B-School, April 9, 2013

Spurring Innovation and Building Stronger Businesses in Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce B-School

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce has identified the need for an educational and conversational forum among business leaders in Montgomery County. We are proud to announce the launch the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce B-School beginning on April 9 of 2013; the Chamber will offer this high level strategic business educational discussion every two months for C-Suite Leaders, Senior Leaders, or Business Owners of mid to large sized businesses.  A time has been selected of 2:00 – 4:30 pm for this unique professional opportunity.  The programs will focus on business strategy and the forces that can affect business, innovation, and business challenges in the New River Valley.

This exclusive forum will be delivered, led, and moderated by select members of Virginia Tech faculty, Radford University faculty and business experts from around the Commonwealth who are recognized experts in business strategy and trends.

Eligibility to enroll for the $79 per session program is Chamber Member in good standing, sales of $2 million or more, executive or senior level management title. The sessions are limited to twelve executives living in or working in companies in Montgomery County.

Sessions:

Session One, April 9, will be led by Kevin Carlson, Ph.D. and associate professor of management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. Carlson’s session will focus on Performance Dynamics Improving Performance by Understanding How Behavior Impacts Effectiveness. Every organization can improve its effectiveness, but how that is best accomplished is not always clear. Performance dynamics is about understanding the complex relationships between behavior and outcomes. By understanding how behavior can be modified to impact effectiveness, managers can gain a better understanding of how best to drive improved performance. In this session, participants will be guided to an increased awareness of these dynamics which reveals a small set of core drivers of performance improvement for individuals and organizations. Understanding the dynamics of these improvement levers can aid managers in their efforts to improve the effectiveness of their organizations and employees, and even their own performance. 
 
Session two, June 11, will be led by Dale Henderson, Ph.D. and associate professor of management in the College of Business and Economics at Radford University. Henderson’s session will focus on Decision-Making Traps that often lure business leaders to make poor decisions.
 
Session three, August 13 will be led by Bernie Neimeier, editor and publisher of Virginia Business and Roanoke Business magazines. Neimeier will share insights on Trends in Virginia Business. Neimeier, a business guru, brings a wealth of knowledge about new business models and what is taking place around the Commonwealth.  

Session four, October 8, will focus on Analytics to Support Strategic Decisions and will be delivered by the dynamic duo of Wilbur and Angela Stanton, both Ph.D’s specializing in marketing in the College of Business and Economics at Radford University. This presentation will provide tangible business practices which will move you from the “feels like” of business decisions to the “this IS the direction we should be moving”.

Session five, December 10, will be led by Ross Mecham, Associate Director of Organizational of Virginia Tech. Mecham will deliver his session focusing on the essentials of strategic leadership skills and the development of those skills. For too long in business, we have focused on charismatic leadership to deliver business results, this session will not only provide insights on which leadership skills deliver results but how to improve and enhance those skills.

The program is open to members of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce who lead mid-sized to large companies operating at the executive levels.  For more information contact Dr. Sharon Scott at 540.382.3020 or email sscott@montgomerycc.org.