The column below about the Alliance’s Speed Networking with the Stars event from State Journal Editor Dan Page appears in this week’s edition.

Business is built on relationships, and the Charleston Area Alliance put together its first Speed Networking with the Stars event Nov. 8 to create meet-and-greet opportunities.

Many who attended the event at the Charleston Civic Center called it a success — and so did Matt Ballard, president and CEO of the Alliance. He said Suddenlink, the principal sponsor for the event, has signed on for two more years.

The concept was simple: In early September, the Alliance started recruiting Charleston area business executives and community leaders — the “stars,” so to speak — to meet with young professionals. The round-robin format called for younger professionals to stop at a station for three minutes — enough time to exchange business cards and greetings with a star — and then move on to the next station. All told, about 180 people took part in the event.

It was a high-velocity Business After Hours with more structure and a purpose: make connections.

Despite a few glitches, the system worked. I spoke to several who attended the session, and they were pleased with the opportunity to meet key business decision-makers.

“You just can’t get that many players in one room in this state,” a young woman commented.

It was an excellent mix of seasoned professionals. They represented higher education, banking, law, marketing, energy, technology, philanthropy, financial services, the arts, health care and small businesses. And political leaders were there, too: state Sens. Truman Chafin, Brooks McCabe, Dan Foster and Corey Palumbo, Delegate Carrie Webster, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and several Kanawha County and Charleston officials.

From a reporter’s perspective, it was an informative evening.

Here’s an example:

Gene Papa, a native of Clarksburg, owns Central Van & Storage, which he bills as West Virginia’s largest moving company. Law firms and other businesses use his company when they pack up and relocate. So do families. And so does the West Virginia University football: Central Van & Storage carries the football team’s equipment to away games. A member of the WVU staff travels with the Central crew to game sites.

Papa said his family was in the moving business in Clarksburg, but he wanted to establish his own business. He headed south to manage his own operation in Poca.

Papa expanded his business from the Charleston area, and he now has operations in Parkersburg, Clarksburg and Pittsburgh. All told, he has 125 full-time employees.

Pittsburgh, he said, has been a special challenge.

“I pay more in property taxes on one operation in Pennsylvania than I do on all three in West Virginia,” he said.

To make matters worse, he said, government there makes business difficult. West Virginia may well have a reputation for having a challenging business climate, but he said Pennsylvania is in its own league.

I met young West Virginia natives who are eager to build their lives in their home state, and newcomers to the Mountain State who have launched their careers here.

A young Charleston native aspires to a career in political consulting. A college fund-raiser was looking for connections. A young Charleston native has returned home to build his culinary career, and he was reacquainting himself with the community.

I have been impressed with many young West Virginians I’ve had the privilege to meet the past few years, and the Alliance event reinforced that impression.

Before the event, the Alliance suggested we would have 20 to 25 encounters lasting three minutes each. I believe most of us made that many contacts.

The Charleston Area Alliance may be uniquely capable of putting together such a large event in West Virginia, but I believe other chambers of commerce may be able to do something similar. The Speed Networking concept was fresh, enjoyable and rewarding. It was a good idea that paid off for a significant number of people. The Alliance plans to improve the product and roll it out again.

The Alliance is in the midst of organizing its business mission and cultural tour to China in April 2010.

The trip is designed to assist local businesses in identifying new markets and increase exports from West Virginia around the world. A cultural tour track also is available for spouses or for those who want to experience the wonders of China.    

Click here to download our informational brochure.

Please join us at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Charleston Area Alliance, 1116 Smith St., for an orientation meeting.

We will be offering a series of expert-led seminars for participants of the business mission & cultural tour of China. These seminars will focus on:  

• Chinese culture
• Chinese business practices
• Basic Chinese language skills
• Traveling in China: What You Need to Know  

The Alliance is now accepting reservations for the Business Mission & Cultural Tour of China. To join the Alliance on this nine-day, all-inclusive trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, which will expose participants to the global economy and to the historic and cultural wonders of China, contact Jeri Adkins at jadkins@charlestonareaalliance.org or by phone at (304) 340-4253.  

Space is limited and the deadline for reservations is Dec. 15, 2009.

Click here to download the trip’s informational packet and registration form.

The Greenspace project is moving along. The cistern has been covered, the stream bed is being filled with river rock and the masonry subcontractor, Garrett Masonry Inc., has begun facing the walls with beautiful, natural “Yale Gold” stone.

Work will continue on the remaining seat walls near Leon Sullivan Way.

Photo and comments by Mike Aeiker

Change Happens. What’s Your Reaction? Is your reaction affecting your relationships? Your clients? Your business?

Changes happen in our professional lives and our personal lives. Often it’s not the change itself that causes difficulty, it’s how we deal with the change.

Join Generation Charleston and Gina Pertee this evening as we explore predictable reactions to change; how to recognize those reactions in ourselves and others; and more effective ways to respond to change.  The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on the Chase Tower’s 8th floor.

Please join us in this enlightening discussion as we explore the reactions and responses to change. The event is free and is sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC. 20/10 Consulting, LLC will be presenting. 20/10 Consulting is a subsidiary of Steptoe & Johnson.

A reception, including food and drinks, will also be sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson before and after the event.

Parking is available in the Chase Tower Parking garage, entering from Summers Street. In addition, the Chase Tower is within walking distance of most downtown businesses.

Gina Pertee is the co-managing director of 20/10 Consulting where she works in organizational development, human resources, and coaching. Her work with leaders and teams ranges from the successful execution and implementation of organizational change initiatives; mergers and acquisitions; the development of leadership skills for executives to front-line leadership; to the promotion and cultivation of team-based work environments. Gina holds an MBA from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from Wheeling Jesuit University.

Order’s Construction is taking advantage of the beautiful weather today to finish filling the cistern area of the site.  The stone for the seat walls arrived this week and you will see the installation begin by the middle of November.

Photo and comments by Susie Salisbury

The Charleston CVB has announced SportsFEST 2010 will be held August 19-22 at Magic Island, Kanawha River and Kanawha Boulevard at Haddad Park.  SportsFEST will include 2010 Toyota Governor’s Cup Nationals Watercraft Races, 2010 EVP Pro Am Beach Championship and 2010 Firefighter Combat Challenge.

“These events had a combined Economic Impact to Charleston of $2.1 million  in 2009 and Charleston is pleased to have the opportunity to bring them back.  These were great events for the participants and great fun for the community to watch,” said Charleston Mayor Danny Jones.

The CVB has reached agreements with On Target Challenge (Firefighters Combat Challenge), Upstate Watercraft Promotions (Toyota Governor’s Cup Jet Ski Competition) and Extreme Volleyball Professionals to hold these events in Charleston WV for 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The EVP Tour and Jet Ski races were filmed for the Beach Sports Network and Charleston CVB will host the Charleston Preview of these shows tonight in the Civic Center VIP Lounge from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

Charleston WV has been featured or is scheduled to be featured on four shows:

• ESPN – World’s Strongest Man|
• Beach Sports Network – EVP Tour and Toyota Governor’s Cup
• Catfishing in America
• The Learning Channel – World’s Chili Cookoff

“There is a great deal of planning that goes into these events.  Knowing that we are planning for 3 years will make it easier to locate vendors, sponsors, and entertainment. said CVB President / CEO Patty Pitrolo.  The CVB is hoping to establish a list of vendors willing to participate in our events.”

This is what the stone wall at Gateway Greenspace will look like. This is a building at Oglebay Park near Wheeling.

Workers should begin placing the stone on the wall in mid-November.

Please mark your calendar for West Virginia’s original legislative breakfast — Issues & Eggs – to be held Wednesday, January 13 at the Charleston Marriott Town Center.  

Join the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce in its 50+ year tradition of bringing lawmakers and business and community leaders face to face to discuss the issues that will shape our state’s future.  

Issues & Eggs, the largest and first legislative breakfast in the state, draws a sell-out crowd. Last year, more the 75 legislators and 250 business leaders attended.
 
“ In 2009, we had so many legislators from around the state attend this event, I joked with the Speaker of the House that we could have held a session of the  legislature at the Marriott that morning,” said Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce President Matt Ballard. 

“ We look forward to seeing everyone at this highly-anticipated event once again.  Enjoy breakfast  and share views with senators and delegates and help us launch the legislative session,” said Ballard.  

Watch for upcoming announcements regarding ticket sales. 

Click here to download the event’s flyer, which includes sponsorship opportunities.

The Charleston Area Alliance regrets that the current exploration of metro government as a means of unifying government services in Kanawha County likely will be suspended.  

“Metro government is a way for citizens and communities to work together to meet the common challenges we face,” said Alliance President and CEO Matt Ballard.            

“We still believe metro government has the potential for giving more county residents a voice in their government, strengthening essential services, enhancing government effectiveness and saving taxpayers money.”  

The Alliance and its affiliate, the Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce, have partnered with city and county officials for several years to create a public dialogue and educate the citizenry on the potential benefits of government consolidation. 

“Our Chamber supported the legislation to allow citizens to vote and have the option,” Ballard said. “The Alliance partnered with the city and county to bring in Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and former Louisville Deputy Mayor Joan Riehm, and we attended the county’s metro-education missions and hosted public forums. 

“Helping government serve citizens more effectively and efficiently has always been a priority for the Alliance,” added Ballard.   

However, metro government cannot be imposed by fiat, Ballard noted.  

“It is up to the people of our state, counties and cities to decide how they should be governed,” he said. “More time is needed to educate the public on what positive changes government consolidation can mean for our region. As one veteran political consultant who successfully ran the Louisville, Ky., voter referendum told us, ‘This is the most complicated conversation you will ever have with the electorate.’ 

“We commend Senator Brooks McCabe for his tireless efforts to improve our region through metro government and commit to continue to work with him and other leaders on measures to improve government services and unify our region,” Ballard continued. “Considering today’s economic conditions and a stagnant population in our entire state, if we do not consolidate some governmental units in West Virginia, the people will end up paying higher taxes. It’s as simple to understand as two plus two.”