The story below appears in today’s Charleston Daily Mail. The Charleston Area Alliance would like to thank Jack for his years of dedication to business and community development.

By George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor

Jack Rossi

Jack Rossi announced he is stepping down as presiding member of the Charleston-based accounting and consulting firm Arnett & Foster and as chairman of the Charleston Area Alliance.

Rossi said he is approaching Arnett & Foster’s prescribed retirement age. He said he is stepping down as alliance chairman because of a term limitation.

Rossi has been presiding member of Arnett & Foster for 10 years and chairman of the alliance for six years.

At the accounting and consulting firm, “Building one of the finest teams in our profession – a team now 100 strong – has been a high point,” Rossi said in a letter to clients. “Today, A&F enjoys relationships with clients from coast to coast. This growth tells us that our core mission – help our clients succeed – is a value that continues to stand the test of time.”

“As I approach our firm’s prescribed retirement age, my colleagues have graciously persuaded me to continue serving our firm and our clients,” he said. “As a result, I will now be able to apply greater focus toward client matters and client service. In addition, I will be able to concentrate more time on the firm’s overall business development strategy. I am excited about spending more time with clients and concentrating my energies growing our business and expanding our footprint.”

Steve Robey, who joined Arnett & Foster in 1977 upon graduation from West Virginia University, will be the firm’s new presiding member.

Robey has earned the respect and trust of clients and colleagues, Rossi said. “He possesses both instinct and vision, two ingredients critical to staying ahead in an ever-changing, fast-paced business environment,” Rossi said.

Pat Bond has been elected chairman of the alliance, Rossi said.

Also, the alliance announced that Lois Gillenwater and Tom Provost have been elected to its Board of Directors.

Gillenwater, a Pennsboro native, is one of the owners of Pray Construction. Provost is manager of the $100 million specialty plastics plant Kureha is building at Belle.

Patrick A. Bond, Founding General Partner of Mountaineer Capital, LP, today was elected chairman of the Charleston Area Alliance. Bond succeeds Jack Rossi, whose final term as chairman expires at the end of 2010. The Alliance Board of Directors also elected the following officers:  Mike Basile, Spilman Thomas & Battle, vice chair; Diana Sole-Walko, Motion Masters, secretary; and Virginia King, Kanawha Stone, treasurer.

“Pat Bond is a respected business and community leader,” said Matt Ballard, Alliance president and CEO. “He has been an important part of so many of the community projects we now enjoy as anchors, including Capitol Market and the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Through his professional career in banking, entrepreneurial endeavors and venture capital, Pat is positioned perfectly to lead the Alliance through its next phase of growth and development.”

Ballard called Rossi “a tremendous leader during his term as chairman.”

“He has led its establishment as the voice of the business community and all those interested in creating jobs, investing in our local people and building our community,” Ballard said.

In other actions, the Alliance board also approved the organization’s 2011 operating budget.

Jack Rossi

The National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) recently named Jack Rossi, Charleston Area Alliance chairman and member at Arnett & Foster, its 2010 Volunteer of the Year.

The group honored Rossi and six others during the 45^th Annual NACDA Convention in June.

Rossi’s work with the Mountaineer Athletic Club has greatly benefitted hundreds of West Virginia University (WVU) student-athletes through the creation of the Club’s largest fundraising event.

“Summerfest,” the semi-annual event held for the 1100 club, which benefits football recruiting at WVU, has raised more than $1 million over the last seven years. The completely volunteer-staffed event includes a high dollar raffle, silent and live auctions, food and drink, live entertainment and interaction with the football coaching staff. Not just limiting his generosity to football, this past summer, Rossi took the blueprint for “Summerfest” and held the first “Huggsfest” to benefit men’s and women’s basketball recruiting and the efforts to build the WVU Basketball Practice Facility. The event, which raised $700,000, proved to be the largest single fundraiser in Mountaineer Athletic Club history.

“Jack is a tireless volunteer, and we are very pleased the NACDA has recognized that,” said Matt Ballard, Alliance president and CEO. “We at the Alliance see his dedication every day. His devotion to community and business development in Charleston is clear, and that enthusiasm extends to his love for West Virginia University.”

Rossi’s commitment to West Virginia and the WVU community shows through his heavy involvement with the WVU Cancer and Children’s Hospital, the Childhood Language Disorder Association in Charleston, W.Va., and his service to the WVU Alumni Association and various university boards.

Rossi currently is serving his final year as Alliance Board Chairman.

The other 2010 NAADD award recipients are: Lifetime Achievement Award – Don Winston, University of Southern California; University Division Donors of the Year – Mike and Pat Case, University of Tulsa; College Division Donor of the Year – Lois Mitchell, University of British Columbia; University Division Fund Raiser of the Year – Jim Hall, Georgia Tech; College Division Fund Raiser of the Year – Todd Kelly, Colorado State University Pueblo.

Matthew G. Ballard

The following is a message from President/CEO Matthew Ballard and Chairman Jack Rossi.

Last week’s HallowEast celebration was a howling success,  and East End Main Street has definite cause to continue its largest fundraiser next October.

The four-day event included a popular art exhibit, children’s activities, a block party, a murder mystery and a blood drive. Of course, its climax was the appearance of Sam Trammell, Charleston native and star of HBO’s “True Blood.”

Jack Rossi

His participation helped bring in funds to support of EEMS. Just as important, however, he helped shine a spotlight on the organization and its work, which is critical to the East End’s growth and progress. 

Through a partnership with the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, EEMS has been able to salvage countless historic architectural salvage items from homes slated for demolition on the East End.  Through those LemonAID sales, EEMS has raised more than $5,000 and kept priceless historic home fixtures and furnishings out of the landfills.  This project has garnered statewide attention and the Cultural Resource Preservation Award from the City of Charleston in 2009.

EEMS currently is providing a WiFi connection to the East End business districts in an effort to create more walking and business traffic and spur positive economic development. The East End Wireless project has taken the East End business districts one step closer to the most progressive neighborhood in the state through providing a free service that is available anywhere on Washington and Smith Streets.

In June 2009, EEMS unveiled StreetWorks, a public arts initiative that turned Washington Street into a mile-long art gallery.  Thirty artists from around the Charleston area created art indicative of the East End. Those images were placed on streetscape banners and placed on the new lamp posts on the Washington Street business corridor. 

The eTote program is an innovative creation from the EEMS Clean, Green and Safe committee.  Through a grant from the Chase Foundation, EEMS designed and executed the first eco-friendly shopping program in Charleston.  The idea is simple. Bring your eTote into your favorite East End restaurant or shop and if you use it for carry-out items instead of using a plastic shopping bag, you receive a discount on your purchases.  So far, seven East End businesses are participating in the eTote program and that number is growing every month. EEMS hopes to be the pioneer for this eco-friendly movement and halt the use of environmentally harmful plastic bags.

In addition, EEMS has worked diligently since 2002 to improve and revitalize the economic, social and physical environment on Charleston’s historic East End. Lending design expertise and granting funds for façade rehabilitation to property owners on Smith and Washington Streets, East End Main Street has been an impetus for nearly 30 rehabilitation projects, new constructions and public spaces.

We could go on and on about East End Main Street’s successes and projects, but this space doesn’t allow for it. We’re just happy EEMS is getting the recognition it deserves, and with growing support, we’re confident we’ll have a whole lot more to brag about in the near future.

The column below from Alliance President Matt Ballard and Chairman Jack Rossi appeared in today’s Charleston Gazette.

In his recent commentary, “Teachable moments from the dark side of diversity,” the Rev. Ron English cites a recent Create West Virginia study that found growing recognition in our state of the importance of initiatives in education, technology and diversity to growing a new economy.

At the Charleston Area Alliance, a multi-faceted economic, business and community development organization, as well as the largest regional chamber of commerce in West Virginia, we couldn’t agree more.

As former Secretary of State Betty Ireland said at our recent “Business Case for Diversity” forum, diversity is “a competitive edge” for businesses.

That’s why the Alliance will continue making a case for diversity. We’ve launched an “Inclusion=Innovation” initiative to help to create a more prosperous economy by educating businesses how to incorporate practices that maximize the contributions of all segments of the work force and our community.

Studies show that diverse work teams are more innovative and return higher profits for their employers. Through a series of high-level roundtables featuring nationally recognized speakers and prominent local leaders, “Inclusion=Innovation” will showcase best practices for accelerating and building profits through programs that build understanding about and effective approaches to generational, ethnic, racial, gender, cultural, religious and socio-economic differences in the business world.

Diversity isn’t just another way to say “affirmative action.” You can have a room full of people who look alike and still have diversity. We are talking about naturally enabling every employee to work to his or her potential.

Inclusion isn’t just counting heads. It’s making what’s inside the heads count.

West Virginia’s population might not appear to be very diverse, but narrow thinking has rarely allowed the state to progress. Fair or not, West Virginia is often seen as prejudiced and ill-informed from the outside. TV sound bites often don’t help improve the impressions. Whether the picture is accurate or not, we must make efforts to invite inclusion and nurture diversity.

The region and state make forward strides only when diverse and varied points of view come together. It’s the same for businesses. Your customers are eclectic. Wouldn’t an inclusive, varied work force produce better, more well-rounded products and services?

Diversity, though, isn’t simple. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas of the American Institute for Managing Diversity in Atlanta said inclusion is “a very involved process.”

“It’s not something you do overnight,” he said. “Managing diversity has become much more complex in uncertain times.”

According to Thomas, diversity management is the craft of making quality decisions in the midst of tension and complexity, which is particularly relevant in today’s ever-changing business landscape.

In challenging times, though, it pays to be opportunistic and creative. Inclusion is a worthwhile endeavor, and it’s an idea that can lead to success. Finding that competitive edge often goes along with doing the right thing.