ROAD SCHOLAR HOSTS INAUGURAL CIVIL RIGHTS CONFERENCE IN ALABAMA
In February, Road Scholar, a not-for-profit educational travel organization for adults over 50, launched its inaugural civil rights conference in Montgomery. More than 200 participants from across the country gathered to learn more about the history of the civil rights movement from historians, professors and civil rights activists.
The multi-racial group of people ranging in age from 33 to 93, traveled to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, visiting historic churches and museums. The eight-day conference began with a keynote by Equal Justice Initiative Founder Bryan Stevenson and concluded with a farewell dinner at the Alabama Activity Center.
“As an educational organization, we knew we couldn’t accurately tell the story of the civil rights movement in America without coming to Montgomery, known worldwide as the birthplace
of the movement,” said Stacie Fasola, Senior Director of Public Relations for Road Scholar. “We enlisted learned scholars, survivors and local experts to share their stories and educate our participants on the history of the movement. The conference was so successful that we’ve announced a second conference in October 2020.”
2020 MEMBERSHIP DECALS AND PLACARDS
Remember to proudly display your exclusive 2020 Membership Decals and Placards at your business and publicly show your support of The Chamber. If you’ve not yet received yours, please contact Sandra Kelley at The Chamber.
2020 CALENDAR
The Chamber has made it easier than ever before to get plugged in and involved, offering a year packed with opportunities for education and engagement and getting the word out with its new and improved 2020 Chamber Event Calendar online. Be sure to check the calendar on the Chamber’s website regularly. It’s updated frequently to include date changes and new events. And sign up for the Chamber’s e-News to get event info and updates delivered right to your inbox. Find the calendar at montgomerychamber.com/events.
WHY MONTGOMERY?
Are you in the business of recruiting talent to Montgomery or do you work for a company that is always on the hunt for great employees? The Chamber has developed a few promo pieces to help by answering the question, “Why Montgomery?” Feel free to use these in your recruitment strategy, and make sure your business and your employees know you’re a critical piece in Montgomery’s success, and most importantly, our Montgomery story. Contact jminiard@montgomerychamber.com for more information.
In February, Road Scholar, a not-for-profit educational travel organization for adults over 50, launched its inaugural civil rights conference in Montgomery. More than 200 participants from across the country gathered to learn more about the history of the civil rights movement from historians, professors and civil rights activists.
The multi-racial group of people ranging in age from 33 to 93, traveled to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, visiting historic churches and museums. The eight-day conference began with a keynote by Equal Justice Initiative Founder Bryan Stevenson and concluded with a farewell dinner at the Alabama Activity Center.
“As an educational organization, we knew we couldn’t accurately tell the story of the civil rights movement in America without coming to Montgomery, known worldwide as the birthplace
of the movement,” said Stacie Fasola, Senior Director of Public Relations for Road Scholar. “We enlisted learned scholars, survivors and local experts to share their stories and educate our participants on the history of the movement. The conference was so successful that we’ve announced a second conference in October 2020.”
2020 MEMBERSHIP DECALS AND PLACARDS
Remember to proudly display your exclusive 2020 Membership Decals and Placards at your business and publicly show your support of The Chamber. If you’ve not yet received yours, please contact Sandra Kelley at The Chamber.
2020 CALENDAR
The Chamber has made it easier than ever before to get plugged in and involved, offering a year packed with opportunities for education and engagement and getting the word out with its new and improved 2020 Chamber Event Calendar online. Be sure to check the calendar on the Chamber’s website regularly. It’s updated frequently to include date changes and new events. And sign up for the Chamber’s e-News to get event info and updates delivered right to your inbox. Find the calendar at montgomerychamber.com/events.
WHY MONTGOMERY?
Are you in the business of recruiting talent to Montgomery or do you work for a company that is always on the hunt for great employees? The Chamber has developed a few promo pieces to help by answering the question, “Why Montgomery?” Feel free to use these in your recruitment strategy, and make sure your business and your employees know you’re a critical piece in Montgomery’s success, and most importantly, our Montgomery story. Contact jminiard@montgomerychamber.com for more information.
TECH UPDATE:
PEO AWARDS $13.4B SBEAS CONTRACT
The Air Force Program Executive Office for Business Enterprise Systems (PEO-BES) located at Maxwell-Gunter AFB awarded a major Air Force- wide Small Business Enterprise Applications Solutions (SBEAS) Contract to 20 small businesses. The contract scope is for up to $13.4 billion of work to be performed over a 15-year period if all contract option years are used.
Montgomery-based company Tri-ESA was one of the 20 awardees, and 14 of the companies are located in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Based on the contract vehicle SBEAS replaced, some of these companies are likely to establish a local presence in Montgomery to allow them to better understand and serve PEO-BES requirements. As a result, the growing demand for IT skills in the River Region will continue.
MGM PRAISED IN FEARLESS’ 2019 “YEAR IN BUSINESS” REVIEW
The Chamber continues to aggressively market and attract tech and innovation companies for the Montgomery community. As it continues to augment its efforts in expanding the tech ecosystem in our city, it’s imperative that its investments in infrastructure and advancements in education are highlighted to better develop our talent and grow entrepreneurs.
Fearless, a Baltimore-based tech company that has expanded into Montgomery, touted the city’s welcome and its positive business environment in its 2019 “Year in Business” Review, which was distributed in a recent e-newsletter.
“Montgomery has such a complex and rich history. It is both the birthplace of the Confederacy, as well as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. For decades, Montgomery has been a place
where the community has come together to make a stand (or sit) to compel a change and help move the nation forward,” said Fearless founder and CEO Delali Dzirasa in the review. “We are so honored that Montgomery has welcomed Fearless with open arms, and we look forward to doing our part to continue the legacy of change and transformation as we work with the US Air Force, local Chamber of Commerce, and the community at large. Fearless couldn’t have picked a more impactful and important place for expansion.”
DESTINATION MGM
The Chamber was recently the recipient of one Gold and one Silver Adrian Award, presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala held on January 21, 2020. Montgomery’s tourism team, Destination MGM, was honored for its work in conjunction with the grand opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum as well as its efforts promoting the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum and Airbnb.
Destination MGM was recognized as a Gold Winner of the 2019 Adrian Awards for its strategic planning that generated positive press and adequately portrayed the city and the new memorial and museum as a meaningful place where people can gather, reflect, remember and honor those who suffered racial inequality.
Destination MGM was also distinguished as a Silver Winner for its Zelda Suite campaign, which secured national recognition for the city’s brand-new Fitzgerald-themed Airbnb, located in the former home of the literary couple.
MGM EDUCATION
The 2020 Niche Standout Schools list recognizes public schools that are making a difference in their community, and all of MGM’s magnet schools were among the top 10.
The Air Force Program Executive Office for Business Enterprise Systems (PEO-BES) located at Maxwell-Gunter AFB awarded a major Air Force- wide Small Business Enterprise Applications Solutions (SBEAS) Contract to 20 small businesses. The contract scope is for up to $13.4 billion of work to be performed over a 15-year period if all contract option years are used.
Montgomery-based company Tri-ESA was one of the 20 awardees, and 14 of the companies are located in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Based on the contract vehicle SBEAS replaced, some of these companies are likely to establish a local presence in Montgomery to allow them to better understand and serve PEO-BES requirements. As a result, the growing demand for IT skills in the River Region will continue.
MGM PRAISED IN FEARLESS’ 2019 “YEAR IN BUSINESS” REVIEW
The Chamber continues to aggressively market and attract tech and innovation companies for the Montgomery community. As it continues to augment its efforts in expanding the tech ecosystem in our city, it’s imperative that its investments in infrastructure and advancements in education are highlighted to better develop our talent and grow entrepreneurs.
Fearless, a Baltimore-based tech company that has expanded into Montgomery, touted the city’s welcome and its positive business environment in its 2019 “Year in Business” Review, which was distributed in a recent e-newsletter.
“Montgomery has such a complex and rich history. It is both the birthplace of the Confederacy, as well as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. For decades, Montgomery has been a place
where the community has come together to make a stand (or sit) to compel a change and help move the nation forward,” said Fearless founder and CEO Delali Dzirasa in the review. “We are so honored that Montgomery has welcomed Fearless with open arms, and we look forward to doing our part to continue the legacy of change and transformation as we work with the US Air Force, local Chamber of Commerce, and the community at large. Fearless couldn’t have picked a more impactful and important place for expansion.”
DESTINATION MGM
The Chamber was recently the recipient of one Gold and one Silver Adrian Award, presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala held on January 21, 2020. Montgomery’s tourism team, Destination MGM, was honored for its work in conjunction with the grand opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum as well as its efforts promoting the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum and Airbnb.
Destination MGM was recognized as a Gold Winner of the 2019 Adrian Awards for its strategic planning that generated positive press and adequately portrayed the city and the new memorial and museum as a meaningful place where people can gather, reflect, remember and honor those who suffered racial inequality.
Destination MGM was also distinguished as a Silver Winner for its Zelda Suite campaign, which secured national recognition for the city’s brand-new Fitzgerald-themed Airbnb, located in the former home of the literary couple.
MGM EDUCATION
The 2020 Niche Standout Schools list recognizes public schools that are making a difference in their community, and all of MGM’s magnet schools were among the top 10.
- NO. 1 STANDOUT HIGH SCHOOL – Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School
- NO. 1 STANDOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – Forest Ave Elementary School
- NO. 3 STANDOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL – Baldwin Arts & Academics Magnet
- NO. 4 STANDOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL – Floyd Middle School
- NO. 5 STANDOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – Bear Exploration Center
- NO. 5 STANDOUT HIGH SCHOOL – Booker T. Washington Magnet High School
- NO. 8 STANDOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – Macmillan International Academy
NEWS & UPDATES: YOUR CHAMBER AT WORK
Click here to meet the 2020 Chamber Ambassadors
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
The Chamber announced its 2020 Chairman’s Circle in MBJ’s January issue. The Chamber is excited to welcome a few additions to this group of avid supporters, Mac McBride, STERIS Corporation and Marshall Taggart Jr., The Montgomery Regional Airport.
The Chairman’s Circle is an elite group of executives and business owners in Montgomery and the River Region looking for connections on a high and influential level. Members receive increased exposure to the business community, invitations to exclusive functions, receive top- level briefings by key leaders and government officials and receive targeted information regarding the Chamber’s initiatives and strategic priorities.
