A speaker lineup to include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone kicks off the new format for Perspectives 2011, offering more businesspeople the opportunity to attend the region’s premier annual speakers forum. “As with so many things these days, it’s not business as usual,” said Sacramento Metro Chamber Vice Chair of Events and Sponsorships Kathy McKim of AT&T. “We wiped the slate clean and started over—re-designing a program from the ground up that will meet the needs of more businesspeople and provide a greater networking and educational experience. We are especially thrilled to have Biz Stone in our lineup this year for this reason.” Over the last decade, Stone has been instrumental in craf

The Sacramento Metro Chamber welcomes the California Winter Games Committee naming Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as chair in its bid to hold the next available Winter Olympic Games in the Tahoe area. The announcement was made on “Olympics Day,” celebrated at the State Capitol on June 23. The Metro Chamber board voted to support the winter games effort, recognizing that pursuing an Olympic bid offers an opportunity to highlight regional assets and strengths on the world stage. The games would provide a significant economic impact for the region and for all of California. The infrastructure investments, job creation, tourism and business development can create significant benefits for countless Cal

The region’s international award-winning Business Walk program arrives in Natomas on June 15, when volunteers will canvass local businesses to find out what’s happening with the economy and how conditions can be improved. The Natomas Business Walk is presented by the city of Sacramento and Natomas Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Sacramento Metro Chamber and supported by the region’s Metro Pulse partnership. The business walks have won acclaim from international economic developers and most recently as a chamber outstanding program for strengthening local economies. The business walks help initiate contacts with businesses in the region and is the start of an ongoing conversat

Dodgeball and volleyball, that is.  And for a good cause! Metro EDGE , Sacramento’s leading network of 40-and-under young professionals, is excited to announce its second annual “A Day on the EDGE” fundraiser.  The event will feature two dodgeball and volleyball tournaments complete with great music, food, and drinks – all to benefit Junior Achievement of Sacramento. Metro EDGE, a program of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, identifies and supports a local nonprofit organization through volunteerism and philanthropic giving every year.  For 2011, the group has chosen to support Junior Achievement of Sacramento, an educational organization that teaches financial literacy, entrepreneurship, wo

Sacramento Metro Chamber President and CEO Matt Mahood leaves behind a more unified business community as he moves on to take over the helm of the San Jose chamber this summer, colleagues and associates said Tuesday. Mahood, 45, has a reputation for being upbeat and optimistic, even as he's guided the chamber through the recession. He served as a dynamic leader for the organization and a spokesman for the region on local, state and national levels. At 6 feet 7 inches, he towers over many of those he works with in business and politics. He's known for being thoughtful and having an even-handed way for approaching issues in the job he's held for nine years. His most lasting legacy in Sacr

The Sacramento Metro Chamber is pleased to join The Downtown Sacramento Partnership and The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau as supporters of RoundRock 3on3 for the first annual three-on-three basketball tournament to be played June 11-12 on the city streets of downtown and Old Sacramento. RoundRock 3on3 will feature players and teams from throughout Northern California, playing on up to 40 blocks throughout Old Sacramento, Downtown and Midtown. The designated streets, including Capitol Mall, will be sectioned off and organized into a series of half-courts, where the various divisions will play their games. The city of Sacramento has approved the street closures. “This is a bask

In celebration of Small Business Week, businesspeople from the six-county region gather Thursday, May 19, for Metro Expo at the Sacramento Convention Center, the business-to-business showcase for resource finding and network building. Produced by the Sacramento Metro Chamber, the trade show is the largest in Northern California, with nearly a thousand businesses across the region expected to participate. “In a half day, you can make hundreds of important connections,” said Matthew Mahood, president and CEO. “Workshops will help attendees learn how to become certified with local and statewide agencies. And on the trade show floor, you can meet area businesses that are offering cost-saving

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told 265 delegates of the Sacramento Metro Chamber's Cap-to-Cap program that Medicare and Medicaid will evolve into a "value purchaser" to protect federal dollars by lowering costs and improving outcomes by reducing hospital injuries and readmissions. Sebelius addressed the delegation at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., Monday, May 9, as the group began three days of extensive promotion of the region, with 244 appointments set up with Congress, the Senate, the Administration and other federal officials and agencies. The Secretary was introduced by Congresswoman Doris Matsui of Sacramento, who Sebelius credited with taking a

Nearly 270 Cap-to-Cap delegates arrived in Washington, D.C. this weekend for the Sacramento Metro Chamber's 41st annual advocacy program, May 7-11. Kicking off the program on Monday will be keynote speaker U.S. Secretary of Human and Health Services Kathleen Sebelius. Health care reform and the Sacramento region's groundbreaking community development issues are topics on the agenda. Secretary Sebelius will speak for about 15 minutes and then do a hefty 15 minutes of direct questions from the chamber's delegation. Considering the immense role that health care plays in our region's economy, Sebelius' appearance is a rare opportunity for the region's business and civic leaders to hear direc

With Sacramento region’s jobless rate above 12 percent, delegates for the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s annual four-day Capitol-to-Capitol to Washington, D.C., will advocate for specific ways how the federal government can accelerate the rate of innovation and technology development, provide the private sector with regulatory relief and create much-needed jobs. “Innovation is critical to the health and well-being of this country and it’s the cornerstone to our region’s economy,” said 2011 Cap-to-Cap Chair Tim Murphy 2011 of GenCorp. “Innovation drives ideas and business opportunities that attract investment and create jobs. These new jobs, in turn, generate tax revenue and grow the economy.”

Sacramento Kings fans, officials and business leaders are waiting to hear in the next few days whether the team will stay here for at least a year after businesses ponied up deposits on more than $10.2 million in financial support Tuesday. The National Basketball Association's Relocation Committee, chaired by Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, will meet between now and Monday to make a decision. Sacramento officials have asked to learn sooner than May 2, if possible, whether the Kings will remain in Sacramento rather than move to Anaheim. May 2 is the deadline for the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, to file a relocation request. There has been little public discussion of the impact a

A National Basketball Association committee will arrive in Sacramento this week to study the possibility of keeping the Kings here. Reports surfaced Monday that a group of six would be coming here Tuesday to get more information about new financial support for the Kings. On Friday at the NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York, NBA Commissioner David Stern said team owners agreed to learn more about corporate sponsorships and other money that may be available to help the Kings make more money in Sacramento. The only information that could be confirmed was that Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who chairs the board's Relocation Committee, and NBA Executive Counsel Harvey Benjam

Sacramento Kings fans will have to keep holding their breath over a possible team move after a National Basketball Association official on Friday said the league needs time to learn more about the unfolding deal in Anaheim and the viability of keeping the team in the capital. The NBA Board of Governors agreed to extend the deadline for the Maloofs’ request to move until May 2. On Thursday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and San Francisco investor Darius Anderson told NBA team owners that billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle is leading a plan to buy the Kings or help bring another pro basketball team here if the Kings leave. Johnson also said he and business leaders have r

A state budget that makes $25 billion in cuts will drastically impact the Sacramento region—especially the $9.6 billion education industry in six counties. “The education industry is critical to our region’s economic prosperity,” said Matthew Mahood, Sacramento Metro Chamber president & CEO. “Not only for the work the sector does to educate our residents—but also for the huge injection of dollars into the region. Education institutions employ thousands of people who make consumer purchases throughout the region.” A newly released Education Industry Cluster Economic Impact Report, commissioned by the Metro Chamber, analyzes everything from elementary schools and universities to private te

The clock is ticking for the Sacramento City Council. Sacramento Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s resignation on Friday morning means that the City Council must take immediate actions that will impact the city budget and labor negotiations with municipal unions.  Council members must find a new top city official one month before the city’s proposed budget is due. Vina’s resignation also means that the city’s labor unions will take up budget negotiations with a new city leader. “We don’t have time to grieve,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said in an interview Friday. Cohn was one of four council members who supported Vina’s earlier effort to become Sacramento’s next permanent city manager.

The region’s international award-winning Business Walk program arrives in West Sacramento on Wednesday, March 30, when volunteers will canvass local businesses to find out what’s happening with the economy and how conditions can be improved. The West Sacramento Business Walk is presented by the city of West Sacramento and West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, produced by the Sacramento Metro Chamber and supported by the region’s Metro Pulse partnership. The business walks have won acclaim from international economic developers and most recently as a chamber outstanding program for strengthening local economies. The business walks help initiate contacts with businesses in the region and is

In Northern California's largest chamber-led lobbying effort, business and civic leaders from the Sacramento region head to the State Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to ask legislators to reform the state budget, provide businesses with regulatory relief and advocate for shared responsibility during the current budget crisis. Organized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber, this year’s State Legislative Summit offers one of the best opportunities for the leading voice of business to be heard, and business leaders are cautiously optimistic that real reform can happen. “2011 must be the year of allowing businesses to do what they do best—create jobs—and not wade through senseless paperwork,” said M

Media, business, conservationist and government representatives from across the state gathered at the Sacramento Metro Chamber on Wednesday, Feb. 16, to launch reform of the state’s regulatory system and permitting process. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Metro Chamber President & CEO Matthew Mahood detailed the proposed legislation, SB 366, and how the Metro Chamber helped initiate political action that will provide a business perspective on overhauling regulations and streamlining the processes people must follow to start and run their businesses. And to make the point why overhaul is needed, all 28,000 pages of the state’s code of regulations where wheeled in on a dolly

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will announce on Wednesday, Feb. 16, the introduction of legislation reforming California’s duplicative and burdensome business regulations. Sen. Steinberg will be joined by authors of the proposed bill, Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, and Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Santa Monica. The news conference will be held 10:30 a.m. at the Sacramento Metro Chamber offices, One Capitol Mall Suite 300, Sacramento. The announcement comes after three weeks of meetings that Metro Chamber members held with Sen. Steinberg at his invitation to discover how state offices and departments can reduce duplicative regulations and streamline the regulatory process. Further me

Lately, Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna has been working behind the scenes to find shelter for people living out-of-doors along the American River Parkway during the winter. Working with the Salvation Army and Volunteers of America, Supervisor Serna raised more than $41,000 for keeping the winter shelters open until the end of March. But the funding was shy of the goal, and that’s when he turned to the business community, asking on Tuesday Sacramento Metro Chamber members to contribute. In less than 24 hours Metro Chamber member businesses opened up their pocketbooks. A shortfall of $8,500 was made up alone by the Bank of America, but many other donations came in quickly as well.