Bryan K. Stephens is President & CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber.
Mr. Stephens returned to Hampton Roads in 2013 with extensive leadership and business experience having most recently served as President & CEO of Kalmar LLC in San Antonio, Texas; a $250M/year major manufacturer of material handling equipment. As President & CEO Mr. Stephens led the entire spectrum of research and development, product improvement, marketing, sales, supply chain management, production, quality control, distribution, and aftermarket parts, servicing and maintenance of Kalmar’s products worldwide.
Prior to Kalmar, Mr. Stephens served as Vice President of Military Programs for Allison Transmission, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana; the largest manufacturer of military transmissions in the world. Before leaving Hampton Roads, Mr. Stephens served as a Senior Account for SAIC in Suffolk, Virginia where he supported USJFCOM and U.S. Army TRADOC.
Mr. Stephens, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, served in a variety of progressive leadership roles over a distinguished 28-year career. His last assignments included Infantry Brigade Commander and Division Chief of Staff for the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Chief of Operations and Chief of Staff at the Joint Warfighting Center, USJFCOM in Suffolk, Virginia. His military qualifications include Airborne, Ranger, Pathfinder, Air Assault and Joint Staff Officer.
Coming from a military family, Mr. Stephens is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in Political Science. He also received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California.
The violence, racial tensions, ugly political discord, and yes, even the pandemic of 2020 have all unceremoniously and relentlessly transitioned into 2021 totally unencumbered. In fact, with the horrific tragedy of January 6th, they appear to be picking up steam. The collective impact on businesses and our economy has been devastating. It’s been equally detrimental to our trust and confidence in our elected leaders. It has to stop!
Welcome to Episode 1 of the Hampton Roads Chamber Chats featuring Bryan Stephens and Steve Romine
The Hampton Roads Chamber works to be a powerful economic partner, impactful advocate, inspiring ignitor, and regional collaborator.
Twice a month we will chat with a member of our Executive Committee or a regional business leader to highlight how we are living our mission and setting the conditions for businesses to succeed.
This Veterans Day, we urge you to pause to recognize the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces. And then truly honor our nation’s veterans by hiring them.
Honor Our Veterans by Hiring Them
The nation will pause at 11:11 on 11/11 to honor the men and women who served in the United States military. Parades, wreath-laying ceremonies, the playing of taps are all traditional on Veterans Day. The Hampton Roads Chamber and the Hampton Roads Workforce Council urges the business community to go further, honor our veterans by hiring them.
As the CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber, my daily mission, and my constant focus, is to look for every means possible to set the conditions for businesses to succeed and bring good jobs and economic growth to our region. That means ensuring we have a well-trained and job-ready workforce, supporting policies that will improve our transportation system, and advocating for investments in infrastructure projects that are crucial to attracting new employers and helping existing businesses expand. Infrastructure projects that increase our access to reliable, affordable supplies of energy are among the most critical that the Chamber supports. That’s why I am pleased by a recent common-sense ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States that will allow our region to take a major step forward in that effort.
The Supreme Court found that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, like more than 50 other pipelines already do, can run more than 600 feet below a one-tenth of a mile section of the Appalachian Trail with Forest Service approval. The pipeline will be installed a half-mile away from the trail on each side. No one walking on that path will even know that one of the most important economic development projects in the history of Commonwealth runs beneath the trail. Just like they don’t realize they walk or drive over dozens of pipelines every day.
Small businesses are the backbone of our Nation, our Commonwealth, and our region's economy. Often described as the "Engine that moves America," small businesses make up over eighty-five percent of our Chambers' member companies. Unfortunately, right now, they are dealing with extreme and unprecedented challenges which are quickly becoming unsustainable.
It is clear we are facing not only a health crisis but also an economic crisis.
While we are resilient and determined to overcome, we must have the courage of our elected leaders to make decisions that support and encourage the economic freedom that will enable recovery. Hampton Roads' 400-year history is a story of recovery and resilience. Together, we have successfully responded to major shocks — wars, epidemics, fires, floods, economic downturns, unemployment, and more. Our long experience in effectively dealing with adverse situations has wired us not only to survive challenging times but to come through them stronger than before. We will triumph once again but must set the conditions for success. It begins by smartly, but also expeditiously, re-opening businesses.
As we enter another week of Virginia’s State of Emergency related to containing the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, Virginia is facing an economic crisis in unprecedented proportions.
While we had serious concerns about several pieces of legislation during the 2020 General Assembly Session, the negative impact these bills will have on our business community is even more serious considering the economic devastation many businesses are facing.
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