2007 Archives

Mayor Reed Announces Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC Third Annual Business Diversity Works Conference

HARRISBURG (July 23, 2007 ) -- At a press conference today, Stephen R. Reed, Mayor, City of Harrisburg, announced the third annual Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC Business Diversity Works Conference. In partnership with Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the event will be held on Wednesday, September 5th at the Hershey Lodge , with registration and a continental breakfast at 7 :30 a.m. , and the program beginning at 8:30 a.m. HRC/CREDC and Team Pennsylvania Foundation are partnering to make this event possible.

The half-day event features both morning and luncheon speakers, minority and women-owned business exhibitors, and a series of workshops that range in topics from Utilizing the Older Worker to Meeting Job Training Needs Through Business Diversity.

Keynote Luncheon Speaker - Luke Visconti, Co-Founder, DiversityInc. Mr. Visconti is a frequent lecturer on the business benefits of diversity to corporations, business groups and non-profit organizations. A leader in this field, Visconti has appeared on CNN Headline News, among others, and quoted on diversity issues in The Wall Street Journal.

Morning Speaker - Renee Amoore, President, The Amoore Group, Inc. Pioneering entrepreneur and political leader, A moore is devoted to numerous civic causes. She holds Board positions with the American Legion Auxiliary, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Association of Business Owners, and the Drexel University Board of Trustees. Earlier this year, President Bush appointed Ms. Amoore to the African American Museum Historical Commission, and she has been chosen to sit on the President's Committee on 21st Century Skills Gap.

The Business Diversity Works Conference was created to assist in building the framework to strengthen the capacity and competence of women and minority-owned businesses, enabling them to gain access and opportunities to competitively bid and successfully complete significant contracts with larger corporations, while at the same time creating more diversity within larger member corporations, resulting in increasing the economic growth and development throughout the region.

The Business Diversity Initiative was officially launched at the Whitaker Center on June 22 nd, 2004 . Beginning with a clean slate, the program has evolved into a dynamic resource and service the Chamber has made available to its members. Business Diversity provides an opportunity for regional businesses to expand their customer base increasing their bottom line and assist women and minority-owned businesses to grow. It is about business. Using their core strengths, HRC/CREDC focuses on two major goals: 1) identifying supplier diversity needs and opportunities for businesses in the region and network those needs to women and minority-owned firms that may meet the needs; and 2) increasing the business capacity/competence of women and minority-owned businesses to be in a position to compete for new business opportunities and successfully complete them.

The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC serves as a catalyst for promoting growth and quality of life in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties by providing a unique blend of business, community and economic development and advocacy services under one roof to boost our economic vitality and livability as a region. Over the past 6 years, the Chamber & CREDC has provided assistance that has created over $200M in economic impact and created or retained over 9,000 jobs. HRC/CREDC has been accredited with four stars from the United States Chamber of Commerce.