Chamber Hosted Successful Annual Meeting
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- Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Amb. James C. Oberwetter, David R. Corrigan and Robert W. Best pose for a photo op following the luncheon.
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- Amb. James C. Oberwetter, David R. Corrigan and Robert W. Best following the presentation to the outgoing Chairman.
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- 2009 DRC Chairman of the Board, Bob Best, presents the 2009 Chairman’s Award to Ernst & Young’s Clint McDonnough.
The Chamber’s Annual Meeting, on January 14th at the Fairmont Hotel, gathered the business leadership of the region to review the accomplishments of 2009 and to outline initiatives for the future. The meeting featured remarks by 2009 DRC Chairman of the Board, Robert W. Best, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Atmos Energy Corporation; 2010 DRC Chairman of the Board, David R. Corrigan, President & CEO, Corrigan Investments Inc.; 2011 DRC Chairman elect, W. Mike Baggett, Chairman Emeritus, Winstead PC; and Ambassador James C. Oberwetter, President of the Dallas Regional Chamber.
The annual video, which highlights a year of accomplishments for the Dallas Regional Chamber and the North Texas business community, was showcased.
The 2009 Dallas Regional Chamber Chairman of the Board, Bob Best, presented the Chairman’s Award which is annually given to an outstanding individual who has actively contributed in supporting the Chamber and the community throughout the year. The Chamber would like to congratulate the 2009 Chairman’s Award recipient, Clint McDonnough, Office Managing Partner for Ernst & Young LLP. In his role McDonnough serves as the face and voice of E&Y in the Dallas community.
A Letter From DRC Chairman Best and President Oberwetter
Dear Chamber Members and Strategic Partners:
A year ago we reported that the Chamber’s 100th year was going to be a very special one, both challenging and productive – and it was. From a well received centennial celebration to important successes in matters of public policy and economic development, your Chamber helped set the stage for future growth.
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Accolades from 2009
As challenging as this year has been, many people still see the Dallas/Fort Worth area as full of opportunity and potential. Dallas/Fort Worth is widely recognized as one of the top performing metropolitan areas in the country and usually sits in the top tiers of economic performance monitors and industry magazine best of lists. Take a moment to review some of the great things others had to say about us in 2009:
- #1 - Top Cities to Earn a Living, Forbes.com, Read more
- 3 Dallas/Fort Worth corporations were in the Top 50 of Fortune magazine’s list of the World’s Most-Admired Companies. (Southwest Airlines, ExxonMobil, and AT&T), Read more
- #7 – Top tech metro area (in terms of number of jobs available), Dice.com, Read more
- Dallas #13 and Fort Worth #12– Best Performing Cities, Milken Institute, Read more
- DFW ranked in the Strongest 20 Metros, Brookings Institute, Read more
- #9 - The Next Youth-Magnet Cities, Wall Street Journal, Read more
- #5 – Top 10 U.S. Cities with the Most Green Buildings, The Daily Green, Read more
- Forbes.com called Dallas/Fort Worth a World Capital of the Future. The timing of this article couldn’t be more appropriate given that the Chamber spent much of the year presenting its benchmark global competiveness study, Global DFW. In it, Dallas/Fort Worth proved itself to be a formidable competitor, ranking us 10th out of 21 elite global metro areas.
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Live Healthy North Texas
As you might have heard, momentum for Live Healthy North Texas is building in the region and with healthcare reform in the national spotlight now is a great time to get involved. Next week is a big week beginning with a Tuesday morning kick-off press conference on the campus of SMU to highlight the initiative that is bringing together ten chambers of commerce, the Dallas County Medical Society, the DFW Hospital Council, and the Health Industry Council of North Texas to promote wellness.
Then, on Wednesday and Thursday the Dallas Chamber will be hosting one hour informationals where the executive director of Live Healthy, Troy Vincent, will overview the program and answer questions. (If you would like more information visit the events section of the chamber website).
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DFW Healthcare Summit at the Chamber
Healthcare industry leaders 
came together Monday afternoon, in a first of its’ kind meeting, for the DFW Healthcare Summit at the Dallas Regional Chamber. Nearly 50 insurance, hospital, and business CEOs along with Dallas Mayor Leppert and Mark McClellan from the Brookings Institute in Washington met for close to 4 hours to discuss ways to improve the quality and access of medical care while reducing costs in North Texas. All parties agreed that certain diseases linked to obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, along with the region’s high number of uninsured greatly contribute to the healthcare problems. The group also stated that it is a personal responsibility of individuals to be proactive about exercising, eating right, and practicing preventative medicine; yet acknowledged that the medical community can help in advocating such activities. Additional conversation from the meeting the meeting included working with insurers on reforming how they pay for healthcare, enabling direct communication between the employer and their health care provider, setting benchmarks to determine performance, and focusing on technology as a driver for communication in the industry.
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Chamber Ends Year with Successful Orientation and Networker
Over 80 business professionals attended yesterday’s orientation and business after hours designed to educate new and current members about the Chamber’s value-added programs and initiatives, as well as, provide a forum for member’s to network and promote their products and services.
As the area’s leading membership driven business organization, the Dallas Regional Chamber, continues to promote prosperity through sound public policies, focused economic development, member education and engagement. Our membership consists of approximately 3,000 businesses across twelve counties representing nearly 600,000 employees. To find out how your business or organization can join the Chamber and be a part of the in-crowd, click here to submit a membership form.
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2010 Economic Outlook
Yesterday, the Dallas Regional Chamber hosted Dr. Ray Perryman, as he kicked off his annual tour presenting his economic outlook for the coming year.
His outlook for our region was what I would say cautiously optimistic. Dr. Perryman pointed out that by most measures an economic recovery is now under way. The nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew in the third quarter by 3.5%, unofficially ending the recession. We are seeing signs of changing inventories and manufacturers are showing a willingness to replenish low supplies in anticipation of a recovery. But we still have tremendous hurdles to face, and as Dr. Perryman put it, “there’s no free lunch for all the government spending.” And expect to see more stimulus, but in little pieces. Wages will be stable for a while, but slightly suppressed. In the end, Dr. Perryman predicted we should expect to see job growth return in the late spring or summer of 2010, albeit a slow growth. And the Tech industry will likely lead this recovery.
What I saw were a lot of heads nodding in agreement that things are beginning to look up. We have the things in place to have a significant recovery including maintaining a strong presence in the fundamental industry sectors, and continuing to foster strong economic development. We have already seen signs of recovery, including the recent announcement that Texas Instruments was finally opening its huge chip manufacturing plant in Richardson. Here at the Chamber, prospect activity is beginning to pick up as well, as companies from California to Florida are testing the waters for possible relocations and expansions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Finally, Perryman pointed out that the Texas is adding an estimated 1,000 persons a day, with many of them coming to the Dallas/Fort Worth region! Of course this shows what many of us already know. That this is a great place to live and do business. And relative to the rest of the country, this area is widely recognized, and will continue to be, one the top performing metro areas in the country.
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In Trying Times the Metroplex Sees Tremendous Economic Development Opportunities
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all bad. The headlines referring to troubles in states such as California, Florida, New York and Nevada are endless, and a testament to a tremendous opportunity here in our area.
Last week the Associated Press highlighted the strengths of the North Texas region, ”The AP Economic Stress Index — a score based on a county’s unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates — shows that the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties have, as a whole, fared worse than the national average since the start of the recession.
Yet 42 of those 100 counties are bucking that boom-then-doom trend, including one west of Des Moines, some in northern Virginia and the Texas counties outside Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, according to the AP’s analysis.
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Dallas Regional Chamber Announces Finalists for the International Business Achievement Award in the Small to Mid-Size Business Category
The Dallas Regional Chamber today announces its finalists in the Small to Mid-Size Business Category for the International Business Achievement Awards. 2009 finalists are:
- Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP
- Cressman Tubular
- Design Duncan Miller Ullman
- HRsmart
- RBC Life Sciences
- Stewart Systems
The nominees submitted extensive applications and were vetted through a judges panel of business executives in the North Texas region. The recipient will be announced at the 14th Annual International Business Achievement Awards Luncheon and Expo December 11, 2009.
This celebratory luncheon program will feature the Award recipients from the Small to Mid-Size Business category, Large Corporate category and the Individual category. The 2009 recipients will include:
- Large Corporate: Fluor Corporation, Award accepted by Alan Boeckmann, Chairman and CEO
- Individual: The Chiapas Project, Award accepted by Lucy Billingsley, Founder
- Small to Mid-Size: To be announced December 11, 2009
The Luncheon program will feature a fireside chat titled “Celebrating the Tradition of Success” led by longtime CBS Radio/KRLD Business Analyst, David Johnson.
To learn more about the International Business Achievement Award – Small to Mid-Size Business Category, visit www.dallaschamber.org/global. Register online.
TODAY is Election Day!
Today is Election Day! This is your chance to vote for Proposition 4 to improve higher education in Texas. Hear Ebby Halliday explain the importance of this legislation and how it will benefit you. Listen to Ebby Halliday!
For more information on the Chamber’s support of Prop 4, please click here.
Also, other local elections will be decided today including 3 Dallas ISD trustee seats.
Polling places will be open throughout Texas from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Voters must bring their voter registration certificate or another form of identification in order to vote at the polls. Don’t know where your polling place is located? Click here to find your polling location.
You can find more information about voting procedures, propositions on the ballot, elected officials, and more at www.dallaschamber.org or www.txprosperity.com Voting is your right and the ultimate expression of your freedom. Be sure to exercise that right, as every vote can make a difference.
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