Page 3 - 2015 DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Annual Report

Our DeKalb Chamber is embarking on our 79th year
advancing our county’s economic viability through job
creation, workforce development, and educational
excellence.
As we begin a new year, we should pause to reect on
the programs and activities in 2015 that brought us to
this point.
DeKalb County is a diverse and dynamic community
second to none in volunteerism and the willingness of
our citizens to become involved for the greater good of
our community. Like other counties, ours has endured
changes, both positive and negative. But our residents
remain determined to make DeKalb the best place to live
and work in Georgia.
The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce believes in our
strong and vibrant county. We believe that it is our
shared vision and our ability to come together that
makes DeKalb one of the best places to call home.
As we look back over the past year, we are thankful for a
grocer, aided by members of the community, whose
forward thinking ideas resulted in today's DeKalb
Farmer's Market that employs over 800 people. We are
excited to see the progress of the Perimeter CID, which
has raised $40 million over 15 years and leveraged those
funds into more than $1.2 billion in construction and
development. We are heartened by the idea of
expanding transit in DeKalb. We are rolling up our
sleeves to focus on the Conley Business District as it
develops a Community Improvement District (CID). This
CID will grow an underutilized logistics corridor that sits
behind the landll o Moreland Avenue, east of I-285
and south of I-20.
2
As we look to the year ahead, we will focus on aligning
regional supply chain resources to support economic
development growth and quality of life in South DeKalb.
This includes entrepreneurial opportunities to support
development of the Memorial Drive and the surrounding
corridors.
We believe these projects and scores of others will provide
our citizens greater opportunities, whether it's through job
creation for those who are underemployed, or relief from
time spent in trac that would otherwise allow a parent
to help a child with homework.
The DeKalb Chamber stands ready to move DeKalb
County forward and we invite our community partners to
join our 600+business members in reclaiming our
opportunities. As our businesses prosper so will our
communities and families.
It has been my great pleasure to serve as your chairman in
2015 and look forward to supporting a new leadership
team working together to build the best county in
Georgia.
Al
ED W ARDS
2015 C hair