For more information about AA-HR, please contact Del Scheitler at 757-477-4661 Del.Scheitler@pilotonline.com or Tim Bradshaw at 757-218-6553 bradshawtc@insercorp.com.

About: Asian Association of Hampton Roads is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 whose mission is to strengthen the Asian communities of Hampton Roads through cultural, economic, and social empowerment. For more information and a complete list of board members, visit www.AA-HR.com. “Strength in Unity – Innovation through Diversity”

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Category: About Hampton Roads | 1 Comment »
Tags: Diversity, Hampton Roads, Vision

HR Partnership | July 29, 2010

Leadership skills start young

On October 2, hundreds of girls from all over southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina will fill the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News for the annual Girl Scout Jamboree. Through programs set up by NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the Mariners’ Museum, NASA and the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, girls in grades K through 12 will sail away on an adventure of discovery by exploring labs, touching artifacts and reliving personal accounts.

This year, the Girl Scout Jamboree kicks off more than just a new membership year – it celebrates a new era in Girl Scouting. On July 6, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) released a new brand initiative and marketing campaign, aimed to modernize the 98-year-old organization.

“About one out of every 10 girls participates in Girl Scouting and that’s a tremendous number. But that also means we have a great opportunity to grow even after almost 100 years. We have literally revamped our entire organization to appeal to that 90 percent of girls who aren’t benefiting from the Girl Scout Leadership Experience,” said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA.

GSUSA also released a new campaign that speaks to what Girl Scouts are doing today. Known by the tagline What Did You Today?, the campaign challenges and empowers girls and the community to think about how they take action each day to not only better themselves but to better their community and the world….

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Leadership

HR Partnership | July 28, 2010

On January 27, 2010, Governor Bob McDonnell speaks to the gathering of Virginia’s Chambers of Commerce during their annual visit to the General Assembly.

The Hampton Roads Chamber is accepting applications through August 20th for business and community leaders to participate in LEAD Hampton Roads (LHR), an Executive Leadership Program, Class of 2011. The Chamber’s leadership seminars represent the diversity of the region and include those who demonstrate leadership and a sincere commitment, motivation and interest in serving the region.

LEAD Hampton Roads has been connecting leaders, organizations, and business to regional opportunities for 23 years. The program brings together forward-thinking leaders from top organizations to address critical business, community and regional challenges, to exchange ideas, to see the region from “behind the scenes” and to interact with experts in leadership strategy and business and personal growth.

“LHR is an essential experience for anyone wanting to understand the complexities of the Hampton Roads Region. You may not want to run for political office when you’re done, but you’ll have a much better handle on the challenges facing our local and state governments, the opportunities for our economy and the enormous talent we have to make our area more prosperous and livable.” —Joel Rubin, LHR Member Pres. & CEO, Rubin Communications Group

Read more…

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Business Community | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Virginia General Assembly

HR Partnership | July 18, 2010

It’s been a busy hurricane season, and on October 15, Hurricane Nerissa, a Category 2 storm, makes a direct hit on Hampton Roads with the eye of the storm passing over the middle of the resort area of Virginia Beach and progressing through Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News and Williamsburg before dissipating on its way towards Washington, DC. Amazingly, there weren’t any evacuation problems, but the storm did cause flooding in the Midtown Tunnel and Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, and the James River Bridge was damaged as well. Fortunately, regional planners and experts on disaster response and recovery are standing by as well as others from around the country.

This was the scenario the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) walked through with a crowd of 75 people on Wednesday, July 14^th and Thursday, July 15^th at Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation in Suffolk, VA. The hurricane was used as a backdrop to a broader conversation about disaster preparedness and appropriate policies….

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Government & Citizens | 2 Comments »
Tags: Chamber, Hampton Roads, Hurricane

HR Partnership | July 15, 2010

The regional blog, http://SmartRegion.org, and its accompanying monthly e-News were launched in Fall 2008. Currently, the blog averages a post per day, and there have been well over 120 blog guest authors from Senators to military moms.

Stories are received from municipal jurisdictions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, educators, other bloggers and individual citizens. The purpose is to communicate things going on in the Hampton Roads region that we all “need to know,” especially those happening jointly or region-wide, in the categories of Arts & Culture, Business, Economy, Education & Workforce, Government & Citizens, History, Military, Research & Technology (including modeling and simulation, energy and the environment), Transportation (including port and maritime logistics), and Tourism.

SmartRegion.org is the answer to the call from Hampton Roads’ citizens for one regional focus, one reliable source of information (like “Wikipedia”), a portal to connect Hampton Roads’ organizations, citizens and civic leaders and media, traditional and non-traditional. This call was heard from the Batten Surveys: A Regional Civic Capital Assessment produced by the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement.

SmartRegion.org was specifically named as such to reinforce the concept of a “regional” blog. No one organization (see “Bookmarks” in left-hand column) has more prominence on the site than any other. Articles are attributed to the appropriate author or source. The region collaborates to make this a strong, united, regional effort by sharing timely news, features and event announcements with the citizens of Hampton Roads.

SmartRegion.org serves as that one “all-things-Hampton Roads” website by focusing on all aspects of regional collaboration and action. It provides links to important regional organizations an major economy- and political-focused bloggers in Hampton Roads. Think of it as “democratization of information and communication.”

Hampton Roads’ SmartRegion.org was one of only 24 nationwide blogs selected in early 2009 for a local-national online collaboration with the PBS NewsHour’s Patchwork Nation project as they looked for “citizen journalists” who focus on regional economies as well as those who can share a regional perspective of national issues. Read more at http://bit.ly/SmartRegion.

Why does this collaborative outreach matter to Hampton Roads?

Communities that grow and prosper together plan and implement together. Hampton Roads cannot have a vision for the future without including everyone, from decision-makers to voters and taxpayers. Inclusion requires understanding. Inclusion requires conversation. Collaborative communication efforts offer the region a way for everyone to be engaged. Engaged citizens make for better understanding, better democracy and better solutions. And, a better quality of life for us all.

Participation in SmartRegion.org is easy as 1-2-3 ! Contact us.

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Category: About Hampton Roads | 3 Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads

HR Partnership | July 14, 2010

FilmOffice@HRP.org (757) 943-0993

Save the Hampton Roads Film Office

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Arts & Culture, Business Community, Economy, Education & Workforce, Government & Citizens, HR History, Military Bastion, Research & Technology, Transportation, Visit HR | 2 Comments »
Tags: Arts, Business, Civic Engagement, Culture, Economy, Education, Military Bastion, Technology, Tourism, Transportation

HR Partnership | July 13, 2010

The Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, with a rich heritage and much historical significance, invites Hampton Roads’ citizens to the Southampton County Fairgrounds on July 24^th and 25^th for the Ninth Annual Powwow and Gathering, i.e. the “Green Corn Dance Celebration.”

The Cheroenhaka (pronounced CHAIR-IN-HOCK-AH), or “People at the Fork of the Stream,” will celebrate the Commonwealth of Virginia’s formal recognition as a tribe and 430 years of documented ethno-history with traditional dancing, foods, artifacts, arts and crafts and more in a family-friendly atmosphere. Master of ceremonies will be Jerome “Good Eagle” Kays.

The Fairgrounds are located 1.5 miles South on New Market Road off Highway 58 in Courtland, Virginia. For more information, contact Powwow Chairman, Vice Chief Ellis “Soaring Eagle” Wright at (434) 658-4796 or Chief Walt “Red Hawk” Brown at (757) 562-7760 or wdbrowniii@aol.com.

The Cheroenhaka Tribal Website: http://www.cheroenhaka-nottoway.org

Members of the Cheroenhaka, recognized tribe of Virginia, with Regional Crier at Vision Hampton Roads Regional Day. Photo courtesy of Bob Harper.

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Arts & Culture, HR History, Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Cheroenhaka, Hampton Roads, History, Southampton County

HR Partnership | July 7, 2010

Despite a national economic slump, Hampton Roads is tops among a handful of metro areas offering excellent prospects for both college grads and seasoned job seekers. Hampton Roads was ranked fifth in a list of the largest 100 metropolitan areas with the most salary growth for people with a degree compiled by PayScale.com and sixth in a list of the top 350 metro areas as best for job growth compiled by NeighborhoodScout.com.

Payscale rankings were based on median annual salary and salary growth percentage for college graduates between 2007 and 2010. In Hampton Roads, the median income was at $51,900 with 14% growth in the last three years. An article on Yahoo!Hotjobs cited “military bases are a major employer here, with well-paid jobs for officers, pilots, nuclear engineers, and intelligence analysts” in the ranking….

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Economy, Military Bastion | 2 Comments »
Tags: Economy, Education, Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia Beach

HR Partnership | July 1, 2010

	At the 32nd Annual Hope House Foundation Dinner, W. Jeffery Frizzell, Commissioner of the Hampton Roads Film Office (HRFO), and Hunter Thomas, Hampton Roads Chapter Chair of the Virginia Production Alliance (VPA), were given the 2010 Volunteer Service Award.
From L to R: Nathan Libby, Hunter Thomas, W. Jeffrey Frizzell, Suzan Kaufman; photo credit: Hope House

Frizzell and Thomas produced and directed a realistic job preview video for Hope House. The video shows the typical day in the life of a Hope House service provider and will be used in the hiring process and to better retain such employees.

The Hope House Foundation, which provides individualized supported living services for and with adults with developmental disabilities in their own homes or apartments, serves more than 130 people living in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“To me, freedom is living the life of my choice.” –Stephen Curtis; photo credit: Hope House

Frizzell, who has been the commissioner of the Hampton Roads Film Office since 2006 (a division of the Hampton Roads Partnership), was approached by Hope House Executive Committee President, Matt Fine. He asked for help in producing the video. Hope House’s bid responses on the work had been as high as $25,000 to do the job. Frizzell quickly contacted Thomas and asked her to direct and help produce the project. They then recruited dozens of members of the Hampton Roads film and television production and acting community and, with an all-volunteer team, produced the video. Local WAVY 10 News Anchor Alveta Ewell, who also donated her time, hosts the video.

The results were a video that has been well received by prospective Hope House employees, has helped with Hope House service provider retention and came at no cost to the foundation. To learn more about the Hope House Foundation, visit www.Hope-House.org.

Lynne Seagle, Executive Director, and adults served by Hope House Foundation share their stories. Click on photo above or visit: Direct video link

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Business Community | 1 Comment »
Tags: Hampton Roads, HRFO