2015
ANNUAL REPORT
The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth.
chamber of commerce of huntsville/madison county
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
A MESSAGE FROM CHIP CHERRY, CCE
In 2015, the Chamber celebrated an even more energized and engaged private sector – in partnership with a strong public sector – which stimulated growth in the economy. The power of this partnership is reflected in the job and investment numbers on page 6 – 3,546 new jobs and over $413m in new investment. The investments made by new and expanding companies’ flows through the region’s economy – creating opportunities for all of our members. Thank you for engaging with us and making what we do possible. The timeline on the following pages provides an insight into the pace of activities during 2015. Member engagement was significant with the launch of new digital and social marketing tools, and more than 10,000 members participated in our programs. Additionally, professional networking opportunities, our Ambassador and Emissary programs, and our annual ChamberON campaign made significant impacts in member opportunities. We look forward to a strong 2016!
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2015 HIGHLIGHTS: YEAR IN REVIEW*
APRIL 28, 2015
MARCH 30, 2015 FEBRUARY 19, 2015
ALABAMA MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR AWARDS JANUARY 9, 2015
POLARIS PRESS CONFERENCE Polaris announced today that they will be opening an advanced manufacturing facility in Huntsville that will create up to 2,000 jobs over the next seven years.
WASHINGTON UPDATE WITH SENATOR SHELBY
APRIL 19-21, 2015
Senator Shelby gave an update to the business community on the past year’s progress on the issues that impact our region and his outlook for the year ahead.
The Annual D.C. Trip brings some of Washington’s top leaders together with representatives from our business and elected community.
WASHINGTON DC TRIP
NERDWALLET VISIT TO HUNTSVILLE
A full day packed with practical advice and best practices from digital leaders. Experts provided tips to boost your digital PR campaigns.
JANUARY 30, 2015
MARCH 9, 2015
STATE OF THE SCHOOLS In partnership with The Schools Foundation, the event featured a report from each of the three school systems in Madison County and the State Board of Education.
WASHINGTON UPDATE WITH REP. BROOKS
Congressman Brooks’ briefing included his views on the past year’s progress on the issues that impact our region and his outlook for the year ahead.
FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 11, 2015
JANUARY 22, 2015
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING With the theme “Global Dynamics Affecting the United States”, this special event gave members a Chamber/community update and featured keynote speaker General Michael V. Hayden.
BREAKFAST & BIZ This fast paced, bi-monthly networking event brings Chamber members together with new business contacts in a unique and entertaining format.
MARCH
ARMED FORCES CELEBRATION
MAY 5, 2015
APRIL 16, 2015
GEEK2GEEK
APRIL
This annual trip to the State Capitol provided an opportunity to meet with key leaders in state government to discuss the critical issues facing our community.
These events offer a networking opportunity for members to come together in a relaxed social atmosphere.
MAY
NerdWallet ranked Huntsville the nation’s top engineering city
JUNE
JUNE 25, 2015
Small Business Training Series events included an FBI series covering Cyber Security, Elicitation & Insider Threat, and Economic Espionage.
Huntsville ranked among top cities for STEM jobs by SmartAsset
GEEK2GEEK
MAY 7, 2015 APRIL 8, 2015
BREAKFAST & BIZ
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
MAY 18, 2015
CHAMBER SPRING GOLF CLASSIC
APRIL 21, 2015
WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL FORUM The Women’s Business Council is an advocate for women-owned businesses. WBC hosts quarterly forums in an effort to support women in business. MAY 15, 2015
MARCH 31, 2015 JANUARY 22, 2015
A week-long celebration including a Proclamation Signing, Concert in the Park, and a Chamber-hosted luncheon that featured Gen. John E. Hyten, U.S. Air Force, Space Command.
This awards event showcases the best places to work in our community. Results are strictly based on employee participation answering surveys.
MONTGOMERY TRIP
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
This Cummings Research Park After Hours event is a facilitated networking opportunity and social for member companies in the Park to discover and learn about technology being developed by other CRP companies.
BEST PLACES TO WORK®
Small Business Training Series included “Trade & Exporting with the U.S. Small Business Administration”
APRIL 7-8, 2015
MARCH 26, 2015
GEEK2GEEK
*THIS TIMELINE DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL CHAMBER EVENTS.
CRP MASTER PLANNING PROJECT PRESS EVENT
We kicked off Small Business “Shop Small, Shop Local” Week with a Block Party on May 4.
JUNE 21-27, 2015
MARCH 26, 2015
JANUARY
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MAY 14, 2015
STRATEGY: DIGITAL MEDIA CONFERENCE
She.E.O.
ALABAMA UPDATE WITH GOV. BENTLEY
An inspirational, highly fashionable, ladies-focused, networking experience. Attendees had an opportunity to connect with distinguished She.E.Os.
This annual event featured an address from Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on the State of the State and our community’s role.
Forbes: Huntsville is among top 20 Southern cities for jobs right now
Huntsville is NerdWallet’s second best place for tech jobs in the U.S.
A fun opportunity for connecting with new and old friends in a relaxed atmosphere, prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams.
JUNE 23, 2015
WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL FORUM
NerdWallet ranked Huntsville the Best Places for STEM Grads
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
CRP MASTER PLAN ANNOUNCEMENT
COLLEGE & CAREER FAIR
JULY 8, 2015
CHAMBER U An innovative, educational business platform, giving the tools to navigate, grow and thrive in today’s changing workplace. All Chamber U classes were developed in conjunction with our member higher education institutions.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
WORKFORCE SUMMIT
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS CELEBRATION
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
CHAMBER U
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
OCTOBER
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
ANNUAL OUTING
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
Celebrating our Space and Defense Industry relationships on the banks of the Tennessee River and enjoy a fresh, Gulf seafood buffet, an open bar and live music followed by spectacular fireworks.
An Entrepreneur Forum – bringing together a panel of local entrepreneurs to offer insight on how to stay viable and successful through good and bad climates, followed by a Q&A session.
Madison is NerdWallet’s second best city for veterans
DECEMBER 10, 2015
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE The holiday event welcomed Chamber members, community and Redstone Arsenal senior leaders and local elected officials. Every year, it is one of the most celebrated community holiday events of the season.
NOVEMBER 16, 2015
DECEMBER 17, 2015
ECONOMIC DEV. TRIP TO BREMEN, GERMANY
DREAM CHASER PHASE 1 RESULTS
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
CHAMBER U
JULY 28, 2015
IGNITE
Mayor Battle highlighted the city’s progress in economic development and presented his “annual report” to the citizens of Huntsville regarding the accomplishments from the past year and his outlook for the year ahead.
EVENT: JACK DANIEL’S WHISKEY TASTING WITH JEFF ARNETT, MASTER DISTILLER
SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
JULY 22, 2015
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
Our annual Small Business Awards honored the best of the best small business entrepreneurs, young professionals, OCTOBER 21, 2015 nonprofits, and executive leadership. HREGI INVESTOR
Hosted leaders from 7 counties to develop strategies to ensure that North Alabama economic growth has a sustainable talent pipeline.
JULY
OCTOBER 27, 2015
GE AVIATION ANNOUNCEMENT & PRESS CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
This event reached all 11th and 12th graders in Huntsville, Madison and Madison County schools to promote local high-demand careers.
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
NOVEMBER 19, 2015
SCHMOOZAPALOOZA
NOVEMBER 10, 2015
Held twice a year to provide a casual and lively atmosphere for business professionals to network, this event is all about business in action and making connections – in a tabletop exhibit format and ending with a BUSINESS AFTER HOURS event.
IGNITE: AN ENTREPRENEUR FORUM OCTOBER 26, 2015
WASHINGTON UPDATE WITH SENATOR SESSIONS
Huntsville is #2 City in the U.S. for Tech Job by SmartAsset
BREAKFAST & BIZ
WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL FORUM
WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL FORUM
This annual event provided Senator Sessions an opportunity to update the business community on the past year’s progress on the issues that impact our region and his outlook for the year ahead.
Bloomberg: Huntsville is one of top metros to “Power the U.S. Economy”
DECEMBER DECEMBER 16, 2015
OCTOBER 27, 2015
AUGUST 25, 2015
Strategic Innovations events included ‘Beyond the Business Card & Back’, ‘Joint Ventures in Government Contracting’, ‘Marketing Now & in the Future’, ‘Networking with the Masses’, ‘Using Facebook to Grow Your Business’, ‘Social Engineering & the Insider Threat’, ‘Doing Business with the Government’, ‘Build Your Marketing Toolkit’, and ‘Cybersecurity in the Digital Age’.
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER 7, 2015
REDSTONE UPDATE Members heard from senior leaders from Redstone Arsenal – highlighting their diverse roles and missions, and share where these commands, organizations, and the installation are headed in the future. Command briefings + luncheon with keynote speaker MG Edward Daly, U.S. Army Materiel Command.
GoodCall : Huntsville is one of Best Metro Areas for Real Estate Agents
Boston Bus. Journal: HSV is #3 City where your money goes the farthest
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economic development The Chamber is the lead economic development organization for Huntsville/Madison County, one of the most dynamic economies in the United States. Through local, state and regional partnerships, we recruit and retain jobs and capital investment, focusing on aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, information technology and life sciences.
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Huntsville is one of top metros to “Power the U.S. Economy” – BLOOMBERG BUSINESS, SEPTEMBER 2015
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NEW companies
2,314 jobs $340,262,000
Announced Dream Chaser landing study at Paris Air Show
in capital investment
Economic Growth Index COMBINED EMPLOYMENT, GDP AND WAGES HUNTSVILLE
35%
31%
30%
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existing companies
1,232 jobs $72,832,000 in capital investment
25% 20%
U.S.
15%
15% 10%
ALABAMA
5%
9%
0% 2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Huntsville ranked the nation’s top engineering city – NERDWALLET, FEBRUARY 2015
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CUMMINGS RESEARCH PARK Cummings Research Park (CRP) is the Nation’s second largest research park with 3,843 acres and 300 companies. We manage, market internally and promote CRP to expand industry and recruit new companies to a vibrant and connected community that fosters ingenuity, creativity and scientific achievements that solve our Nation’s most complex challenges.
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MASTER PLAN PROJECT Coordinated with CRP stakeholders on determining factors crucial to a new comprehensive master plan for the Park. Drafted and led the RFP process for a comprehensive new master plan and market positioning analysis. Selected and began work with a consultant team led by
Held 12 focus groups and one public community input session during the initial stages of the master plan process.
Held a CRP Master Plan Announcement on September 3 at Digium.
New & Expanding Industry in CRP: 8 companies, 605 employees
HudsonAlpha opened the Smith Clinic for Genomic Medicine on its biotech campus in CRP. This clinic is the only clinic in the world to identify and diagnose rare diseases using genomics.
Organized, marketed and held the first-ever Food Truck Fest in CRP with 5 food trucks serving lunch to more than 300 employees that work in the Park. 8
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS The Chamber represents the business interests of the Huntsville and Madison County area on the local, state and national levels of government, promoting policies and legislation that allow for the continued economic prosperity of the region. Roughly half of the local economy is a function of federal spending on military, space and homeland security concerns, consequently much of the Chamber’s government and public affairs efforts are focused on the growth and protection of these activities and the Redstone Arsenal. The division also conducts a number of events which are intended to enhance relationships with elected local, State and Federal officials and key federal partners.
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more than
6,500
attended government affairs events
MONTGOMERY, AL TRIP
85 participants = the LARGEST Chamber-State Capitol event in Alabama Supported Aerospace States Association (ASA) “Aerospace Week” and NASA MSFC “Space Day” held in conjunction with the Chamber’s Montgomery Trip
WASHINGTON, D.C. TRIP
175 participants = one of the Top 5 Chamber-DC Trips in the U.S.
A key member of the Coalition that defeated efforts to repeal Alabama College and Career Ready Standards Passed legislation to enhance Alabama’s economic development incentives laws
Supported efforts to develop the Space Launch System – program receives $2 Billion in ’16 funding bill Chamber co-hosted Redstone/Community Partnership Workshop with the Association of Defense Communities 10
WORKFORCE & EDUCATION We are passionate about developing, employing and retaining the smart, talented people we have in our region. Through partnerships with industry, education and public sector stakeholders, we ensure our region has the quantity and quality of talent to meet employer needs and support sustained growth.
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Hosted 100+ public and private sector leaders from seven counties to develop strategies to ensure that North Alabama economic growth has a sustainable talent pipeline.
275 attended this annual event, bringing
30 employers participated in the annual College & Career Fair, reaching 5,000+ high school juniors and seniors from all three public school districts in our community with information about regional careers. Facilitated a $53,000 grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to a local elementary school, the first-ever grant from the Foundation to an individual school.
together our business and education communities to highlight the Pre-K-12 education programs that are preparing students for long-term success in our region. Hired full-time workforce director to lead Chamber’s regional workforce and education initiatives. 12
MEMBERSHIP As the largest chamber in Alabama, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County relies on a base of highly engaged members-from global corporations to middle-market companies to local entrepreneurs and small businesses-to support the organization’s mission of making Huntsville one of the world’s best places to live, work and build a business. As a champion of the entrepreneurial spirit, the Chamber provides an array of opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in programs, events and activities designed to support and encourage growth in their companies as well as their contribution to the economic vitality of the region.
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TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 2015
2,032 2014
2,014
113 AMBASSADORS
2013
2,093 2012
2,151 MEMBERSHIP NEW SALES MEMBER COMPANIES BY SIZE
500
31 EMISSARIES
400 300
101+ employees
200
51-100 employees
100 0
21-50 employees 6-20 employees
1-5 employees
2012
2013
2014
2015
CHAMBERON
Sponsorship Campaign (to sell cash-only sponsorship opportunities)
2015 2014
$874,350 $842,638
11 VOLUNTEERS 14
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONs The Chamber facilitates a strategic and purposeful flow of communication to our highly engaged members and general public. We communicate using a progressive, multi-faceted marketing strategy that includes traditional media, print, digital, and social media. Our strategy was designed to maximize reach to members and non-members, and to expand our sphere of influence in the community and around the globe.
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Madison, Ala. named one of the 10 best small U.S. cities for working parents – THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, AUGUST 2015
PUBLICATIONS
160,000 READERS – PRINT MAGAZINE
mobile
DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS:
10,479
tablet
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
desktop
E•MEDIA & SOCIAL MEDIA Reach: 438,993 people
Eblasts: Sent 348 eblasts to Chamber members, reaching more than 70,000 people per month
Engagement: 38,375 people
Average Open Rate: 30% (well above the 25% nonprofit industry average)
Impressions: 111,014
EARNED MEDIA
980,000
5.2 million
GLOBAL CIRCULATION “POWER THE U.S. ECONOMY”
SEPTEMBER 2015
APPROXIMATE VIEWERS DREAM CHASER FEASIBILTY STUDY
AUGUST 2015
Huntsville ranked #1 Best Places for STEM Grads – NERDWALLET, JUNE 2015
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small business & events The Chamber is positioned to offer the knowledge and resources to start, grow, and cultivate small businesses in the region by offering networking and signature events to connect our members. Our goal is to promote the appeal of small businesses providing programs and services that stimulate the professional development and help small businesses prosper. By promoting collaboration with UAH SBDC, we are able to offer free unlimited counseling and small business workshops to aid in the growth of small businesses and a plethora of financial resources for much needed capital to grow and expand their business.
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4 EVENTS = 2,160 ATTENDEES S IG N ATUR E
SIGNATURE EVENTS
Annual Membership Meeting | Best Places to Work® Awards | Chamber Golf Classics | Small Business Awards Celebration
25 EVENTS = 1,150 ATTENDEES NETWORKING
NETWORKING EVENTS
Breakfast & Biz | Business After Hours | Holiday Open House | Ignite | Member Meet Ups SchmoozaPalooza | She.E.O. | Women’s Business Council Forums
55 DEVELOPMENT = 624 ATTENDEES SMALL BIZ & PROFESSIONAL
SMALL BIZ SEMINARS
Chamber U | HR Forum Series | Small Business Training Series | Strategic Innnovations Strategy: A Digital Media Conference
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CHAMBER STAFF EXECUTIVE STAFF Chip Cherry, CCE, president & chief executive officer Amy Locke, executive assistant Amy Tubb, resource desk coordinator Annette Atchley, resource desk assistant GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS Mike Ward, senior vice president Tina Leopold, assistant MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Carrie Rice, director Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer Hiroko Sedensky, web designer
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRY RELATIONS & WORKFORCE Lucia Cape, senior vice president Lyndsay Ferguson, workforce director Erin Koshut, Cummings Research Park director Ken Smith, research & information services director Will West, economic dev. specialist / project manager Emma Williams, industry relations specialist Karessa Acosta Lee, economic development assistant SMALL BUSINESS & EVENTS Pammie Jimmar, director Alexandra Gonzalez, event coordinator
INVESTOR RELATIONS Donna McCrary, membership retention manager Tiffany Jordan, membership representative Tina Blankenship, membership representative Kristy Drake, engagement specialist / program manager FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Christy Nalley, director Jamie Gallien, IT manager Mary McNairy, accounting specialist & HR Lori Warner, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Rey AlmodĂłvar, chair
Gary Bolton, vice chair, membership
Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation
ADTRAN, Inc.
Trip Ferguson, chair-appointed Remington Outdoor Company
Rose Allen, chair-elect
Emily Lauder, vice chair, workforce & education
Chairman Dale Strong, chair-appointed
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc.
Madison County Commission
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
Robert Mayes, immediate past chair Keel Point, LLC
Ron Poteat, chair, Chamber Foundation Regions Bank
Cynthia Streams, secretary/treasurer Domino’s Pizza (Valley Pizza, Inc.)
Joe Newberry, vice chair,
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Tharon Honeycutt, vice chair, small business & events
Mayor Troy Trulock, chair-appointed
MSB Analytics, Inc.
City of Madison
Kim Lewis, vice chair, marketing & communications PROJECTXYZ, Inc.
Danny Windham, chair-appointed
Penny Billings, vice chair, member engagement
Chip Cherry, CCE, president & CEO
BancorpSouth
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
economic development & industry relations Redstone Federal Credit Union
Mayor Tommy Battle, chair-appointed
Jim Rogers, vice chair, government & public affairs Lockheed Martin Corporation
Mark Curran, chair-appointed L-3 Communications Corporation - Huntsville Operations
City of Huntsville
Digium, Inc.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Altenkirch
Dorothy Davidson
Jim Owens
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Davidson Technologies, Inc.
FirstBank
Bob Baron
Gene Goldman
Alicia Ryan
Baron Services, Inc.
Aerojet Rocketdyne
LSINC Corporation
Marc Bendickson
Jeff Gronberg
Gurmej Sandhu
Dynetics, Inc.
deciBel Research, Inc.
Sigmatech, Inc.
Miranda Bouldin
Mike Gullion
Charlie Sealy
LogiCore
SCI Technology, Inc., a Sanmina company
Sealy Management Company
Greg Bragg
John Gully
Crystal Shell
Consolidated Construction Company
SAIC
WILL Technology, Inc.
Greg Brown
Jan Hess
E.J. Sinclair
Brown Precision, Inc.
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.
SES - Science and Engineering Services, LLC
Janet Brown
Steve Hill
Ashok Singhal
Belk
AEgis Technologies Group
CFD Research Corporation
Micah Bullard
Dr. Pam Hudson
David Spillers
Turner Construction
Crestwood Medical Center
Huntsville Hospital
Kevin Byrnes
Andrew Hugine, Jr.
Mike Stanfield
Raytheon Company
Alabama A&M University
Ducommun Miltec
Kevin Campbell
Hank Isenberg
Nilmini Thompson
Northrop Grumman Corporation
IronMountain Solutions
Systems Products and Solutions, Inc.
Frank Caprio
Jeremiah Knight
Tim Thornton
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
JXC Consulting Group
nLogic, Inc.
Lynn Collyar
Janice Migliore
Ken Tucker
Deloitte LLP
PALCO Telecom Service, Inc.
The Boeing Company
Michael Cox
Johnny Van Osborne
Frank Williams
PARSONS
J. Smith Lanier & Co.
Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep
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HUNTSVILLE REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH INITIATIVE
TOP INVESTORS DEVELOPMENT PARTNER
City of Huntsville
DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Huntsville Utilities
CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL
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For a complete, updated Investor list, go to
bit.ly/HREGI
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc.
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
Huntsville Hospital • Madison County Commission Regions Bank • Tennessee Valley Authority
LEADERSHIP FORUM
ADTRAN, Inc. • The Boeing Company • City of Madison • Emerson Network Power - Avocent Port of Huntsville • Redstone Federal Credit Union • Remington Outdoor Company
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
BBVA Compass • Crestwood Medical Center • Lockheed Martin Corporation • SAIC SES - Science and Engineering Services, LLC • Technicolor
Huntsville received Standard & Poor’s best possible “AAA” credit rating for the seventh consecutive year. (March 2015)
chamber of commerce of huntsville/madison county
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
225 Church Street NW, Huntsville, AL 35801 p 256-535-2000
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f 256-535-2015
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info@hsvchamber.org
www.hsvchamber.org