For decades, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce has held a giant State of the Community event where area leaders report on – well, on the state of the community, of course.
And, also of course, the state of the community is always reported as being just fine – since economic development types don’t ever like to point out negatives. However, in recent years – and this year in particular – the state of the community, at least in terms of economic development, is actually fantastic.
There are giant companies climbing all over themselves to open shop in our humble little community, especially near what was once our humble little airport.
So, at the end of this month expect some well-deserved compliments passed around publicly in a circular positive firing squad.
Not everyone loves all the growth – and the added traffic and the strain on infrastructure – but this assembled group of more than 1,000 business leaders sure do.
So, there should be a lot of happy faces at the event.
The Greensboro Chamber will host its annual State of Our Community Luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Koury Convention Center. The event, which will run from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is the Chamber’s largest networking event of the year and it always packs the ballot at the Convention Center.
This year’s luncheon has already sold out.
The 2025 program will focus on Greensboro’s growing role in the aerospace industry, which makes a lot of sense given the tremendous strides at the Piedmont Triad International Airport Megasite. In June, for instance, JetZero announced that it will build its first advanced manufacturing and final assembly facility in Greensboro, a $5 billion investment expected to create more than 14,500 jobs.
Dan Da Silva, President and COO of JetZero, will speak at the luncheon on how that project is expected to shape the region’s future as the aerospace capital of the Southeast.
The event will also feature Tom Barkin, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, who will address the broader economic outlook and what lies ahead for Greensboro and the surrounding community.
In addition to the speakers, Chamber representatives will present three awards during the luncheon.
The Hubert B. Humphrey, Jr. School Improvement Award will be presented by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The Kathiann Lester Accelerate Award will be presented by Tracy Myers, the Chamber’s executive vice president of member and investor engagement. The Stanley Frank Economic and Workforce Development Award will be presented by Brent Christensen, Chamber president and CEO.
The event will take place in the Guilford Ballroom (A–H) at the Koury Convention Center at 3121 W. Gate City Blvd. in Greensboro.
