1994-2003 a century of service: the Detroit Regional Chamber takes center stage as a powerful voice for a unified region competing in a global economy.Change was in the air as the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce entered its 10th decade. In December 1994, Chamber President Frank E. Smith retired after 16 years of distinguished service, leaving an enduring legacy that includes the Leadership Detroit program and the annual Mackinac Conference, known since 2000 as the Leadership Policy Conference. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a tough act to follow, but a 22-member Selection Committee went to work and picked Richard E. Blouse Jr., CCE CCE Cornell Cooperative Extension CCE Corporate and Continuing Education CCE Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. CCE Commission de Coopération Environnementale CCE Centre for Continuing Education CCE College of Continuing Education CCE Certified Computer Examiner , president of the Greenville (S.C.) Chamber of Commerce, to lead the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce into a new era. Blouse quickly established himself as a powerful and uncompromising voice for a united Detroit Region, challenging political leaders to put aside their parochial differences and come together to compete as a unified region in the global marketplace. In his first year of leadership the Chamber achieved one its most significant victories ever--the successful SMART millage mill·age n. A tax rate on property, expressed in mills per dollar of value of the property. campaign that established a dedicated source of funding for mass transportation for the first time in the region's history. For its outstanding efforts, the Chamber won the Grand Award--the highest honor--in the annual awards competition sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE ACCE Acceptance ACCE American Chamber of Commerce Executives ACCE American Council for Construction Education ACCE American College of Clinical Engineering ACCE Australian Council for Computers in Education ). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1997 was a milestone year for the Chamber on a number of fronts, most notably the official unveiling at the annual Mackinac Conference of the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership, a public/private collaborative effort to market the region around the world as a good place for business. Now in its second five-year phase, the Partnership is expanding its services and broadening its base of support across the 10-county Detroit Region. Also in 1997 the Chamber formally launched its Website at www.detroitchamber.com. It was an instant success, winning that same year the "Award of Excellence" and "Best of Shows" awards in the 16th annual Renaissance Awards ceremony hosted by the International Association of Business Communicators/Detroit. And finally, on Nov. 20, 1997, the big news: The Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce was now the Detroit Regional Chamber, complete with a new logo, a new tagline--"Powering the Economy for Southeast Michigan Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries, and is home to slightly over half the state's population. "--and, soon, a new home. The official announcement capped months of careful planning and research. In January 1998, the Chamber moved to its present headquarters in the One Woodward Building at the corner of Woodward and Jefferson avenues, where it now occupies three full floors. The early years of the 21st century marked a period of rapid growth for the Chamber: Membership topped 13,000 in early 2001, grew to 15,000 by the end of the year and reached nearly 18,000 by mid-2002, making the Detroit Regional Chamber officially the largest chamber of commerce in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . "We're No. 1!" was the highlight of the 2002 Leadership Policy Conference. A New Leader Welcoming Richard E. Blouse Jr., CCE, as new Chamber president are Chamber directors John Broad (Broad, Vogt & Conant), Donald A. Pais (General Motors Corp.) and Frank K. Zinn (Dykema Gossett Dykema Gossett PLLC is a law firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1926, the firm, known simply as "Dykema," has offices in various locations around the United States including Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. ). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First Ladies Beth McDermott Chappell, the second woman to chair the Chamber, shakes hands with First Lady Hillary Rodham Rodham is an English surname which may refer to a number of persons or places. People Family of Hillary Rodham Clinton
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce won the Grand Award, the highest honor, from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives for its successful 1995 SMART millage campaign. The campaign included posters, fliers, paycheck stuffers and print articles to encourage voters to approve the special millage. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chamber Volunteers Sixteen Chamber volunteers turned out for Paint the Town in 1996. The annual event brings out thousands of volunteers to help beautify a Detroit neighborhood. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sign of the Times This colorful sign made sure that everyone knew that 600 W. Lafayette was the home of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce. It went up in 1994. A Job Well Done Mayoral chief of staff Freman Hendrix Freman Hendrix was a 2005 mayoral candidate in Detroit. The son of an African-American Army veteran, Emmanuel Freman Hendrix and an Austrian-born woman, Rudolfine Ernegger, he was Deputy Mayor for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer. (r) presented Project Pride Inc. a proclamation for its good work to its executive director Sebastian Wade as Pride president Reginald Moore (Michigan National Bank Michigan National Bank was established on 31 December 1940 when Howard J Stoddard consolidatied six Michigan banks: First National Bank and Trust Company of Grand Rapids, First National Trust and Savings Bank of Port Huron, Lansing National Bank, Battle Creek's Security National ) looks on. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A New Partner Michael Gallis, principal of Michael Gallis & Associates in Charlotte, N.C., introduced the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership at the 1997 Mackinac Conference. Buttons proclaiming "There's a new partner in your town ..." pinned to the lapels of Chamber staffers and conferees were a tantalizing tan·ta·lize tr.v. tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing, tan·ta·liz·es To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. hint of something big. The December 1997 cover of the Detroiter unveiled the Chamber's new name and logo. The official announcement was made on Nov. 20, 1997, at a press conference at Laurel Manor in Livonia following Business MarketPlace. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Moving Day Chamber staff members (l-r) Reva Chatman, Karen Belans and Alysia Bzdziuch worked around-the-clock to make sure the Chamber's move to its new headquarters at the One Woodward building went smoothly. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Off and Running At the 1998 Mackinac Conference, Detroit Regional Economic Partnership chairman Al Lucarelli announced that the Chamber's year-old economic-development arm exceeded its fund-raising goal of $12 million for its first five years of operation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1997, the Chamber was shocked and saddened by the sudden deaths of its chairman Thomas Ricketts Thomas (Tommy) Ricketts VC (April 15, 1901 – February 10, 1967) was a Newfoundlander and the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. and his wife. Priscilla Anne Ricketts, a tireless volunteer, was killed in a felonious Done with an intent to commit a serious crime or a felony; done with an evil heart or purpose; malicious; wicked; villainous. An aggravated assault, such as an assault with an intent to murder, is a felonious assault. hit-and-run incident. Tom Ricketts, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Standard Federal Bank, died of cancer less than a month later. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diversity Partners The Chamber kicked off a groundbreaking, historic partnership with the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in 2000. Pictured are (l-r) Ahmad Chebbani, chairman, American Arab Chamber of Commerce and president, Omnex; Chamber President and CEO Dick Blouse; Frank Hennessey, Chamber first vice chairman and CEO and vice chairman, Masco Tech; and Nasser Beydoun, executive director, American Arab Chamber of Commerce. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chamber President and CEO Richard E. Blouse Jr. presented Carl Roehling, senior vice president, and Arnold Mikon, president and chairman of SmithGroup Inc. with a plaque in 1999 recognizing their company for sponsoring one of the Chamber's conference rooms. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Chamber's new Website won an "Award of Excellence" and "Best of Show" award at the International Association of Business Communicators/Detroit's 1997 Renaissance Awards ceremony. Top Guns The "Big Four" panel at the 2000 Leadership Policy Conference: (l-r) Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer
Dennis Wayne Archer (born January 1, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former president of the American Bar Association and former Mayor of Detroit. , Macomb County Commission Chairman John Hertel, Wayne County Wayne County is the name of sixteen counties in the United States of America, some named for the American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne:
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Women in Business Barbara Gattorn, senior adviser to the Chamber president, was named "Volunteer of the Year" in 1998 by the International Visitors Council of Metropolitan Detroit. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Business trends guru Faith Popcorn Faith Popcorn , born in 1948 as Faith Plotkin, is a futurist and founder of the boutique consultancy, BrainReserve. Fortune (magazine) called her the "Nostradamus of marketing. signs books at the 2001 Women's Business Conference, one of the Chamber's Signature Events. The new Chamber sculpture in the main lobby of the One Woodward building. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diversity is one of the Chamber's top priorities. This 1999 photo shows the members of the first team of "Diversity Champions." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Signature Event The Detroit Regional Chamber's International Consular con·sul n. Abbr. Con. or Cons. 1. An official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country and represent his or her government's commercial interests and assist its citizens there. See Usage Note at council. Ball is one of the region's most prestigious annual events. Gathered for this 1999 photo are Chamber President and CEO Dick Blouse and wife Elaine; Thomas Stallkamp, president of DaimlerChrysler Corp. and wife Ann; and Mike Monahan, president of Comerica Inc. and wife Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Take Me Out to the Ball Game Chamber staffers and special guests enjoy the spectacular view from the Chamber's suite at Comerica Park • • [ . This photo was taken on Opening Day 2000. ILLUSTRATION OMITTED Time to Celebrate Colorful balloons descended from the ceiling of Grand Hotel's Theatre to mark the historic agreement on the Detroit Area Regional Transportation Authority (DARTA) at the 2001 Leadership Policy Conference. ILLUSTRATION OMITTED We're in the Digital Drive The November 2002 cover of the Detroiter magazine shows many of the "PR Champs" who are spreading the word about Digital Drive, the brand that ties together all of the technology "hubs" across Southeast Michigan. Proud to be located in the digital drive. ILLUSTRATION OMITTED Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame M. Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Elected at age 31, he is the youngest mayor in the history of Detroit, as well as the second youngest current mayor of any major U.S. city. delivered the welcoming address at the 2002 Digital Detroit Conference. The 2003 conference will be renamed Digital Drive Conference to reflect the new Digital Drive brand name. ILLUSTRATION OMITTED Passing the Gavel gavel small mallet used by judge or presiding officer to signal order. [Western Culture: Misc.] See : Authority Frank Hennessey (EMCO Ltd.) turned the Chamber gavel over to Ben Maibach (Barton Malow Co.) to kick off the Chamber's 2002-2003 program year. ILLUSTRATION OMITTED Carl B. Smalls, managing director and CEO of Wilmoco Capital Management (second from right), presented 75-year membership plaques to (l-r) Charlie Pryde of Ford World Headquarters, Mark Carter of Ameritech Michigan and Luther Keith of The Detroit News during a 2001 membership reception at the Michigan State Fairgrounds n. pl. 1. same as fairground. . 18,000 Strong - and Growing Conference Chairman Benjamin Maibach III (Barton Malow Co.) shows off his DARTA cap as he welcomes 1,550 conferees to the 22nd Leadership Policy Conference in 2002. The big news is that the Detroit Regional Chamber is now the largest chamber of commerce in the United States, with nearly 18,000 members. RELATED ARTICLE: Time Line: 1994-2003 1994: Nelson Mandela Noun 1. Nelson Mandela - South African statesman who was released from prison to become the nation's first democratically elected president in 1994 (born in 1918) Mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela elected South Africa's first black president 1995: O.J. Simpson acquitted 1996: FBI arrests Unabomber 1997: Princess Diana Noun 1. Princess Diana - English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997) Diana, Lady Diana Frances Spencer, Princess of Wales killed in Paris car crash 1998: House impeaches Clinton 1999: Senate acquits Clinton on both counts 2000: George W. Bush elected 43rd president 2001: September 11 terrorist attacks 2002: Jennifer Granholm <noinclude></noinclude> Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian-born American politician and the current Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. elected Michigan's first woman governor 2003: U.S.-led coalition invades Iraq |
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