Global Tennessee - Episode 010 - Ralph Schulz from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Global Tennessee co-hosts Patrick Ryan and Jim Shepherd talked with Ralph Schulz about the Nashville Chamber's role in international business, why global companies are finding good homes in the region, how Nashville makes itself attractive to foreign trade and investment, the impact of the Japan-Tennessee relationship on the city's and state's economic well-being, the "Big Stories" of 2018 in Nashville and a glimpse into the year ahead for Nashville businesses. Don't miss this episode. Global Tennessee is the Podcast of the Tennessee World Affairs Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational association. We rely on support of members and donors to sustain our global affairs awareness efforts. We ask you to become members and make a gift, and for businesses to contact us about sponsoring and participating in Global Tennessee and other community and education outreach programs that bring the world to Tennessee. Contact Patrick Ryan (931-261-2353 / [email protected]) Ralph Schulz was named president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerceby the Chamber’s board of directors in November 2006, following a 30-year career in nonprofit management, marketing and fundraising. In taking the position, he accepted a leadership role at one of Middle Tennessee’s oldest and largest business federations, an organization dating back to its founding in 1847. During his tenure, the Chamber has played a key role in helping the region emerge from the 2007 recession to a period of unprecedented growth with a business relocation and expansion strategy known as Partnership 2020. Additionally, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was the lead organization in the creation of the nationally recognized Nashville Entrepreneur Center and the passage of a public referendum supporting construction of the Music City Center convention facility. Since Schulz has taken on the role of president and CEO, the Chamber has also led the movement to improve public school performance through the creation of the Academies of Nashville, established the Moving Forward initiative to ensure the creation of a regional transportation solution through a cohesive community effort and developed into a respected publisher of data on the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area with the annual publication of the Vital Signs report. In 2009, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was named “Chamber of the Year” by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), recognizing the Nashville Chamber’s organizational excellence, service to members, development of leaders and volunteers and its impact on key community priorities. The ACCE award referenced the Nashville Chamber’s role in the creation of Nashville for All of Us,a campaign made up of community leaders aligned to defeat a 2009 charter referendum which would have prohibited Nashville city government from conducting business in a language other than English. The Chamber was also praised for its creation of A Leading Edge, a broad range of programs aimed at helping Chamber members navigate the turbulent waters of the recession.