A packed State of the Chamber event looked back at two decades of connection while ushering in new leadership, international relationships and an ambitious next chapter
A diplomat, elected officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs and community advocates walked into a Johns Creek event center.
It sounds like the beginning of a joke — and State Senator Shawn Still even acknowledged as much — but the gathering was serious business.
The Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce marked its 20th anniversary with a State of the Chamber event that reflected both how far the organization has come and just how ambitious it intends to remain.
The August 5 gathering at YiFan Restaurant & Event Center combined the chamber’s annual meeting with its inaugural Confluence Business Awards, bringing together a capacity crowd to celebrate businesses, install new leadership and examine the increasingly international reach of Johns Creek’s business community.
According to a chamber press release, demand exceeded the venue’s seating capacity so significantly that standing-room-only tickets were sold. The luncheon featured red-carpet arrivals, sealed awards envelopes and a professionally produced video chronicling its year.
The full house did not go unnoticed.
Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry joked that the only bad news was the possibility that the fire marshal might hear about the crowd.
More seriously, he said the turnout reflected the “activity” and “vitality” of the chamber.
The relationship between the city and its business community, he added, is central to creating an environment where companies can launch, grow and remain successful.
Connecting Johns Creek to the world
One of the afternoon’s most distinctive voices came from H.E. Dr. Elsie Sia Kanza, ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Kanza described Johns Creek’s international connections as a form of “people-to-people diplomacy and commercial diplomacy.”
She told attendees that Tanzania is working to strengthen its private sector, attract investment and position itself as a regional hub for industries including energy, health care, transportation, logistics and critical minerals.
But her visit was not simply about introducing Tanzania to Johns Creek. Connections already exist.
Kanza pointed to relationships with companies and organizations represented in the room, including Boston Scientific, Emory University and local nonprofit and faith-based groups that have supported projects in Tanzania.
“There’s a reason why we’re here,” she said, noting the many Johns Creek residents who have traveled to Tanzania or supported programs there.
Her presence illustrated one of the chamber’s expanding priorities.
According to the chamber’s press release, business delegations from nine countries visited Johns Creek during the past year.
Incoming board chair David Dabo later made international connection a central theme of his remarks. “When we say we connect, we mean it,” he said.
He pointed to visits from Tanzania, Ukraine, Canada, Ireland and other nations as evidence that a local chamber can create relationships far beyond city limits.
For Dabo, “connect, grow and thrive” is not simply a slogan.
“Everything begins with relationship,” he said.
Growing faster than the plan
Outgoing chair Greg Powell described a chamber that has spent the past year asking a different kind of question. Rather than wondering what could reasonably be accomplished, Powell said the organization asked, “What would be possible if we refused to think small?”
That approach helped drive membership growth, partnerships and new opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
According to the chamber’s data, net membership grew 46.2%, adding 176 members, while revenue increased 41.2%. The chamber said that growth allowed it to reach a five-year strategic-plan revenue target four years early.
Chamber President and CEO Shay Foley said the organization’s goals were intentionally ambitious. Its five-year plan focused on a staff of five, $500,000 in revenue, 500 members and five-star accreditation.
Some people thought the targets were unrealistic. Foley embraced the challenge.
“If we’re going to try it, let’s try and be the best,” he said.
Mayor Bradberry told the audience the chamber had reached approximately $508,000 in annual revenue and praised the organization’s momentum. For Foley, however, the numbers are not the mission. The purpose is helping local businesses.
“We’re trying to help local businesses connect, thrive and grow,” he said. “That’s it.”
He later distilled that mission even further: “Help, help, help.”
Business and community in partnership
Bradberry used his remarks to connect the chamber’s success to the city’s broader economic development efforts. He highlighted Johns Creek’s public safety record, Town Center development and transportation investments as elements of a community designed to support residents and businesses alike.
State lawmakers also focused on infrastructure.
State Senator Still, who represents Senate District 48, detailed transportation projects funded throughout North Fulton, including work along Ga. 400, State Route 120, Waters Road and McGinnis Ferry Road.
Georgia Rep. Michelle Au described Johns Creek as a place shaped by people who have arrived from across the country and around the world.
“When you see this room and you see who’s in it and you see the level of engagement in this community, you really realize that Johns Creek is a place where people come from not just all over the country, but from all over the world to live here and contribute,” she said.
That civic engagement, Au added, can translate directly into community leadership.
Northside Hospital, one of the chamber’s original members and title sponsor of the anniversary event, represented another side of that partnership.
Kathy Galbraith, a director with Northside Hospital Forsyth, said Northside intends to do more than place its logo on chamber materials.
“We want to be involved,” she said.
The hospital continues expanding services in the area while maintaining what Galbraith described as its goal of providing “care close to home.”
Honoring the businesses that make it work
The State of the Chamber also served as the debut of the Confluence Business Awards. The honors celebrated businesses and organizations across several categories.
Boston Scientific received the Cornerstone Award as Large Business of the Year. Six Bridges Brewing was named Medium Business of the Year, while The Hooper Firm earned Small Business of the Year honors.
Clean Eatz received the Headwaters Award for Emerging Business of the Year, and PostNet Johns Creek received the Founder’s Spirit Award for Entrepreneur of the Year.
First American Bank & Trust was named Financial Institution of the Year, Fulton County received the Community Partner award and the Johns Creek Veterans Association was recognized as Nonprofit Organization of the Year.
Northside Hospital was named Ally of the Year and Estate Law Center USA was the recipient of the Wellspring Award for Chamber Values in Action.
That last award came with an unusual backstory.
A member of Estate Law Center USA had agreed to sponsor the event but asked to be removed from award consideration because receiving an honor after becoming a sponsor might appear unfair.
The chamber honored that request — technically. Then it created an award recognizing precisely the values demonstrated by the gesture: service over self, integrity and enthusiasm for the organization.
Sometimes the best way to avoid receiving an award is apparently to not demonstrate exactly the qualities an organization wants to honor.
Passing the gavel
The event also marked a transition in leadership.
Powell handed the chairman’s gavel to Dabo, who pledged to serve chamber members, businesses and the wider community. Powell said he leaves his role confident in the organization’s leadership, board, vision and momentum.
“The future of the Johns Creek Chamber has never been brighter,” he said.
Dabo responded with both gratitude and ambition.
He praised the volunteers, staff, elected officials, sponsors and members who helped produce the chamber’s record year, then made clear that celebrating past accomplishments would not be enough.
Growth, he said, means more than revenue.
It includes developing leaders, strengthening businesses, embracing innovation and preparing companies for the future.
The chamber has already begun pushing further into areas such as artificial intelligence and automation. It also operates a Small Business Resource Center available to members and nonmembers, according to the chamber’s press release.
Dabo’s message to the room was simple. “We’re just getting started.”
Twenty years after the Johns Creek Chamber began, that may be the most fitting description of where it finds itself today.
The anniversary offered plenty of reasons to look backward.
The crowded room, international visitors, expanding business relationships and newly installed leadership provided even more reasons to look ahead.
Photo gallery
