Mark Schweiker, our President & CEO, promoted the Chamber-sponsored PhillyMagnet Career Fair live at Fox29’s “Good Day Philadelphia” anchor desk with co-anchors Sheinelle Jones and John Anderson.

• Pennsylvania Legislative Reception at the Keystone Building in Harrisburg TODAY
• Business After Hours at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia 5/8
• Arts & Business Council Awards 2008 at the PA Convention Center 5/9

For more information on all upcoming events, visit the Chamber’s event calendar.

Where will you be for lunch on Friday, May 9? Consider taking yourself…or perhaps your whole company…out to lunch at the Arts & Business Council Awards 2008: Taking it to the Streets. It promises to be the best meal in town.

Taking it to the Streets is happening at the Pennsylvania Convention Center starting at 12 noon (if you want to network, be there at 11:30). Watch entertaining performances by Philadelphia based hip hop dance company Illstyle & Peace Productions and international award-winning juggler Anthony Gatto, witness an awe-inspiring feat of movement by a dancer in the latest Cirque du Soleil touring show, “KOOZA,” and top it off by listening to the soul-stirring a cappella harmonies and African percussions of Voices of Africa.

Plus you’ll get to see for yourself what happens when the worlds of business and the arts collide through arts/business partnerships that enrich and enliven our region.

The prestigious Avatar Award for Artistic Excellence will be given to Lisa Scottoline, the first female attorney to write in a new genre– mystery thrillers with a legal twist– and an author who has brought the streets of Philadelphia to life for more than 20 million readers worldwide. In addition to her novels, every Sunday you can check out column, “Chick Wit” in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Want more details about the outstanding achievements of Lisa and our other 2008 honorees?

Not registered yet? Sign up today!

See you on May 9.

Submitted by Casimer C. Thomas, Johnson, Kendall & Johnson, Inc.

On April 22, 2008,  Young Professionals Network members attended an event at the newly renovated Perelman Building, part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Those in attendance had the pleasure of listening to Gail Harrity, Chief Operating Officer for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Gail spoke about the the economic impact of the museum on the Greater Philadelphia Region in addition to highlighting some of of major initiatives that we can expect to see completed with the next few years.  Gail’s vision and enthusiasm left all of those in attendance looking forward to seeing the many great things to come.  Please join us for our  signature event next month on May 12, at the Pyramid Club.   Click here for further information. 

Click here to view photos from the event.

If you haven’t already, get out and vote.  We’ve just received word from the Committee of Seventy saying that turnout is very high throughout the city. 

Vote as early as possible to avoid the rush right before the polls close.  If you do vote late, remember that you must be permitted to vote if you are in line by 8:00 p.m.

So far, according to the Committee of Seventy, the two issues that are most prevalent at the polls are:

1) Voters whose names are not in the poll book; and
2) Voters who are registered as members of one party in the poll book, but who are, in fact, registered as a member of another party.

If this happens to you, you can still vote by provisional ballot.

Also, remember, first time voters or people voting for the first time in a new district should bring ID with them.  If you don’t have ID, you’ll also have to vote on a provisional ballot.  Here’s a list of everything that qualifies as proof of identification.  Remember, picture ID is best, but there are a lot of other options, too.

Not sure where your polling place is?  Click here.

Happy voting!

• Young Professionals Network at the Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art 4/22
• Global Economic Outlook 2008 at the Union League of Philadelphia 4/22
• PhillyMagnet Career Fair at the Pennsylvania Convention Center 4/23
• Mayor’s Cabinet Reception at the Crystal Tea Room 4/23

For more information on all upcoming events, visit the Chamber’s event calendar.

Andrea Allon, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Chief Administrative Officer; Jenny Krumrine, Screenwriter; Joan Bessler; Greater Philadelphia Film Office

Greater Philadelphia local Jenny Kurmrine won the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Regional Award at the Philadelphia Film Festival for her screenplay Think About Love.  Think About Love takes place in Philadelphia and is about a chemist who discovers an eczema drug that has a strange side-effect.

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Regional Award of $2,500 is given to the best screenplay set in Greater Philadelphia, in order to encourage local production.

Every Friday, we post events put on by our member companies.  If you’d like to see your event posted, email it to us with Member Event in the subject line.

• Al Dia Leaders Luncheon sponsored by Villanova University 4/15
• How I Did It: Using Technology to Drive Growth and Stay Competitive prestented by Inc. 4/17
• The 26th Annual Monetary and Trade Conference: Turmoil in the U.S. Credit Market and the Global Outlook presented by The Global Interdependence Center and Drexel’s LeBow College of Business 4/18

Members, post events, announcements, job opportunities and more on the member’s only bulletin board.

Submitted by: Michael Sonnentag, Communications Department Intern

“Make no Mistake, this region will be stronger with a focus on education.” This statement from Chamber President Mark Schweiker set the tone for the March 27Rethinking Philadelphia program, attended by more than 250 civic and business leaders.

Rethinking Philadelphia: Opportunity Within Reach, an annual event held in partnership with the Daily News, explored the importance of raising educational attainment in Greater Philadelphia. In a town-hall setting, panelists and audience members discussed several ways to bolster the education level of our workforce, including ways to keep young people engaged.

Much of the discussion focused on internships at local businesses, one of the Chamber’s major initiatives. “(Internships) give young people a taste of what their lives can be,” said panel moderator Michael Days of The Philadelphia Daily News. They are a way to expose our youth to professional opportunities and give them incentives to stay in school and go on to college.

Investing in young people also means investing in our region’s success by developing it’s next generation of leaders. “I want employers to consider that we can make a difference in our communities,” said Trudyann Bryan, a 2007 summer intern at Independence Blue Cross. “We are the one’s who are going to hold their spots in the future.”

Audience member Nicole Neuman of DiversePhilly.com took the concept one step further, suggesting that focusing on creating opportunities for youths should begin in elementary school. Allowing parents time off work to attend parent-teacher conferences, providing avenues to make education more affordable, and ensuring competent advising and mentoring for students were all cited as additional ways to keep young people engaged in their schooling and thinking about their futures.

Continuing adult education was also a major discussion point. Over 80,000 Philadelphians have partial college educations but have not attained bachelors’ degrees. Rethinking Philadelphia explored many ways for businesses to address this problem, such tuition reimbursement programs and offering school credits at work.

According to panelist Anthony Conti, Office Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the relationship between education and economic growth is a cyclical one. “The more people we have educated, the more businesses will come here. The more businesses that come here, the more jobs that are created. The more jobs that are created, the more likely we are to retain our region’s talent.”

• Use A Mug Instead of Styrofoam Cups – this will help to reduce waste and save money.
• Turn Off Your Lights – not only when you are leaving for the night but also when you will be away from your desk/office for any length of time more than 15 minutes.  This can save loads of energy and therefore money
• Rediscover Your Local Library – Use your local library instead of buying small mountains of books and magazines.