2017 is an exciting time to be a part of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. After kicking off the New Year with an incredibly successful Arlington Business Gala, the Chamber has been on the move, leading a great YEA! CEO Roundtable and several networking and educational events, as well as deepening our footprint on important policy matters that impact our business community.
As part of the strategic plan, a Program Review Task Force comprised of a diverse group of Chamber members with different types of businesses and objectives evaluated all of our Chamber Signature Events and proposed updates, which were approved by the Board of Directors. In order to serve the evolving needs of our business community, the events were evaluated based on value to the membership, connection to the Chamber’s mission and financial impact on our organization. As a result of this evaluation, we are rolling out some exciting changes this year to our Signature Events.
Each year, the Chamber recognizes outstanding businesses in our community that go above and beyond to serve clients and make Arlington a great place to work and live at the Best Business Awards ceremony. These awards are earned by businesses that deliver exceptional quality of service to their customers, are industry leaders or offer a unique approach to delivery of its goods or services, and display an interest in and concern for the Arlington community. Traditionally a breakfast meeting, this year’s Best Business Awards will be elevated to a prestigious evening event, complete with VIP Reception and fine dining. We hope that you’ll sign up to join us on May 2 at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, as we honor and celebrate outstanding community businesses.
Also new this year, we will be combining State of the County and the Valor Awards into one grand event: State of the County Address & Public Safety Awards. This new breakfast event on June 28 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City will include an address by Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette, which will highlight the economic and development status of Arlington. We will also pay special honor our public safety personnel and first responders from Arlington County’s Fire Department, Police Department, Office of Emergency Management and Office of the Sheriff, who have exemplified extraordinary heroic actions and exceptional performance of their duties.
We are thrilled to implement these changes that we feel sure will be increasingly valuable to our members and community. All of us at the Chamber are hard at work preparing for this year’s events, and we look forward to sharing with you more exciting updates to some of our other events. We have been and will continue planning and working to finalize details, so be sure to stay tuned for more announcements! We are so grateful for all of our members, who commit their time, skills, resources, and more to help our Chamber succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication to and investment in the Chamber and the Arlington business community.