The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce is in the midst of another successful year of power luncheons.  These once-a-month meetings (at Brook Valley Country Club) give attendees the chance to hear from local and regional figures from various backgrounds including, but not limited to:  politics, education, healthcare, business, and economic development.  The opportunity to become better educated on matters relevant to our community and our state as a whole is the goal the Chamber hopes to accomplish with each meeting.  Here is a look at some of the speakers who have visited our area:

• Congressman G.K. Butterfield – 1st District of N.C.

August 2010 – Spoke on various legislative issues pertaining to Eastern North Carolina. 

• Akilah Ensley – US Census Bureau

September, 2010 – What to look for before the latest census numbers were released as we were all keeping a close eye on the growth of Greenville and Pitt County. 

• Chancellor Steve Ballard (ECU) & Dr. Dennis Massey (Pitt Community College)

October, 2010 – A revealing message on how our local educational engines are running. 

• Senator Louis Pate – District 5 (Green, Pitt, and Wayne)

November, 2010 – Discussed his platform and course of action for the current short session.

• North Carolina Lt. Governor Walter Dalton

January, 2011 – Spoke about the importance of education and his support of small business. 

• Mark Phillips – N.C. Biotech Center, Executive Director, Eastern Regional Office

February, 2011 – The fascinating impact that Biotechnology can have on North Carolina.

• Bill Daughtridge – Senior Policy Advisor for House Speaker Thom Tillis

March, 2011 – Outlined some of our state’s critical issues as we move forward in 2011. 

• Phil Smith – The Concord Coalition

April, 2011 – Delivered a captivating message on America’s fiscal policy and future.

• Dr. James Hupp, Dean, East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine

May, 2011 – An enlightening update on the ECU Dental School (the nation’s youngest public dental school), scheduled to start its first class in August, 2011.

Greenville and Pitt County have been very fortunate to hear from the above-mentioned speakers, who serve as influential figures in our community and our state.  The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce will continue to make all of the efforts to acquire first-rate speakers that can provide dynamic messages in an effort to stay abreast of all of the issues throughout 2011 and beyond.