Several representatives from the Cobb Chamber of Commerce participated in the annual Washington Fly-In from Sept. 12 through Sept. 14. The Washington Fly-In is one of the leading legislative events for the Cobb Chamber. Attendees joined Cobb Chamber leadership to advocate a pro-business and community agenda. Slade Gulledge, government relations manager, planned a full itinerary featuring a tour of Kaiser Permanente’s state-of-the-art medical center, a tour of the Pentagon, meetings with several state congressmen and senators and meetings with national representatives.
The following individuals attended the fly-in:
| Don Barbour Regional Director, External Affairs AT&T Georgia |
Mark Mathews Mayor City of Kennesaw |
| Demming Bass COO Cobb Chamber of Commerce |
Al Martin Regional External Affairs Manager Georgia Power Company/Metro West Region |
| Tony Britton Senior Vice President & Commercial Banking Manager Community & Southern Bank |
Brian McAulay Provost Life University |
| Michael Brooks President & CEO West End Medical Center |
Kim Menefee Senior VP, Public/Government Affairs WellStar |
| Chris Carpenter Partner Peachtree Battle Group, LLC |
D. Greg Morgan Partner in Charge-Atlanta Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC |
| Pedro Cherry Metro West Region Manager Georgia Power Company/Metro West Region |
Brian Noyes Government and Public Affairs Brock, Clay, Calhoun & Rogers, LLC |
| Holly Comer CEO & Executive Director YWCA of NW GA |
Michael Paris President & CEO Council for Quality Growth |
| David Connell President & CEO Cobb Chamber of Commerce |
Malaika Rivers Executive Director Cumberland CID |
| Pam Conner Community Development Director City of Powder Springs |
Mary Lou Stephens Communications Town Center Area CID |
| Heath Garrett Georgia 360 |
Helen Story |
| Slade Gulledge Government Relations Manager Cobb Chamber of Commerce |
Dan Styf Vice President, Stategy and Business Execution Kaiser Permanente Cumberland Medical Center |
| Jim Harner Director of Operations Cobb/Douglas Community Services Board |
Steve Tanner President & CEO Arylessence, Inc. |
| James Hudgins Vice President, Senior Program Director ARCADIS |
Pat Vaughn Mayor City of Powder Springs |
| Lee Johnson VP & Business Banking Manager Wells Fargo |
Bruce Williamson Representative Georgia House Seat 11 |
| Brian Johnstone Executive Director, Government Relations Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company |
Vickie Hearn Williamson |
Georgia House Representative Bruce Williamson and his wife, Vickie, were both attendees on this year’s Fly-In. “Vickie and I want to thank the Cobb Chamber for allowing us to come along,” said Williamson. “I will be sure to encourage the Cobb County General Assembly delegation to get on board next year.”
The group began their first full day on Tuesday, Sept. 13 with breakfast at the Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center with Congressman Phil Gingrey. After an extensive tour, they met with Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss and Congressman David Scott. Senator Isakson, a native of Cobb County, joined the group for dinner that evening. After lunch Congressman Tom Price met with the group, and a Georgia Chamber Legislative Briefing was held later that day.
The Georgia Chamber Legislative Briefing, held at Madison Hall in the Library of Congress, featured Paul Ryan, House Budget Committee Chairman; Bill Miller, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Political Affairs & Federal Relations; John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Charlie Cook, Publisher of The Cook Political Report.
On Wednesday, Sept. 14 the group was able to take a tour of the Pentagon, which included a briefing on the 9/11 attack and the memorial for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 events.
Click here to view more photos from the 2011 Washington Fly-In.
Hear what people are saying about this year’s trip on Twitter through #cobbwashflyin.
