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Message from the Chairman of the Board

Joe Martin

Focuspoint, Inc.

Wow! The first quarter of my Chairmanship has gone by and it seems as if we've already packed a year's worth of Chamber work into just three months. We've introduced two very well attended new (one was a repeat from three years ago) networking events, took some major steps to communicate to our state legislators the message that they need to address our transportation problems here in Northern Virginia immediately, introduced two new members to the Board of Directors, conducted an extraordinary number of ribbon cuttings, bid farewell to some local legislators and business friends, provided the opportunity for our members to meet some of the candidates for the upcoming elections, introduced our members to Prince William County's only established winery and worked feverishly with the Prince William Regional Chamber to make strides toward establishing Leadership Prince William for 2007.

As I reported previously, we counted close to 450 attending our Power of Partnership joint networking event with the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce at the Inn at Vint Hill in July. We turned around in August and nearly repeated that with more than 350 attendees for our first annual Chamber Challenge Softball Game and Networking Event with the Prince William Regional Chamber at Pfitzner Stadium. I'm very happy to report that the Prince William County-GREATER Manassas Chamber of Commerce team, the Professional Networkers aka the "P-Nets," was victorious and holds the distinct title of the only team that will ever be undefeated in this annual event. I'm even happier to report that all of the attendees enjoyed a wonderful event and some excellent networking opportunities.

Through directions from your Vice Chair for Government Relations, Guy Hinkler, V2 Systems, Inc.; Immediate Past Chair Kevin Kelley, Falcon Promotions and Print Solutions and Legislative Committee Chair Steve Nelson, Junction Travel Inc., the Prince William County-GREATER Manassas Chamber of Commerce's Executive Committee and Board of Directors approved support of the 2006 Prince William County Transportation Bond Referendum and an endorsement of the Northern Virginia Business Community Resolution on Transportation. The businesses of Prince William County as well as Northern Virginia have been waiting for more than twenty years for solutions to ease our transportation problems. Now is the time for our elected representatives to end the rhetoric and act to get these problems under control.

In September, I was pleased to appoint two members to our Board of Directors. Dev Roszel of R.W. Murray Co. and Margaret Short of Essential Wellness were introduced to our Executive Committee and Board of Directors and were very well received. Mr. Roszel brings his expertise working with a large company in our community while Mrs. Short joins our Board of Directors as the current co-chair of our Ambassador Committee.

Your Chamber conducted an extraordinary number of ribbon cuttings in the first three months of our Chamber year. In fact, we performed seven ribbon cuttings in the span of two and one-half weeks. Four of these ribbon cuttings took place in the Liberia Avenue corridor which has seen some phenomenal growth in the last couple of years.

We have also had to say goodbye to some old friends. As your Chairman, I had the pleasure of representing our Chamber at two farewell receptions for three local legislators. At the beginning of September, I had the humbling opportunity to be on the slate of speakers that included Senator Colgan and Past Mayor of Manassas, Marvin Gillum as we honored retiring Manassas City Council members, Judy Hayes and Bob Oliver. At the end of the same month, it was my pleasure again to represent your Chamber as we congratulated former Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Sean Connaughton on his appointment by President Bush to a post with the federal government and presented him with a "Friend of Business" achievement award. And, of course, we could not fail to mention the passing of our dear good friend, the Honorable Harry Parrish. These folks will all be missed and we thank them for their service to our community.

As old friends leave, it opens the door to welcome new friends. This fall, our community finds itself heading into two key local elections. As is our Chamber's practice, we do not endorse candidates, but instead strive to provide opportunities for our members to make informed decisions. The Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring debates taking place in September and October that will highlight the candidates for these local offices as well as a debate between Congressman Tom Davis and his opponent Andrew Hurst. Remember, it is our civic duty as citizens of this fine community to get out and vote this November. We can all make a difference.

Chamber members welcomed Prince William County's first established winery in September. The Winery at La Grange hosted a Business After Hours networking event to showcase "the type of business that can put our county on the international cultural map." Attendees not only got the chance to experience a first for our county but also took away a little piece of history as well.

Lastly, leaders from our Chamber and from the Prince William Regional Chamber have met several times over the last few months to put together a program called "Leadership Prince William." Still in the development stage, Leadership Prince William is a program dedicated to the development, enrichment and collaboration of leaders to improve our community, help coordinate neighborhood projects, discover and use community strengths and build productive partnerships. The first class is planned to begin in September 2007, so keep an eye open for more information.

In closing, I leave you with an excerpt from Fortune Magazine that compares a manager to a leader.

"The manager administers, the leader innovates.

The manager maintains, the leader develops.

The manager relies on systems, the leader relies on people.

The manager counts on controls, the leader counts on trust.

The manager does things right, the leader does the right thing."

Joe Martin

www.focuspoint.com