Sign up today for the 2012 Intercity Study Mission to Atlanta-Savannah, May 15-18!

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the 2012 Intercity Study Mission to Atlanta-Savannah, and we invite you to join a senior-level delegation of business and civic leaders as we explore this innovative and remarkable region.

Why Atlanta-Savannah?

• Ports and International Trade

  
  The expansion of the Panama Canal threatens to shift jobs and cargo away from the Puget Sound to ports in the Gulf states, particularly to the Port of Savannah. We’ll learn how Savannah is preparing for this game changer, and what we need to do to ensure our international trade sector stays competitive and continues to thrive.

• Jobs and the Economy

  
  We’ll learn how Atlanta has cultivated one of the hottest job markets in the undisputed engine of the ‘New South’, and a hub for dozens of corporate headquarters like CNN, UPS, CocaCola, Delta Air Lines and AT&T.

• Transportation Funding

  
  We’ll learn how Atlanta’s business and civic leadership rallied together around a proposal for a balanced, multi-modal transportation funding package that goes to voters in late 2012, and we’ll learn about expansion plans for Atlanta’s extensive light rail system.

• K-12 Education Reform

  
  We’ll learn how innovative standardized testing and career-path STEM training helped Georgia schools win the $1 million, national Broad Prize for overall achievement and receive $400 million in federal money as a “Race to the Top” winner.

• Global Health and the Life Sciences

  
  Marketing itself as the ‘Innovation Crescent’, Atlanta has attracted rockstars like the Center for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society and convinced its two major universities—Georgia Tech and Emory—to join forces and create the number two bioengineering program in the US.

• Higher Education Support

  
  Georgia’s commitment to higher education is unrivaled in the US. Free tuition is offered to any high school student that maintains a B average, and Georgia boasts a funding pool to attract the best talent and equipment to Georgia colleges, and one of the best commercialization programs in the country.

• Multicultural Business

  
  Atlanta is still home to many key leaders and organizations of the historic civil rights movement, but now it’s also become a mecca for young, highly educated and tech-savvy multicultural entrepreneurs, particularly African-Americans. We’ll learn about programs and initiatives that are helping to accelerate these companies.

• Aerospace Workforce

  
  We’ll learn how aerospace companies are working with policy leaders to ensure Georgia’s students are learning the right skills to fill the aerospace jobs of tomorrow.

What you can do

Sign up today! You can register online or contact our registrar, Larry Pike, at (206) 289-7215 to secure your spot.

This year's study mission takes place May 15-18. We'll be in Atlanta from May 15-17, and in Savannah from May 17-18. Trip registration is $2,900 and includes hotel, meals, ground transportation, meeting and event materials. Please note that airfare is not included.