Virginia Economic Summit This Week

Posted: Monday, November 26, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 2:40 am, Mon Nov 26, 2012.

Business Monday: Jim Charapich

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce will kick-off Blueprint Virginia: A New Strategic Plan for Virginia this Thursday as a part of the 2012 Virginia Economic Summit. The Summit “Preparing for a Brighter Future” is the 3^rd Annual Summit by the Virginia Chamber and will be held at the Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center.

The conference speakers include Senator Mark Warner, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (2004-2011), Dr. Larry Sabato – UVA Center for Politics, and Mark Vitter – Senior Economist, Wells Fargo. The Virginia Chamber has assembled an excellent bipartisan set of thought leaders to inspire solutions toward progress across the Commonwealth.

The “Blueprint” is a strategic process to create a long term plan for Virginia. There are several areas of focus in the blueprint. 1) Developing the transportation infrastructure for a competitive economy. 2) Increasing educational achievement and workforce readiness. 3) Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. 4) Strengthening and expanding Virginia’s business climate. 5) Promoting regional cooperation. 6) Ensuring energy security. 7) Delivering quality, cost-effective healthcare.

Collaboration with local Chambers of Commerce in developing the plan along with business associations, business and industry leaders, and business organizations across the Commonwealth is significant. Local Chambers offer access to the pulse of Virginia’s business climate. Virginia’s strong network of local Chambers has been actively working together for 25 years and in partnership with the Virginia Chamber. Chambers of Commerce offer a unique voice in supporting progress as a result of their broad composite business membership from local communities.

In order to preserve Virginia’s recognition for being among the best states to do business, it is essential that we remain focused on the priorities that will set the table for future prosperity. As we face the potential “Fiscal Cliff” with looming Sequestration, supporting the efforts of the Virginia Chamber and local Chambers has never been more important. The safety net that provides our quality of life, government services and leveraged non-profit services, is largely dependent on a vibrant economy.

For more information about the Virginia Chamber of Commerce 3^rd Annual Economic Summit and the Blueprint for Virginia go to www.VAChamber.com. Join the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce in supporting the efforts to “Prepare for a Brighter Future”.

Five New Business Trends

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

November 12, 2012

Jim Charapich

There are so many things that went right about the Culpeper Chamber Banquet last week. We are a vibrant business community and when we come together to celebrate our achievements great things can happen.

As predicted, Aneesh Chopra, our keynote speaker, was inspirational. His depth of knowledge in business, entrepreneurship, and government are unique. His role under President Obama and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine could have led to expressed partisan views. It was very powerful to hear of his bipartisan appreciation for some of the work of Governor McDonnell, Congressman Eric Cantor, and Senator Mark Warner. This was a perfect message, putting the politics of the election behind us, and focusing on the bright collaborative opportunities that we have before us.

Mr. Chopra offered five trends pointing to future opportunities in business development. Trend #1 Digital Infrastructure – Wireless, “Gig” networks are a key to unlocking future growth. Trend #2 – “Crowdfunding” – a new word describing an innovative non-traditional way to channel venture capital investment to entrepreneurs using the internet. Trend #3 Big (Open) Data – Use of data to identify threats, opportunities, and trends. Trend #4 Smarter Manufacturing – Democratizing access to mod & simulation techniques for small and medium enterprises, increasing the rate of innovation. Trend #5 – STEM for All – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are the building blocks of innovation. Including STEM as a part of workforce training beyond K-12 supports adaptive economic growth opportunities.  

The discussion about STEM and work force were fitting as we sat in the Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. Mr. Chopra showed a recent analysis of the wage difference between a tradition Associates degree oriented towards a Bachelor’s Credit vs. Occupational / Technical training. The wage difference was 30% more for the Occupational / Technical fields. Culpeper is perfectly positioned to support workforce training for higher paying jobs through the resources of Germanna.

Finally the Awards presentations were an example of why our business community is so impressive. The excellence in community support, customer service, business development, technology advancements, innovation, training, and an ever present interest in continuous improvement make Culpeper a great business ecosystem.

By all accounts, this was one of our best annual banquets - sold out at over 320 tickets, a powerful world class message, great networking, amazing food (by Kitchen Gourmet)…. If you missed it go to CulpeperMediaNetwork.com and watch the internet broadcast.

Thank you to the Members of the Chamber of Commerce, Our Sponsors, and the dedication of our Board of Directors for your vision in making Culpeper a great business community.

Be sure to make your vote count

By: Business Monday - Jim Charapich | Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: November 05, 2012

 Updated: November 05, 2012 - 12:00 AMThe Elections for 2012 are tomorrow and we all have a responsibility to vote. This responsibility comes from a long tradition in our country of expressing your views by vote. We are all aware of the sacrifice that we have borne and continue to bear as our armed forces dedicate themselves to protecting this precious freedom.

I hear individuals from time to time suggest that their vote does not count and that they do not plan to vote. Of course, the very freedom that we have to vote provides for the same freedom to those who choose to abstain. It is unfortunate that there are those who do not observe their right to vote with same importance as those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve it.

In addition to voting, we have a responsibility to be an informed voter. There are many issues to be determined this election. As voters we are tasked with finding the information that is important to discern our choices for representation. I find that in business the most risky people are “those that do not know what they do not know”. As voters, we are responsible to know what we need to know to make an educated decision.

Our Candidate Forum for Culpeper Board of Supervisors Salem District and Commonwealth Attorney was held at the Reva Volunteer Fire Station last Thursday. I was very pleased that there were more than 150 in attendance. The voter engagement was excellent. If you are interested in seeing the forum you may find it at CMN.PEGCENTRAL.COM or you may also find the event on your local Comcast or Verizon - Culpeper Media Network Cable Channel.

There will be two Constitutional Amendments to consider on the ballot. According to Mary Dale, Chair, Culpeper Electoral Board, voting can take an average of four minutes if you are not familiar with the amendments and choose to read them. This can slow voting down at the polls substantially as it normally takes about 90 seconds to vote. If you would like to be more informed about the constitutional amendments go to http://www.culpeperchamber.com/  and click on the link “Proposed Constitutional Amendments.”

Make plans to vote on Tuesday Nov. 6, and make sure that your vote counts….

Charapich is the President/CEO of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at jimc@culpeperchamber.com.