List of Article with: matthew ballard
West Virginia Technology park board elects first officers
The Board of Directors of the West Virginia Regional Technology Park held its first meeting last week and elected officers.
The park was formerly known as the South Charleston tech center. Ownership of a large portion of the park was transferred from The Dow Chemical Co. to the state in December. The state Higher Education Policy Commission has managed the park during the transition, but that responsibility has now transferred to the West Virginia Regional Technology Park, a corporation created by the last session of the Legislature.
Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Brian Noland was appointed chairman of the park’s Board of Directors in April. Last week Paul Hill was elected vice chairman. Hill is the Higher Education Policy Commission’s vice chancellor for science and research and has been leading the park during the ownership transition.
Ellen Cappellanti, who is the leader of the Corporate Practice Group at the law firm Jackson Kelly, was elected secretary and Matt Ballard, president and chief executive officer of the Charleston Area Alliance, was elected treasurer.
One of the board’s first big decisions will be hiring an executive director for the park. As previously reported, 32 applications for the position were received. Higher Education Commission spokesman Kelly Merritt said interviews with two candidates are scheduled this week. There are currently no other interviews scheduled, he said.
You Guys Do Too Much!
Matthew G. Ballard
“You guys do too much! Every time I pick up the newspaper or check my email, I read something about the Alliance.”
That was a “criticism” we recently heard from a local business leader. If doing too much for the community is a problem, it’s one we’re not ashamed to admit.
We agree that information about what we do can be a little mind-boggling. One day you may see a television report about the safety levy, followed by a newspaper story on the tech park and a feature article on Generation Charleston. You may get an email about the ArtWalk, Business After Hours or a Food for Thought program. The monthly Alliance newsletter may profile a new incubator tenant or report on our recent trip to China. Your Facebook or Twitter accounts are updated with posts about Elevations or the East End StreetWorks project.
The fact is, while the projects and programs of the Alliance are diverse, they have a laser-like focus: Jobs. Community. People. These are the essential building blocks to a brighter future, and they are what drive every Alliance activity, service and event.
To help clarify our mission and introduce it as a communication theme, we turned to the brightest and most creative people we know — Alliance members!
Mark Wolfe — www.MarkWolfeDesign.com — a local design expert who has donated his services on many Alliance projects, volunteered to help us visually communicate the theme. To many, the challenge we presented was contradictory. On one hand, we wanted to convey that we bring many businesses, people and organizations all together to do great things for our community. On the other, we needed to unify the focus of these varied activities in a memorable way. The result is an updated visual theme: All Together. Jobs. Community. People. We thank Mark for creating such a bright and fresh approach to communicating who we are and what we do.
Motion Masters — www.MotionMasters.com — next stepped in to bring this theme to life with a compelling video. Through interviews with Larry Ward of Kanawha Electric, Nelle Chilton, Sheriff Mike Rutherford, Bluegrass Kitchen’s Keeley Steele and Julie Cyphers of Generation Charleston, Diana Sole Walko and her team told the story of the Alliance and the impact its programs are making on creating jobs, enhancing our community and investing in people. We invite you to look at ALL we do: http://vimeo.com/12431480.
The theme was unveiled at our recent Annual Celebration. And who better to demonstrate ALL we do than John Slicer — www.SlicerMagic.com. Through his unique understanding of the art of business, John wowed the audience with clear and memorable demonstration of the magic that can result when 600 businesses and their 40,000 employees come All Together through the Alliance.
To some observers it might seem on some days like that we do too much. But to paraphrase Barry Goldwater, extremism in the defense of jobs and brighter prospects for our businesses, our communities and our families is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of future that we all deserve is no virtue.
Be part of a dynamic organization that is driving the destiny of our region. We invite you to join All Together with your 40,000 colleagues, friends and neighbors through the Charleston Area Alliance. All Together, the results can be magic!
East End Gets Star Power
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.
Two Important Milestones
Matthew G. Ballard
I am pleased to share two important milestones with you today.
First, the Alliance would like to congratulate the NCO Group Inc. on its selection of the old Verizon building in downtown Charleston as the location for a project that will bring 165 jobs to our region. We are proud welcome NCO, which will be located adjacent to Gateway Greenspace and just blocks from the Alliance headquarters, to the neighborhood. The Alliance was honored to work with our colleagues at the West Virginia Development Office on the project and can only make these types of successes a reality with the support of the City of Charleston, Kanawha County Commission and our 600 business members and their 40,000 employees.
Second, I look forward to attending the Annual Meeting of MATRIC tonight at the Clay Center in Charleston. MATRIC is an organization that was conceived within the walls of the Charleston Area Alliance, nurtured in our small business incubator and received its initial seed funding and working capital loan from the Alliance. That the Alliance took these extraordinary steps is a testament to the value we place on our community’s intellectual capital. In the past, this intellectual capital was housed in the R&D and commercialization departments of some of the largest chemical companies in the world. Today it is housed in MATRIC.
How has MATRIC impacted the region? It has kept or attracted approximately 70 employees in and around the Charleston metro area. It has helped to develop several start up businesses with a goal on creating intellectual capital that can be commercialized. In simple terms, MATRIC is using innovation to create jobs and many of the applications being developed can have a direct impact on the future of the chemical and energy industries in West Virginia.
We want to congratulate MATRIC’s board and staff for their leadership and foresight.
Keep your eye on MATRIC. While challenges lie ahead for all of us in these uncertain times, MATRIC may very well be on its way to permanently being one of the major stakeholders in shaping the future of our region. We are proud to count them as a valued partner in our mission to build a more vibrant community and prosperous economy.
Until next time,
Matthew G. Ballard,
President / CEO