It’s been an eventful year here at the Chamber. And what better way to end 2010 than with a year-end review of all we’ve been up to. (Forgive us if this is long, but boy have we been busy!)

January

• Metro Council voted to build and fund the Chamber-supported Music City Center.
• National economist Dr. Lowell Catlett and local leaders presented the forecast for 2010 at our annual Business Outlook Summit. View a video from this event.

February

• Our new website launched! Featuring a brand-new design, user-friendly navigation, a blog through which we can share our stories, and integration of all our online tools (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr).
• Chamber education department presented the 17th annual Education Report Card.
• Chamber Public Benefit Foundation and Mayor’s Office launched the Poverty Reduction Initiative.
• KHS America announced plans to relocate their corporate headquarters from Austin, Texas to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, creating 54 new jobs.

March

• The Chamber and Nashville Health Care Council hosted a Health Care Trade Mission to England and Scotland.
• Tennessee was selected to receive the Chamber-supported Race to the Top education grant.
• Fleet One, LLC announced plans to expand operations in Middle Tennessee with the addition of 49 new positions.
• The Chamber’s international business and research departments announced the results of a first-ever international business directory of Middle Tennessee companies.

April

• The Chamber and Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau co-hosted the Leadership Study Mission to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Site Selection magazine named the Chamber’s Partnership 2010 economic development team one of the top 10 economic development groups in the country.

May

• The Chamber coordinated the business response to the flood through Mayor Dean’s Business Response Team. An estimated 2,773 Davidson County businesses were affected by the flood, representing 14,499 employees and nearly $3.6 billion in annual revenue.
• Loews Hotels disclosed plans to locate a worldwide Shared Service Center in Nashville, creating approximately 200 new jobs.
• Omnicell, Inc. announced expansion plans to locate part of its software product development group in a new facility in Nashville.
• Jackson National Life Insurance Company shared its plans to locate a regional headquarters employing up to 750 workers in the Cool Springs area.
• The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, formed by the Chamber and the Nashville Technology Council, announced the selection of its new president, longtime health care leader and entrepreneur Michael Burcham.

June

• The new five-year economic development plan for the region, Partnership 2020, was unveiled.
• LKQ Corporation announced plans to add or relocate up to 230 jobs to Nashville, along with $1.2 million in new capital investment.
• The Chamber and Mayor’s Office announced Nashville Music Council plans.

July

• The Chamber named its 2010-2011 Board of Directors, appointing Bert Mathews, president of The Mathews Company, as chairman.
• The Chamber and YP Nashville announced the 2010 winners of the Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELAs).

August

• The Chamber won two Grand Awards for Communication Excellence from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).

September

• ONE NASHVILLE, a new initiative to bolster support for Nashville’s public schools, was launched by the Chamber, in partnership with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the Mayor’s Office, PENCIL Foundation, the Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Stand for Children and Alignment Nashville.
• The Chamber hosted an interactive Annual Meeting at the Belcourt Theatre, complete with feature presentations on the big screen, a video contest and recognition of the 2010 Spirit of the Chamber award winners.
• The Chamber’s workforce study was released in partnership with the region’s three Workforce Investment Boards and the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

October

• The new YP Nashville website was launched!
• The Future 50 Awards were presented to businesses that represent the entrepreneurial spirit of the region.

November

• The Chamber and Nashville Health Care Council hosted a delegation of local business leaders to South America for the ninth International Trade Mission.
• The Chamber’s economic development team hosted 20 visiting corporate executives considering relocation to the region at the annual Red Carpet Tour during CMA Award week.
• The Chamber’s CEO Champions hosted the second annual Career Exploration Fair, where more than 4,200 high school freshmen got to explore their future career options.
• Area chambers hosted the largest Middle Tennessee networking event of the year, Regional Business After Hours. View pictures from this event.

December

• The Chamber and the Urban Land Institute of Nashville co-hosted the annual Business Outlook Summit, which featured emerging trends in real estate and local industry forecasts for 2011. View the videos from this event.
• Asurion announced plans to retain their corporate headquarters in Davidson County and expand their operations by adding 500 jobs over the next five years.
• Commonwealth Brands Inc. unveiled plans to relocate their corporate headquarters to Goodlettsville in spring 2011.
• The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization adopted the 2035 regional transportation plan, which aims to address the Chamber priority of alleviating regional congestion.

Whew! It’s been quite a year. Now let’s see what’s in store for next year …