Mayoral Summit Afterglow

You know that great morning after feeling you get after the Big Event is over? That's what I'm enjoying this week.  You who have watched the progress of the Cool Springs Chamber in it's growth from new start-up-cute-baby to gawky-adolescent to business-communty-sparkler know that there have been many baby steps in the process.


The Mayoral Summit was first held in 2008, before I came on board with the Chamber. That year, both Karl Dean and John Schroer were new to their offices, and interest was high.  It was novel and appreciated that Mayor Dean would cross the county line to come and participate in a forum with Williamson County Mayors.  Soon, it became apparent that here were mayors who want to maximize the opportunities for synergistic collaborations between the two counties, especially those pertaining to economic development.


Mayor Dean's Mayors' Caucus brings together all Mayors in Middle Tennessee (and there are a lot of them) for brainstorming, sharing, and strategizing.  This open communication is a simple but brilliant idea for making everyone feel that they have some skin in the game, and a voice that is heard.


This year's Summit was, as in the past, cordial and non-contentious. Chris Stout, wealth strategist with Evergreen Financial, did a great job as moderator, asking the questions and choosing appropriate first-respondents from among the panel according to the question's relativity to each Mayor's primary constituency. Topics addressed included traffic congestion,  corporate recruitment accomplishments (like Jackson Life) and new efforts with 'can't tell' companies, strategic transportation issues, and the recession.  All these are topics that affect our Members' strategies and tactics.


With over 250 members of 3 Chambers in attendance, the audience was putting off some serious energy.  I love the buzz coming off 250 silent listeners as they wait to hear an answer that makes it easier to go back out and get busy at business. For in this time of uncertainty our concerns are many...and a little positivity goes a long way to keep us in the game.


I especially want to thank not only our panel, Dean, Crossley, Anderson and Schroer, but also our Presenting Corporate Sponsor for the Mayoral Summit 2010, VERIZON WIRELESS.  This is a company whose cutting edge marketing strategy, from "Can you hear me now?" to "It's the Network" to "Rule the Air", never loses sight of what they stand for or who they serve.  Their mission is to remain the most reliable and largest wireless service and data network in the country, currently serving 91.2 million customers.


Verizon Wireless representative and Cool Springs Chamber Board Member, Kirsten Dernbach, made these comments at Tuesday's Summit:
"I hope that this part of our corporate credo, will serve as the guiding principal for this Summit and the opportunity this forum provides for the partnership of the 3 Area Chambers of Commerce, our Mayors and the communities we serve. The credo states, “We are driven not by ego but by accomplishments.  We respect and trust one another, communicating openly, candidly and directly since any other way is unfair and simply a waste of time.”  


Thank you Kirsten, for reminding us that it is amazing to see just how much you can get done, if you simply don't mind who gets the credit!


What did you think of the Summit? I'd love to hear your reactions.