July 27, 2021
UPCOMING EVENTS View all 2021 events here
Greater Washington Apprentice Network - August Employer Briefing
August 3rd | 2-3PM
Welcome Back Celebration
August 5th | 5-7PM
New Member Orientation
August 10th | 3-4PM
partner event
6th Annual Northern Virginia Elected Leaders Summit
August 24th | 8-10AM
Distinguished Service Awards
August 31st | 8-9:30AM
partner event
2021 Capital Region Business Forum
September 9th | 8-9:30AM
MEMBER ADVANTAGE
It's a Debate! Members are invited to witness the 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial Debate, live and in person, this September 23rd.
We are pleased to announce that former Gov. Terry McAuliff and Glenn Youngkin have accepted the invitation to the Northern Virginia Chamber’s Top of the Ticket Debate. This debate has been the premier political event in Northern Virginia for decades, each year hosting the contenders in Virginia’s most important races. Every major statewide candidate for the past 30 years has participated in this debate.
 
On behalf of the Chamber membership and our partners at NBC4/Telemundo 44 and the Schar School of Public Policy and Government at George Mason University, we want to thank both campaigns for choosing this debate as their only scheduled debate in Northern Virginia.

The debate will be held at 7PM on September 23rd at the Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria Campus. The live event is limited to Chamber members, only. Registration will open soon!
Submit your Distinguished Service Awards application by August 6th
Submit your application and attend the Distinguished Service Awards in person! Unique among events, our Veteran-focused Distinguished Service Awards are presented to individuals, companies, and non-profit organizations in recognition of community stewardship and business leadership. We encourage both members and nonmembers to apply for the 2021 Awards by the August 6th deadline. Help us showcase those businesses that go the extra mile for our Veterans. The awards will be given out in the following categories:
  • Veteran-Owned Business of the Year,
  • Veteran Service Organization of the Year, and
  • Veteran Employee of the Year.

The Distinguished Service Awards will be held in person on August 31st, 8-9:30AM at the Army Navy Country Club located at 1700 Army Navy Drive Arlington, VA 22202. Register to attend the event here.

WORKFORCE UPDATE
Struggling to fill open positions and retain employees? Read on.
As you may know, workforce is one of the Chamber's core strategic initiatives. One of our key workforce initiatives is the Greater Washington Apprentice Network (GWAN).

Launched in the Fall of 2020, and based on the model of the highly successful Chicago Apprentice Network, the GWAN now has seven Founding Employers including Accenture, Aon, Appteon, AWS, Nestle, NT Concepts, and SHRM. The employer-centric approach of the network brings together employers interested in exploring, creating, and/or growing an earn and learn, on-the-job training approach to recruiting workers. Through the network, employers connect with employer-peers, academic institutions, funding sources, and support resources. The GWAN is gaining momentum with an average of 65 organizations attending the monthly network meetings!

If your company has struggled with filling open positions and retaining employees, you might consider the apprenticeship model of recruiting and training employees. We will connect you with peer companies to learn best practices, as well as other resources and partners to help you get started. All interested employers are welcome to attend the monthly network meetings and there is no charge to participate in the GWAN. We convene virtually on the first Tuesday of each month to share resources and make connections. During each meeting, members learn from a Featured Employer and a Featured Resource Partner, followed by breakout room networking.

For more information visit GreaterWashingtonApprenticeNetwork.com or contact Jennifer Williamson, VP of Workforce and Member Engagement.

IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL
Upcoming Events
Registration is free
Greater Washington Apprentice Network August Employer Briefing
August 3rd | 2-3PM
The Greater Washington Apprentice Network (GWAN) brings together employers, academic institutions, public and private sectors. Employers gain access to best practices from organizational peers, sources of prospective apprentice candidates, support services, academic institutions, and training resources. The GWAN meets on the first Tuesday of each month for an Employer Briefing.

The featured speakers for the August GWAN Employer Briefing are:
  • Featured Employer: Amazon Web Services
  • Featured Resource: ICF
Welcome Back Celebration
August 5th | 5-7PM
IN PERSON - WOOHOO!
Join us for the fun--IN PERSON--on August 5th in Alexandria! This is a chance to celebrate finally getting together after a year of staying apart. Mix, mingle, see your old friends and meet some new ones at this Welcome Back Celebration that you won't want to miss. Please join us on Thursday, August 5th for our first post-pandemic event, a celebration to welcome you back again!

This event will be held in the fun and festive indoor/outdoor space at The Garden located at 5380 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria VA 22304. 

Our guidelines for event attendees:
  • Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to wear facial coverings. 
  • Unvaccinated and not yet fully vaccinated guests are asked to wear facial coverings at events.
  • Anyone is welcome to wear facial coverings at our events, if that is how they feel most safe. 
  • We will not be asking for proof of vaccinations. We trust that our members and attendees will make responsible choices.

We can’t wait to see you!
Chamber members will need to register under the Northern Virginia Elected Leaders Summit - Partner Organization Registration to receive the membership rate. Please contact hsheikh@novachamber.org for the discount code.
partner event
6th Annual Northern Virginia Elected Leaders Summit
August 24th | 8-10AM
Speakers
  • The Honorable Katie Cristol, Vice Chair, Arlington County Board
  • The Honorable Jeff McKay, Chair, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
  • The Honorable Phyllis Randall, Chair, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (invited)
  • The Honorable Ann Wheeler, Chair At-Large, Prince William County Board of Supervisors (invited)
  • The Honorable Justin Wilson, Mayor, City of Alexandria

The Northern Virginia Elected Leaders Summit offers the region’s business leaders the opportunity to hear from our local elected leaders about the economic climate in the region, initiatives they have completed or are undertaking to foster economic growth, and thoughts on how each jurisdiction can work together to improve our regional economy.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is hosting this summit with premier partner, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and co-hosts, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Prince William Chamber of Commerce, and Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Distinguished Service Awards
August 31st | 8-9:30AM
The Distinguished Service Awards honor individuals, companies, and non-profit organizations for their service to veterans in the Greater Washington business community. The Awards are presented in recognition of community stewardship and business leadership.

This event will be held at the Army Navy Country Club located at 1700 Army Navy Drive Arlington, VA 22202. 
partner event
Capital Region Business Forum
September 9th | 8-9:30AM
Speakers:
  • Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington DC
  • Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia
  • Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland

Moderator: Tony Pierce, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

The Capital Region Business Forum is the only event of the year that brings together the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Governors of Maryland and Virginia for an engaging, substantive conversation on the region’s business environment and top public policy issues. 

Member News
Reston Hospital Center has announced that Allyssa Tobitt will serve as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective August 2nd. Learn more here.

Virginia Economic Review: Business Without Borders - VEDP’s latest issue of Virginia Economic Review explores the economic benefits that international trade brings to companies and consumers and details Virginia’s ambitious International Trade Strategic Plan. Learn more here.
Would you like to include your member organization's news in our next Doing Business issue? Sharing news is free for all members! All you have to do it complete the form on our website found here. The deadline to submit news is Friday at 12PM prior to our Tuesday newsletter.
Doing Business is the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce's weekly e-newsletter focused on member-relevant news, Council Series updates, and upcoming events. Each month we will feature advocacy updates, a message from our President & CEO, and member-written blog posts. Subscription sign-up and past issues may be found on our website.
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
7900 Westpark Drive | Suite A550 | Tysons Corner | VA | 22102