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.
If the U.S. and the Hampton Roads region want to remain globally competitive, we must look at the benefits of generating emissions-free energy. Offshore wind technology allows our nation to become competitive in the energy sector and could be a boon to the Hampton Roads economy.
If the U.S. and the Hampton Roads region want to remain globally competitive, we must look at the benefits of generating emissions-free energy. Offshore wind technology allows our nation to become competitive in the energy sector and could be a boon to the Hampton Roads economy.
We have long talked about the issues and challenges our region has faced.
Many other regions struggling with job and talent loss, city stalemates, and stagnation after the recession have also had these talks, but it’s no secret many of them have figured out how to recover and turn around their economy.
There was no single word repeated more often by Pittsburgh leaders than ‘collaboration.’ Pittsburgh’s recovery and growth has captured national attention and while elected officials and county executives do not hesitate in saying this “overnight success, was 30 years in the making,” they also look to each other for the credit of their success.
There was no single word repeated more often by Pittsburgh leaders than ‘collaboration.’ Pittsburgh’s recovery and growth has captured national attention and while elected officials and county executives do not hesitate in saying this “overnight success, was 30 years in the making,” they also look to each other for the credit of their success. Checking their egos at the door and joining forces to recover from staggering economic hardship, the Pittsburgh region began to think differently. Much of this success stemmed from merging into a united region that brings together ten counties and 130 municipalities over 745 square miles of Western Pennsylvania into one Allegheny County region. At the helm of their success is The Allegheny Conference with one administrator who oversees all the localities. Each mayor and Regional leader sit on the Conference and work together in advocacy efforts and major economic development. They speak as one voice and that voice has been heard.
The Hampton Roads Chamber is laser-focused on diversity for 2018. We’ve already hosted an inaugural diversity forum and had a successful start to the 2018 Glass series, which focuses on women in business.
The Hampton Roads Chamber is laser-focused on diversity for 2018. We’ve already hosted an inaugural diversity forum and had a successful start to the 2018 Glass series, which focuses on women in business.
When we think of examples of leaders who have changed the trajectory of their field, they often share the same qualities. Leaders that reject the status quo, that question tradition, that think less of their own reputation and more of the footprint their choices make upon the community, exhibit visionary thinking and courageous leadership. With every ribbon cutting I go to and every Chamber member’s successful grand opening, ground breaking or addition, I recognize that it is the business community that is taking the leaps of faith, and the risks that display courageous leadership and shape Hampton Roads into a region with a vision to actualize its true potential.
An efficient transportation system that meets the needs of business is key to a strong regional economy. Fortunately, in Hampton Roads we have observed firsthand the beginning of a successful regional effort to advance many of our region’s strategic transportation projects. Through the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), our region’s elected officials have identified and prioritized our region’s most important transportation projects. Funding plans and strategies for these projects have been developed by the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC). The majority of the funds being used by HRTAC to advance these projects has come from a regional gas tax and sales and use tax, which only exists in two Virginia regions; Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.
Black history month brings to mind the accomplishments and the profound influence that African Americans have had on America. Here in Hampton Roads we are rich in history and diversity and home to two of the nation’s top historically black colleges and universities. The talent and achievements of African-American business leaders can be felt throughout the region. From Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander’s victory as the first African-American mayor of Norfolk, to Suffolk native Dr. L.D. Britt, Chairman at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the first black doctor to have an endowed chair in surgery, to Barbara Ciara, WTKR-TV Channel 3, news anchor and groundbreaker in media and communications.
As we ring in a new year with renewed focus and energy, we turn our attention to evaluating priorities and commit to upholding them throughout the year. The Hampton Roads Chamber again this year will be unwaveringly resolute in our commitment to the business community and our support of initiatives for Veteran job transition. Finding talented, skilled and competent workers is an unequivocal prerequisite to a business’s success and we are fortunate to have a pool of highly skilled, dedicated, subject matter experts in our transitioning military service members. Utilizing this invaluable resource provides a unique advantage for the Hampton Roads business community.