The Annual Legislative Luncheon was hosted by special guest Master of Ceremonies, Keith Baird Scott, President and CEO of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce. President Scott described the Luncheon’s purpose and invited the listeners to become active participants. After a five-star lunch served by The Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys, the attendees heard from keynote speaker, Robert L. Wallace. Among his long list of accomplishments, Mr. Wallace, a graduate of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, is the Founder and CEO of both BITHGROUP Technologies Inc. and Entreteach Learning Systems. He is the author of several books including, but not limited to, Black Wealth- Your Road to Small Business Success. The afternoon ended with a question and answer session facilitated by President Bernard “Jack” Young of the Baltimore City Council. President Young and the City Council members answered a wide variety of questions ranging in topic from incentive programs for small business to youth sports programs.

In celebration of Women’s History Month and surrounded by a city-scape view from the Center Club in downtown Baltimore, Sheela Murthy, Harvard Law School graduate and the Founder of the Murthy Law Firm which specializes in immigration law, passionately spoke of her recipe for success. Ms. Murthy believes that successful women are the result of hard-work, adversity and motivation. The Baltimore City Chamber opened and concluded the event with power networking and chocolate cupcakes in the effort to build lasting business relationships. "People do business with people they know and respect" says Chamber President Charles R. Owens. Just before close, Fran Schmidt, the CEO of the North Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce invited the group to Nick’s Fish House on April 20th for a happy hour mixer sponsored by the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and the North Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. Check www.baltimorecitychamber.org for more details. The Murthy Law Firm is one of the newest members of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce.

The members of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and the business community of Baltimore City today discussed issues concerning the legislative process as it hosted The Annual Meeting Breakfast. The breakfast was held today Monday, February 7, 2010 from 7:30 to 10am, at The Radisson Hotel Cross Keys. The keynote speaker for the breakfast was State Delegate, Barbara A. Robinson. During Delegate Robinsons address, she highlighted the importance of the business community to be pro-active in supporting legislation, either pro or con, that impacts the business community. Her insights into the legislative process from the crafting of legislation, following it through and testifying on its behalf, right through to the legislative vote was stressed. She also emphasized the need for organizations like the Baltimore City Chamber to touch legislators as often as possible. Michael A. Graham, Chairman of the Breakfast Committee, stated that “Delegate Robinson is and always has been a true advocate to the business community and that she and her colleagues who are pro business are deserving of our thanks and support.” “This type of fellowship and spirited exchange of information is a win-win situation, not only for the members Baltimore City Chamber, but for the citizens of Baltimore who are impacted by the decisions of both groups,” commented Charles R. Owens, President and CEO of the Baltimore City Chamber.

Black Wall Street Night, named after a historic town in Tulsa Oklahoma, was a fabulous event featuring Derrick Drakeford, Korega Bailey, and Joel Mccauley Jr. The event was held in the highly acclaimed New Mansion Building of the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum (NGBWM) on the 11th of November at 6pm. Dr Joanne Martin, the founder and Director of the NGBWM, petitioned the crowd to return and visit the museum. The event also featured brief presentations from local business owners. After listening to the thoughtful poetry of Korega Bailey, we enjoyed a powerful “finding your purpose” seminar, also available on his website, http://drakefordassociates.org/

On November 6, 2010, Tavis Smiley’s Nationwide Is On Your Side Tour came to Baltimore. The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations partnered with Nationwide in combining their efforts in promoting financial literacy and economic empowerment.

On a trade mission from the World Trade Center of Moscow, 30 small business owners, organizers and representatives from the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and World Trade Center of Moscow joined the Baltimore City Chamber on the morning of September 22 to sign a Cooperative Agreement. Charles R. Owens, President of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce stated, “We are excited because this is the first time that our City Chamber has an agreement with an organization from another country.” The Russian visitors enjoyed the spectacular view from the Baltimore Development Corporation’s conference room on Charles Street, as well as informative presentations from Keith Baird Scott, President and CEO of the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, Mauricio Barreiro, President of the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Kyana Beckles, Associate, Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce. The crown jewel of this splendid occasion came last as Mr. Sergey Davydov, the First Deputy Director General of the World Trade Center Moscow, sat down to sign the cooperative with the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Chambers, respectively.

On September 20, 2010 the Baltimore City of Commerce held its Annual Business Appreciation Day sponsored by Ford Motor Company and hosted by Coppin State University in its new Physical Education Complex. This luncheon and business networking event celebrated the power of networking and building business relationships in Baltimore, Maryland and the Region. Celebrated also was the Grand Opening of Coppin State University's new Wellness Center. Speakers included Dr. Reginald S. Avery, Coppin's visionary president, Jason Mase of Ford Motor and Chamber President, Charles R. Owens. Ford's new Explorer, a greener and more tech savvy SUV was revealed for the first time in Baltimore. Over 150 businesses took advantage of this excellent networking opportunity.

Moveable Feast, Executive Director Tom Bonderenko and Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, President Charles R. Owens would like to thank you for attending our Power Networking Breakfast with guest speaker Lucie Snodgrass, State Director for Senator Barbara Mikulski this past Wednesday, June 23, 2010. I think we all agreed that Tom and his staff have an essential and heroic mission, one that they carryout with skill and precision. Save the dates for June 28th and 29th Moveable Feast Nights, Dining out for life September 23rd, and October 9th for AIDS awaresness. If you would like to volunteer at Moveable Feast, please contact them at www.mfeast.org. For membership opportunities with the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and to sponsor our Annual Golf Outing on Oct.1st, please contact the Chamber at www.baltimorecitychamber.org