THE ELOCEN GROUP CELEBRATES
10 YEARS OF SUCCESS 
The Elocen Group, a member of the DC Chamber of Commerce, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and the grand opening of The Elocen Group Maryland office. As one of the region’s premier program and project management firms, The Elocen Group celebrated 10 years of successful operations. 

As a leading full-service program and project management firm focused on providing innovative client solutions to commercial and public-sector markets, The ELOCEN Group is dedicated to providing customized business services to its notable clients, strategic partners and a host of others who have supported their business journey.

 “We started The ELOCEN Group 10 years ago with the sole focus of becoming a premiere program and project management firm intent upon seamlessly managing work-flow processes from start to finish, while simultaneously providing professional excellence, thorough execution and delivered results,” said Necole Parker Green, founder.

We congratulate Necole Parker, an esteemed member of the DC Chamber’s Board of Directors, and her team on this phenomenal achievement. 
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
LISA COHEN, BEING TOO FIERCE
Lisa Cohen was born in Washington, DC. At an early age, Lisa and her brothers were placed in the now-defunct Junior Village. Lisa and her brothers became wards of the DC foster care system. As a foster child, she underwent thirteen traumatic placements until finally entering the Independent Living system prior to aging out. She became a professional boxer in 1996 at the age of 28 and fought under the name of Lisa “Too Fierce” Foster. During her career, she won two World Titles. After her retirement from boxing in 2003, she established and ran a boxing and fitness gym in the District.
           
Lisa’s autobiography,  Being Too Fierce,  one woman's incredible journey from foster child to World Championship Boxer, chronicles her experience within the DC foster care system and her discovery of the sport of boxing. Boxing helped Lisa to escape the fears, insecurity and bitterness brought about by her ill treatment at the hands of foster families who were expected to love and protect her. See BeingTooFierce.com
           
In 2005, Lisa started and managed a non-profit called Capitol City Champs which was geared to life coaching, fitness, dressing for success, and etiquette for at-risk children aged 8 to 18. As an offshoot to this enterprise, Ms. Cohen undertook a number of motivational speaking engagements and career days aimed at women, children, young adults, and governmental agencies engaged in foster care. She continues her work as an advocate for at-risk children and underserved communities. 
           
Lisa graduated from the University of the District of Columbia in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in English at the age of 45. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Neil, an attorney. She has a son, Gerald Foster and a daughter, Taylor Foster.

Lisa currently serves as Secretary on the DC Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors.
DC CHAMBER MEMBERS SELECTED FOR CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY'S
INNER CITY CAPITAL CONNECTIONS PROGRAM

In February, the DC Chamber partnered with The Catholic University's Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics to provide our members with a unique opportunity to advance their business through The Inner City Capital Connections Program (ICCC). 
ICCC is a national program that helps small businesses build capacity for sustainable growth in revenue, profitability and employment. Entrepreneurs participate in a comprehensive curriculum that combines targeted executive education with mentoring and matching them with potential capital sources and investors. The DC Chamber served as a nominating partner to identify qualified entrepreneurs from our growing network for the ICCC program.  

We are proud to announce that five members of The DC Chamber of Commerce have been accepted into this elite program. Congratulations to JMA Solutions, CRP Incorporated, MB Staffing Services, Delta Decisions and JLAN Solutions.  

JMA Solutions 
JMA Solutions is an award-winning government consulting firm with over 12 years of experience delivering outstanding customer support. Since 2005, JMA Solutions has been dedicated to providing distinctive quality and unparalleled customer service through identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation. Under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer, Jan Adams, JMA Solutions delivers Program Management ,   Engineering Services Air Traffic Management  and  more . Jan Adams serves as the 2nd Vice Chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce.

CRP, Incorpotated
CRP is a SBA-certified small business. This nationally recognized minority and woman-owned company, established in 1988, delivers high-quality results their clients expect and deserve — on time and within budget. Carolyn Rudd, a DC Chamber member, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer. CRP, Incorporated is the DC Chamber of Commerce's 2017 Small Business of the Year.







Delta Decisions 
Delta Decisions, a member of the DC Chamber, is a woman-owned, 8(a) certified Analytics consulting firm. Its Founder Kim Burnette states "we believe business decisions are only as good as the data used to make them." Delta Decisions' consultants leverage analytics and data collection expertise to help clients understand the data they have and develop a plan to generate the data they want.  





Mb Staffing Services
Mb Staffing Services, a member of the DC Chamber, is a precision placement, results-oriented firm serving a full spectrum of industries and staffing needs. Recognized nationally for its commitment to providing outstanding service, Mb Staffing Services helps its clients grow their businesses and individuals grow their careers.  Mb Staffing Services is under the leadership of Michael Beale, CEO.


JLAN Solutions 
 JLAN Solutions is an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) and a Small Business Administration (SBA) Certified HUBZone Enterprise. JLAN was established in January 2010. JLAN specializes in Business & Financial Management, Program & Project Management, Strategic Planning and Systems Engineering. Its Founder and CEO, Ronnette Meyers states "w e provide consistent guidance and support to Government Agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)."
DC HEALTH LINK'S
HEALTHY BUSINESS OF THE MONTH 
  The Anacostia Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) located in Ward 8 was incorporated in 1969 as a full service Community Development non·profit organization established to improve the economic welfare, education and overall economic development needs and opportunities to residents east of the Anacostia River and the District of Columbia at large. AEDC has been at the forefront of small/minority business development, commercial revitalization, housing development, job creation and venture development for almost five (5) decades.

With a total of 10 employees, AEDC has received seven National District of Columbia Small Business Development (DCSBDC) awards for excellence in service over the last ten years. A significant reason for AEDC's resilience and longevity has been its ability to provide purposeful high value services to its strategic partners and clients locally, nationally and internationally. 

As a special incentive and benefit, in recognition of the support and dedication of its staff; "AEDC provides health, dental, vision, life and long term disability insurances to our employees at no cost to the employee and we are proud to be a member of DC Health Link," says Stanley Jackson, President & CEO. 




UPCOMING EVENTS
Home Rule/ Commuter Tax/ Universal Paid Leave Dialogue
Tuesday, August 22nd
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
DC Chamber of Commerce Headquarters
1133 21st Street NW | Suite M200 | Washington, DC 20036

The DC Chamber of Commerce invites its membership and invited guest to join a dialogue with Attorney General Karl Racine, Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3), and DC Appleseed Executive Director Walter Smith on the Home Rule Act, commuter tax restrictions, Universal Paid Leave and related matters.

DC Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Forum 
Wednesday, September 13th
8:00 am - 10:30 am
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC 20001

Join a vibrant community of professionals for an engaging discussion on emerging trends of the Convention, Hospitality and Tourism industry in Washington, DC, and the economic impact on small business growth opportunities.

Featuring presenters from U.S. Travel Association, Brand USA and local speakers on the District of Columbia as a travel destination.
 

Smart Cities Symposium 
Thursday, September 28th
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Verizon's Headquarters
1300 I Street NW Suite 500E, Washington, DC 20005

The DC Chamber of Commerce and Verizon will convene thought leaders and businesses for a discussion on technology advances that can help make cities more efficient, cleaner and equitable, while creating a better quality of life for work, play and generations to come.


SAVE THE DATE!
2017 Chamber's Choice Awards & Gala
Refreshing Possibilities, Elevating Opportunities
Marriott Marquis|Washington, DC
Friday, October 20, 2017 
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, tables and tickets for the 2017 Chamber's Choice Awards & Gala please contact Janelle Morris at jmorris@dcchamber.org.
FREE Drug Discount Card From The DC Chamber
One in five Americans take more than three medications a day.   There are many vulnerable individuals that have trouble affording medication. The DC Rx Card can help with those prescription costs and is a free program available to all DC residents. There are no eligibility requirements or forms to fill out. Tell your employees to simply take the card into the pharmacy to get savings of up to 75% on prescription medications for their whole family. DC Rx Card is a proud supporter of Children's Miracle Network. A donation will be made to your local CMN hospital each time a prescription is processed through the DC Rx Card.

All DC residents can find and print their FREE card  here!