Across the Board

2008 Regional Report Attracts More Business. The Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) released the 2008 Regional Report yesterday at its Annual Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. The Regional Report, GWI’s signature publication, provides compelling data highlighting the region’s attractive economy, demographics, workforce and quality of life to decision makers across the globe considering a location for their business. It spotlights Greater Washington’s leadership in the “green economy” and notes that the public and private sectors are investing more than $30 billion in transportation and infrastructure projects throughout the region in order to accommodate the growing success of the Greater Washington region. Download the Regional Report to learn more about our region’s assets.

Volkswagen CEO Addresses Board of Trade Members. Today Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, addressed members during a conversation with Board of Trade President and CEO Jim Dinegar. At his first major speaking event since Volkswagen’s relocation to Herndon, Virginia, Mr. Jacoby spoke about why Volkswagen chose Greater Washington as its headquarters, how he plans to hire more than 250 qualified employees in the region and what the brand strategy is for partnering with the DC United soccer team. The conversation also included a discussion about Volkswagen’s plan to open a plant in the United States, which will be formally announced this July.

Leaders Focus on Marketing Greater Washington. Regional business and economic development leaders attended GWI’s Annual Meeting yesterday to discuss marketing the region as a premiere business destination. GWI’s new Executive Director Matt Erskine outlined his plan for helping the region grow and prosper. Greg Lubar, Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of Staubach, walked through the site selection process, provided insight into his work helping Volkswagen find a new location for its headquarters and highlighted this region’s assets. Dr. Stephen Fuller, who compiled the Regional Report with a team of researchers from George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, presented the Report and discussed the research behind the data.

Transportation Leaders Emphasize Regional Collaboration. Today the Board of Trade, in partnership with the District Department of Transportation, Our Nation’s Capital and the Council of Governments, hosted a transportation forum with national and regional leaders. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Representative Tom Davis of Virginia and Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland opened the forum by underscoring the importance of regional collaboration on transportation projects. The leaders also highlighted the critical need for securing federal transportation funding for Metro and other transit systems. The transportation secretaries for Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia noted the need for coordination, especially on decisions about transitioning HOV and HOT lanes between states and the District. Transit-oriented development was also supported by the officials and the manager of Metro for helping reduce vehicle miles traveled and for making good use of undeveloped land along Metro and commuter rail stations.

We’re Taking Program Recommendations A new feature on the Board of Trade website allows you to recommend speakers and topics for upcoming programs. Suggestions will be reviewed and researched by the Board of Trade Programs Advisory Committee and then considered for future programming. Make a recommendation

Look Who's Going to Top Colleges. The SEED Foundation, a nonprofit organization that establishes urban public boarding schools for underserved students, is proud to announce that 97% of its 2008 graduates have been accepted to colleges, including Brown University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Emery University, University of Virginia and more. Through a rigorous yet nurturing program, SEED teaches students academics and life skills in a safe and secure environment. The SEED Foundation has one school in Washington, DC, will open a second in Maryland in the Fall and is focusing on building urban public boarding schools in disadvantaged communities throughout the nation.

New Tool For Workplace Health: Prototype Ready for Testing. AARP and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have teamed up to increase the number of employers who implement employee health promotion programs in the workplace. The organizations have created the Workplace Health Index to improve or enhance workplace health activities. The Index will help create a profile of employees’ health status and develop a plan to set goals, identify resources and execute health promotion strategies to meet those goals. Then, it will follow up to evaluate the impact of employers’ efforts. AARP and the CDC are looking for employers to help test a prototype of this tool. If you are interested in participating, please email Jason Lang.