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Inner City/Intra Regional VisitsThe
Chamber hosts these visits to allow local businesses and civic
leaders to observe other cities,
similar to Columbia, and view their lessons learned firsthand as a result of their own economic growth. The
Chamber has visited Nashville, TN (1994),
Chattanooga, TN (1998), Austin, TX (2000), Raleigh,
NC (2002), and Columbus, OH (2002). In 2006, the
Grea Economic Development...The Economic Development Ombudsman Group is a joint task force of the chamber and the Midlands Business Leadership Group. Co-chaired by Cathy Novinger and Jack Goettee, it is redefining the way we think about economic development. We place additional emphasis on growing our existing business by providing incentives and support structure in the same way we have done for companies moving to Columbia. Special attention is being paid to the core business district and to building a knowledge based economy with the synergy created by having a major research university in the community. The group will also try to provide coordination and communication between all the many projects now announced or under development in the core business district. Moving People and Produce In and Out of the Region...Inadequate transportation can stifle economic development and growth. A rapidly growing community can also outgrow its transportation infrastructure. This task force, chaired by Jonathan Marcy, is working on immediate needs such as providing funding for the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA) and future needs such as high speed rail. It will encourage elected officials to support programs that will keep us ahead of our needs and provide a great transportation infrastructure for the entire region. Homelessness...A community wide effort is under way to create a one-stop homeless service center and a regional homeless commission to oversee this effort. The community effort is being headed by Sam Tenenbaum and Moss Blachman. The homeless issue has both social and economic development implications and, while this is not a chamber committee, they will have the full support of the chamber as they move forward. Riverfront Development...The River Alliance, a public and private partnership, was an idea that came out of the chamber’s 1994 intercity visit to Nashville. West Columbia, Cayce, Columbia, Lexington, and Richland counties, USC, and the private sector are all part of this effort being headed by Jim Smith and Mike Dawson. Great progress has already been made, and you will see more tangible evidence of riverfront development in the coming twelve months. Environment and Quality of Life...This task force, chaired by Fred Hanna, is working on ways to ensure that we have a community that will attract “the creative class” as described by Dr. Richard Florida in his book, The Rise of the Creative Class. Immediately, however, the task force is focusing on the fact that our region is on the brink of non-attainment status with the Federal Clean Air Act. That could result in loss of federal highway funds and other federal sanctions. If unresolved, this critical issue could stand directly in the way of our becoming great. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research and Development as an Economic Engine...A public/private effort headed by Neil McLean, known as EngenuitySC, is leading the way to building a knowledge based economy mainly around USC’s leadership in various areas of research, but especially their designation as the national fuel cell research center. Success in this area could change the face of the core business district and the economy of the entire region. Intergovernmental Cooperation...None of the seven issues can be successfully resolved without our local governments putting aside petty jurisdictional issues and entering into cooperative partnerships with the private sector. This is critical to moving this community from good to great. This task force of the chamber’s Issues Committee will be chaired by Fred A. Johnson II. To be blunt, the members have their work cut out for them. We are far from great in this arena and have not even reached good status at this point. Workforce Development... In order to obtain a competitive edge we have to build and maintain a talented workforce for future business development. The goal of workforce development is to create and recruit a pool of skilled individuals to take us into the 21st century. The Columbia Talent Magnet is an endeavor that was fostered as a partnership by several groups in Columbia, including the chamber of commerce. The talent magnet focuses on making Columbia cool and creating creative jobs to attract young leaders into the fabric of our business community. For more information, contact Courtney Herring at (803) 733-1148. Visit our Navigating from Good to Great Site:
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