Athletes from 204 countries showed off their great perseverance, gave their very best in a play fair environment and achieved amazing results by breaking 38 world records during the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, held in Beijing this summer. Another amazing performance was Beijing’s economic growth. The Olympics propelled both economic and infrastructural development. Expectations are that the Beijing economy will continue to be developed with emphasis on the high-tech, financial, culture and service industries. Vision and long-term strategies to create an environment for economic growth was critical to creating prosperity in Beijing. Creating an environment to grow individual wealth and economic prosperity is the long-term objective of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the South Carolina Chamber remained focused on issues to help move the state forward.
During the 2008 legislation session, the Chamber saved South Carolina businesses more than $510 million. A number of important initiatives were passed. Details are available in the 2008 Legislative Year-In-Review	After conducting a nationwide search, the South Carolina Chamber Board of Directors found the next president and CEO, Otis Rawl  He is home-grown, knows the legislature and is the right person to help the Chamber achieve its vision of increasing per capita income.	The Chamber celebrated the 25th Anniversary of South Carolina Business Week  by establishing the S. Hunter Howard, Jr. scholarship, a $5,000 scholarship given to an outstanding student, in honor of retiring CEO Hunter Howard, who served the Chamber for 17 years.
In partnership with Newsplex  and the University of South Carolina, the Chamber offered Converging Communications classes to its members to learn how to use the technology that is changing the way people communicate.	This year the South Carolina Chamber tracked key business roll call votes and tallied them to determine an overall score for each member of the General Assembly. The South Carolina Chamber Scorecard  included votes on key issues such as illegal immigration. After the compromise on illegal immigration was passed, the Chamber offered a workshop for members and published a book to help businesses understand the new law.	The Chamber moved into a new era of communications. Based on an in-depth communications audit, the Chamber implemented a new, interactive membership database and launched a user-friendly, multi-media Web site. A key feature is Palmetto Marketplace  , a B2B site that provides easy access to Chamber member company information, products and services. Customers worldwide can connect with featured companies.
Pinnacle members, those who pay $5,000 or more, reached an all time high of 132 companies.	For the first time, the Chamber endorsed business-friendly candidates. The results are impressive. In the general race, 88 percent of the Chamber-endorsed candidates won election to the SC General Assembly. Even more impressive than that, 85 percent of the Chamber-endorsed candidates in open seat races won election.	The Chamber continued to help implement the Education Economic Development Act, also known as Personal Pathways to Success by helping launch the 12th and final Regional Education Center (REC). The purpose of the RECs is to better prepare South Carolina’s workforce by coordinating and facilitating the delivery of information, resources and services to students, educators, employers and the community.
In 2008, 108 organizations supported GEAR Up, a program to increase awareness for undergraduate programs in 17 schools along the I-95 corridor. Seventy-two mentors and 120 tutors volunteered numerous hours, which equated to $1.4 million dollars in in-kind contributions.	The Chamber and the Silver Crescent Foundation agreed to combine their award programs to host a luncheon honoring and recognizing South Carolina’s manufacturers on September 22, 2009 at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology in Florence.
Larger View	Larger View	Larger View
One person, one organization cannot complete a vision. It takes a dedicated team effort. The Olympic Games would not have been a success without thousands of volunteers. The Chamber will only be successful in improving prosperity if businesses become members and get involved. Start today by joining the Chamber’s Grassroots Team, and get involved in 2009.