HR Partnership | August 14, 2010

Click on graphic above for larger image.

According to Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads, 90% of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 5. Hampton Roads and Virginia is faced with three employee options: import talent, export jobs or GROW the talent here. That growth begins with early education which provides the foundation for economic productivity, responsible citizenship and strong communities.

See http://SmartBeginningsSHR.org for more information and to learn how to get involved.

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Category: Business Community, Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Education, Hampton Roads, Virginia, Workforce

HR Partnership | August 12, 2010

Photo Release — Northrop Grumman Continues Construction for the Next-Generation Aircraft Carrier, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) – July 29, 2010. Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) construction is now 11 percent complete. Named after the 38th president of the United States, Ford, whose keel was laid Nov. 14, 2009, is the first ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class. The Ford class will continue the legacy of highly capable U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship platforms. Click on image above for a full-size version.

Newport News shipyard, nation’s largest, is one of Hampton Roads’ economic driving forces

The yard is Hampton Roads’ largest private employer, with about 20,000 workers, and is the nation’s sole maker of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. It is one of two submarine builders.

On the banks of the James River on the tip of the Peninsula, the yard went into operation in 1886, founded by railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington as a sidelight to his coal operations. The yard started out building Navy and commercial ships and has built ships for World War I, World War II and all wars since.

It now focuses nearly exclusively on Navy vessels. The yard boasts one of the strongest cranes in the Western Hemisphere, a 1,050-ton gantry. More than 23 stories high, it has been a local landmark since 1975.

In a new venture, Northrop is partnering with French firm Areva on a new manufacturing facility…

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Tags: Hampton Roads, Military Bastion, Newport News, Northrop Grumman

HR Partnership | August 6, 2010

What’s the best way to create new jobs? Based on a recent study from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, it’s by stimulating more start-up businesses.

Download and read the complete study.

Despite their relatively small numbers, fast-growing young firms generate approximately 10 percent of new jobs in any given year. Researchers suggest three policy strategies to support high-growth startups to bolster job growth.

As the American economy continues to send out mixed signals about recovery, job creation has emerged as the country’s most pressing economic issue. Not only important for employment itself, job growth also drives recovery in other sectors, including housing. But, while hope for spurring the U.S. economy toward recovery focuses squarely on job creation, policy discussions center primarily on measures that would expand job growth in existing companies.

According to the study released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the current national conversation would be more productively focused on creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship—and particularly high-growth entrepreneurship—because top-performing companies are the most fertile source of new jobs.

High-Growth Firms and the Future of the American Economy, the third in the Kauffman Foundation Research Series on Firm Formation and Economic Growth, draws on a special tabulation conducted by the Census Bureau at the Kauffman Foundation’s request, calculated from the Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) database. Author Dane Stangler, a senior analyst with the Kauffman Foundation, found that in any given year, the top-performing 1 percent of firms generate roughly 40 percent of all new jobs.

Further, the study showed, so-called “gazelle” firms (ages three to five) comprise less than 1 percent of all companies, yet generate roughly 10 percent of new jobs in any given year. The “average” firm in the top 1 percent contributes 88 jobs per year, and most end up with between 20 and 249 employees. The average firm in the economy as a whole, on the other hand, adds two or three net new jobs each year….

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Tags: Economy, Hampton Roads, Military Bastion

HR Partnership | August 5, 2010

On August 25, 2010, the first Mid-Atlantic MEGAvention, an exhibit/expo-type event, is being hosted at the Virginia Beach Conference Center. It is organized under the auspices of DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America) in anticipation of this becoming an annual multi-organizational event. The Steering Committee for this first event is comprised of representatives from each of these cooperating associations:

• American Institute of Architects-Hampton Roads Chapter (AIA-HR),
• Associated Builders and Contractors-Virginia Chapter (ABC-VA),
• Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGCVA),
• Builders and Contractors Exchange of Virginia (BCEVA),
• Commercial Real Estate Women-Hampton Roads (CREW-HR),
• Design-Build Institute of America, Hampton Roads Chapter (DBIA-HR)
• Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (HRACRE),
• Hampton Roads Utility & Heavy Contractors Association (HRUHCA),
• Professional Construction Estimators Association (PCEA),
• The Blue Book Building & Construction Network (GC Blue Book),
• U.S. Green Building Council-Hampton Roads Chapter (USGBC-HR), and
• Urban Land Institute (ULI-HR).

The luncheon will feature Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling as the Keynote Speaker. It is recommended that everyone pre-register by midnight on August 19th in order to be guaranteed a seat at lunch.

Schedule of events:

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. On-site registration open

11:15 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Luncheon

2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall open and Breakout Sessions

4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception in Exhibit Hall

Three tracks of concurrent educational sessions will occur after lunch and include:

• Track 1 – Military and Hampton Roads Economic Development
• Track 2 – Energy and Transportation
• Track 3 – Facilities

Confirmed speakers include:

• Amy Parkhurst – Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance and Dana Dickens – Hampton Roads Partnership
• Warren Hammer and Brian Kroll- Virginia Economic Development Partnership and Russell Held- Virginia Port Authority
• Paul Wang – NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic
• Josh Prueher – Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition
• Bob Fenning and Russ Pearson – Old Dominion University and John Massey – Tidewater Community College
• Jorge Nadal – Division of Army Corp of Engineers Mid-Atlantic
• Thelma Drake- Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

The Exhibit Hall, open after lunch for everyone to visit booths, had over 125 exhibitors scheduled to participate as of the beginning of August.

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Category: Business Community | 1 Comment »
Tags: Business, Construction, Economy, Hampton Roads, Real Estate, Virgninia

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

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

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

CIO magazine announced Hampton Roads’ public broadcaster, Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications Association (WHRO), as a recipient of the 2010 CIO 100. The 23rd annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT).

“This year’s CIO 100 awards draws well-deserved attention to companies that are not only innovating with IT but creating genuine business value as well,” said Maryfran Johnson, Editor in Chief of CIO magazine & Events. “These winning companies and their IT organizations are an inspiration to businesses everywhere.”

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Tags: Education, Hampton Roads, WHRO

HR Partnership | July 3, 2010

With the World Cup in high gear, there could not have been a more fitting time for this year’s North American Sand Soccer Tournament held June 11-13th. Since 1994, the Virginia Beach Oceanfront has been invaded every summer by soccer players and fans alike.

Story and photos by Kelly Copeland

This year the tournament stretched 20 city blocks, and there were 882 registered teams. All levels of ability from beginner to professional, as well as all age ranges, competed in men’s and women’s single gender, co-ed, college, and professional match ups. Teams came from all over the country with…

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Category: Business Community, Visit HR | 1 Comment »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Tourism, 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

HR Partnership | June 30, 2010

“Meet Hampton Roads,” appearing in the September 2010 issue of Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, will offer a unique perspective on life in the Hampton Roads region, profiling the people, places, industries, and attractions that make it one of this nation’s most vibrant places to visit, live, work, and play.

The Southeast Virginia Tourism Alliance (SEVTA), Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce (HRCC), Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA), and Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (VPCC) have announced that Southwest Airlines will feature Hampton Roads in the September 2010 issue of its award‐winning in-flight magazine, Spirit.

Consisting of 20+ pages, “Meet Hampton Roads” – as an in-depth feature – will take a comprehensive look at the economic drivers and industry sectors that shape the lifestyles and business landscape of the region and highlight local economic development initiatives with specific focus on the tourism industry, education and healthcare resources, real estate and technology. Unique characteristics of Hampton Roads that heighten the quality of life here will also be featured, such as award-winning attractions, numerous dining and shopping options, festivals and special events.

This is an ideal opportunity to showcase the unique combination of culture, business and lifestyle that make America’s First Region, in the Heart of the Mid‐Atlantic, one of the nation’s most viable and vibrant places to visit, live, work, and prosper.

It is phenomenal editorial coverage for our area. Support for this effort may be made through the submission of story ideas or through the purchase of advertising space in the publication. By taking advantage of the promotional potential of this feature, we can differentiate the region and its unique competitive advantages and help answer the question: “Where (and What) is Hampton Roads?”

According to materials provided by Southwest Airlines, they are the number one domestic airline with over 11 million monthly passengers and the market leader in and out of Norfolk International Airport. Spirit Magazine has a measured monthly readership of 3.2 million, making this a powerful venue for promoting our area’s businesses, schools, and organizations. Southwest Airlines Spirit readers are sophisticated, upscale consumers and business leaders who fly regularly. This feature will put Hampton Roads front and center, reaching higher-tier business leaders and corporate decision-makers who are directly responsible for their companies’ purchasing, expansion and relocation to new areas. Spirit readers are nearly five times more likely to be C-Level leadership than the average U.S. consumer. Plus, airline customers are the most active leisure travelers who will bring tourism dollars to our market.

In addition to being featured in the September issue, which will be available in the seat-back pockets on all aircraft in the Southwest fleet, “Meet Hampton Roads” will also be available for one year on Spirit Magazine’s website, spiritmag.com.

This is a strong opportunity to present Hampton Roads to a broad national and international audience. Editorial questions or suggestions may be submitted to destinationpubs@paceco.com. For questions about advertising with the feature, please contact Chris Denby with Spirit Magazine and the Destination Publishing Group at chris.denby@paceco.com. Magazine staff is teaming with local writers for this effort.

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Category: About Hampton Roads, Arts & Culture, Business Community, Economy, Education & Workforce, HR History, Military Bastion, Research & Technology, Transportation, Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Economy, Hampton Roads, History, Tourism