Chamber hires VP of member relations
Chamber, Infintech announce card processing partnership
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Infintech, a Cincinnati-based provider of credit card processing for businesses, have launch of an exclusive Chamber member discount program.
Through the partnership, Nashville Chamber members will have the opportunity to participate in a nationwide group discount program to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express card transactions.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are excited to partner with the Nashville Chamber, complete with local service and representation,” Ryan Rybolt, president of Infintech, said in a release. “We feel this exclusive program will make Nashville an even greater place for businesses.”
If historical data proves consistent, officials said, chamber members should expect to reduce their processor’s fees by nearly 40 percent.
Infintech’s group discount program began with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber six years ago and has grown to include more than 120 chambers and associations across the United States.
“We are always looking for opportunities to increase the value of chamber membership, and this partnership provides real money- saving opportunity for our members,” said Ralph Schulz, president of the Nashville Area Chamber. “I encourage chamber members to look at the program closely and see how their business can benefit.”
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Chamber on fairgrounds: 'We need development-ready land'
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ralph Schulz today encouraged business leaders to attend the Jan. 18 Metro Council hearing on whether to tear down the fairgrounds racetrack. Speaking at a meeting of the Chamber’s Partnership economic development initiative, Schulz said the city is “site starved” and in need of development-ready land to help lure corporate relocations and expansions, and encouraged listeners to attend the event and speak before the council. Also speaking at the event, Mayor Karl Dean called the fairgrounds site “underutilized” and said development on the site would “create an opportunity for us to bring jobs to Nashville and show that we are serious about expanding our tax base.” For much more background on this topic, see our sister site, The City Paper.Chamber names Future 50 winners
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce today announced the winners of its 2010 Future 50 Awards, a program recognizing the 50 fastest-growing privately held companies in the Nashville area. Click here to see the full list. “Future 50 companies are a testament to the ideal business climate in Middle Tennessee. The success of these companies helps drive economic growth in this area,” said Chamber president & CEO Ralph Schulz. “The success of these companies reinforces Middle Tennessee’s reputation as a good place to start and grow a business. It’s important that we recognize these companies for the contributions to our community.” To be eligible companies must be locally-based, have at least 10 employees or annual revenue of at least $500,000 and anticipate revenue and employment growth of at least 10 percent for the next three years.More Metro ECD incentives on the way
Among the notable economic development wins Nashville has scored so far in 2010 — various companies have committed to creating or moving here more than 1,800 jobs — was the back-office hub Loews Hotel said it set up in downtown's Fifth Third Center. To help seal the deal, Mayor Karl Dean dipped into Metro's coffers to commit $310,000 in incentives over 10 years. It was the first time since Dell a decade ago that Metro has ponied up that kind of cash, but the mayor told us Friday we should expect to see more such moves. Quite simply, he said, Nashville's reputation alone won't carry the day in today's economic environment, which has forced cities to sharpen their ECD swords. "To be competitive, you've got to be in the game," Dean said. Along the same lines, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Schulz said the budget of his group's Partnership 2020 — which will be formally unveiled this afternoon — is set to grow significantly. Until now, Nashville's total ECD budget of $2.4 million has significantly trailed that of Charlotte, Austin and Indianapolis — the latter's is more than double — but Schulz said the new plan will change that, though it's not yet clear by how much. "There's no question this plan is going to cost more as I'm looking at how it's going to develop over the summer," he said.Businesses, state push for TNInvestco expansion support
Team to coordinate biz community response
The ambassador's club
Nashville's Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Schulz recounts a trip to New York City with Mayor Karl Dean.
