Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce President Leah Bolin speaks to a gathered crowd at the Chamber's Converging for Success victory party.

The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Converging for Success” campaign has met its $1.75 million goal, and plans for the continued growth and development of Cullman County are underway. 

The Chamber invited business leaders and officials to a reception Tuesday to celebrate the success of the fundraising campaign that began last December.

Chamber officials also outlined some of the work done over the past year on the proposed five-year plan and what goals they have set for the future. 

“It was your faith in the process and the belief that change can create great things for our future,” Chamber President and CEO Leah Bolin said to investors.

Fred Mickelson, a senior partner with Texas-based firm Funding Solutions, also thanked local leadership for their support in helping develop the initiative. 

“Your candor and your can-do mindset were key to making the goals and objectives on target with the issues you told us were important for the Chamber to lead,” he said. “Bottom line: ‘Converging for Success’ is truly your plan.” 

There are four key initiatives for the plan: Community Development, Existing Business Growth and Professional Business Sector Recruitment, Entrepreneurship and Education and Business and Community Advocacy.  

Bolin presented a progress report on the community development initiative in Cullman and in surrounding areas, including the connection of sidewalks in downtown Hanceville and improvement of roads and culverts in Good Hope. 

Brian Poole, the Chamber’s director of business development and community relations, spoke about the plan’s Existing Business Growth and Professional Business Sector Recruitment initiative. 

He said one of the main things that he will be looking at is the number of people in the area who are out-commuting for work, and why they live here while working in Huntsville or Birmingham. 

“This is a problem not only for us, but all over the place,” he said. 

Part of that study will be finding ways to bring in more employees and making sure that companies are able to retain those employees and keep them in Cullman, he said. 

Chamber Director of Entrepreneurship and Education Wesley Smith spoke about the plan’s third initiative, Entrepreneurship and Education while touting the EPIC young professionals group and the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. 

EPIC, or Emerging Professionals Impacting Cullman, gives young professionals a way to meet each other, whether for networking, seminars or just a meetup after work, Smith said. 

“With an aging workforce in Cullman, it’s very important that we keep young professionals in our town or do all we can to bring them home after college,” he said. 

EPIC currently has around 50 members, and a membership drive is planned for early 2018, Smith said. 

YEA, or the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, is a year-long business program available for students at Cullman and Holly Pond High Schools.  

“With YEA, teaching young students how to start a business, they are likely to do so in Cullman,” he said. “This will go a long way towards talent retention, and instead of recruiting talent, we’re now creating it.” 

Tim Culpepper, chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, rounded out the overview of the initiatives. 

The committee, which travels to Montgomery and Washington D.C. to advocate for Cullman, currently has two projects that will be the focus in the near future — the completion of AL-157 and bringing in broadband internet. 

AL-157 needs to be completed to help alleviate traffic and develop more businesses in the area, and a steering committee is being formed to help it along,” Culpepper said. 

“It’s not only an economic development project and an infrastructure project to help business, it’s also a public safety issue,” he said.

Broadband will also be necessary for the expansion of business development and improvement of the quality of life in the area, he said. 

Jason Grimmett, campaign co-chair, closed out the evening with a recognition of the success that has already been made and a look to the future. 

“As you can see, we’re already making great progress towards our five-year goals, and we’re just getting warmed up,” he said. “We have a lot of work left to do.”