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Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce unveils new mission, brand, to reflect focus on needs of members
"Belong, Engage, Lead, Prosper" Tagline Embodies Chamber Experience
For Immediate Release
October 9, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ralph Schulz said today that the recent restructuring of the Chamber's staff, board, committees and mission has all been centered on one common theme: facilitating leadership opportunities to help create community prosperity for all.
To illustrate the Chamber's commitment to this mission, Schulz unveiled a new Chamber branding campaign today, at the organization's quarterly meeting, that features the tagline, "Belong, Engage, Lead, Prosper," four words that embody the Chamber membership experience.
"One of the central purposes of the reorganization that we have undertaken at the Chamber is to provide opportunities for members to become involved in the causes and projects that are the most meaningful to them," Schulz said. "It has always been my belief that one of the most important things Chamber members want from their Chamber experience is the opportunity to lead. That is what they expect, and that is what we want -- Chamber members provide leadership, and our staff helps turn that leadership into action."
Schulz pointed to Chamber membership numbers and volunteer opportunities, as well as Nashville economic data, to illustrate how the "Belong, Engage, Lead, Prosper" continuum is more relevant now than ever before:
BELONG
A retention/renewal rate of 87 percent, which is a 6 percent increase in companies choosing to remain a part of the Chamber.
Overall membership increased by 27 percent.
ENGAGE
There are now 49 committees for Chamber members to join, ranging from education to community action, policy guidance to governance and many others.
LEAD
The Chamber has demonstrated its willingness to take a leadership position on issues of importance to the community, including its opposition to "English-Only" legislation that was before the Metro Council, its support of the Nashville Predators through the Our Team coalition, its decision to make improvements to public education the Chamber's No. 1 priority and its support for a new convention center, among others.
The Chamber's commitment to public education was confirmed as it hired a new Chief Education Officer, helped increase Metro Schools' funding by $6.6 million, assisted in providing the resources to allow Metro Schools to hire a leading national school strategic planning organization to facilitate a five-year strategic plan, and led a distinguished panel of citizens who published the Citizens Panel for a Community Report Card, a source of impartial, third-party analysis on the performance of the Metro school system.
PROSPER
The Nashville area has seen employment growth of more than 19,300 jobs in the past fiscal year, 170 percent of the goal set by Partnership 2010, the economic development initiative of the Chamber.
Nashville ranks in the top five nationally in income growth over the last 20 years.
Combined, these facts illustrate that the Nashville region is not just adding jobs, but the right kinds of jobs.
"The great thing about living in Nashville is that all of us, no matter who we are or what we do, have a chance to belong, engage, lead and prosper here," said Schulz. "We are a welcoming city that encourages people to become involved and presents opportunities for leadership in various many ways. Prosperity means something different to everyone, but whether you judge prosperity by quality of life, the ability to raise a family here, the opportunity to run a successful business or the ability to improve the lives of others through community service, Nashville is a prosperous town."
Today's Chamber meeting was unlike any other previous gathering in the organization's 160-year history; a 12-minute video featuring comments from Nashville leaders from all walks of life served as an introduction to the "Belong, Engage, Lead, Prosper" message, and internationally renowned artist Dan Dunn introduced the new Chamber logo by painting it in his unique fashion live before the audience of more than 600 Chamber members. Dunn also painted his signature piece of the Statue of
Liberty, which will be sold by Snappy Auctions on eBay. All proceeds from the sale will benefit Alignment Nashville.
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