FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2022
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MEDIA CONTACT: Samantha Ruark
Communications Manager
(703) 525-2400 ext. 205
Event photos can be found here. |
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Arlington Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 2022 at 98th Annual Meeting |
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ARLINGTON, VA - On Friday, December 9 the Arlington Chamber of Commerce held its 98th Annual Meeting at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel. The event, which was sponsored by Comcast, is a key event for the Arlington business community and celebrated the Chamber's accomplishments of 2022, and looked ahead at what's to come in 2023. The event included the presentation of the Chamber's prestigious Chair's Award, President's Award, and Committee of the Year Award and a keynote speech from Randy Clarke, General Manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
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From left: Kate Bates, Arlington Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Randy Clarke, General Manager and CEO of WMATA, and Beth Borowski, CNA and Arlington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chair
Photo by Alex Sakes Photography
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Randy Clarke highlighted the successes and challenges that WMATA faces. He opened by addressing the recent incents on the metro, saying, "I want to reassure everyone that there is nothing I think more about every single day than the safety of our staff and our customers, It is the paramount thing that I think about all day, every day, and value in our organization." As the new CEO he has already faced many challenges, but has also seen several successes for WMATA within the past year. One of the accomplishments is the recently opened Silver Line Extension, a project he said was sixty years in the making. "We've had 77,000 entries at those six stations just in the first three weeks of them being open. It's a great connection for our region that really fuels the economy."
When it comes to the future of WMATA, Clarke says, "This congressional delegation is the best in the nation when it comes to transportation, and we are thankful to work with them." Exciting future plans from WMATA include more Yellow Line service on the Virginia side, more service on the Orange Line, a number of bus line redesigns including the 16M line which connects Columbia Pike to Crystal City Metro, and the second entrance at the Ballston and Crystal City stations. "The future of WMATA is being invested in safety, state of good repair, modernization, and a low-income fare program. We are pursuing all of those things, trying to make a solid metro that is the backbone of this region."
In addition to the Keynote address, Arlington Chamber 2022 Board Chair Beth Borowski of CNA and President & CEO Kate Bates highlighted a few of the Chamber's top achievements of 2022, including their business advocacy efforts, increased membership numbers, successful events, and introduction of a 401(k) Retirement Program for Chamber members.
"2022 has been a year of change for the Arlington community, including our business community," said Kate Bates, Arlington Chamber President & CEO. "The Arlington community has continued to evolve throughout the year. We are proud to celebrate the end of a productive year thanks to our members, committees, sponsors, partners, and staff."
The Chamber also recognized several organizations and individuals for their support of the Chamber and Arlington community. The Committee of the Year Award was presented to the Chamber's Education and Workforce Development Committee, chaired by Dr. Liza Durant of George Mason University, for their work in highlighting hospitality, healthcare, and technology workforce needs. Ryan Brown of Arlington Law Group received the Chair's Award for their dedication and support of the Chamber during the process of launching the Chamber's Foundation which will be used to expand community programs. Rick Reinsch of Digital Recollections received the President's Award for being a consistent champion of the Chamber through his involvement with the Ambassador and Gala committees.
The Chamber's Chair for 2023, Tina Leone of Ballston BID, introduced the 2023 Board of Directors and Executive Committee, including the announcement that David Kinney of the Clarendon LLC will serve as the 2023 Chair of the Chamber Board of Directors.
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ABOUT THE CHAMBER
Founded in 1924, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit membership organization of more than 750 businesses committed to strengthening businesses and the economic environment for those who work, live, and do business in Arlington. The Chamber supports our members through networking, advocacy, professional development, and community engagement. For more information or to become a member, visit www.arlingtonchamber.org.
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