With one eye focused on the present and the other on the future, Jameson and the Aiken Chamber Board of Directors are fully committed to the growth and economic success of the Aiken region.
Determined to take advantage of economic and community development opportunities, the Chamber is working to position Aiken as a major player in the Southeast, the United States, and the world.
As with all well-laid plans, Jameson knows the Chamber’s vision cannot happen overnight. It takes hard work and dedication, not only on the part of the Chamber and its partners but also of the community as a whole.
According to Jameson, the Chamber of Commerce is called upon to do two things. “The first entails the short-run plans,” he says. “Being an effective business manager by providing more networking opportunities, and more training and education.”
The second involves a solid vision for the city and its residents.
“An effective Chamber must look to the future. And that’s what we’re doing,” he says. “We’re looking at Aiken in corporate terms. We’re trying to develop a product.”
Jameson breaks down the Chamber’s vision into three long-term strategies: attracting and retaining young professionals, utilizing the development opportunities created by the Savannah River Site, and using Aiken’s assets to take advantage of the nuclear renaissance occurring in America.
In 2007, determined to attract and retain more young professionals, the Chamber Board of Directors created a Blue Ribbon Panel to study the needs and wants of young professionals in order to better understand the 22-39 year old age group.
“Aiken has become a retirement community,” says Jameson. “We do a great deal to attract retirees, but we must make sure we don’t put all our eggs in one basket. If that happens, in 25 years, Aiken will be a service economy, and this will be detrimental to our city.”
“Aiken does well with young professionals who are married with kids, but we want to improve our standing with singles and married couples without children. We decided to create a task force to look across the country and see what other cities are doing.”
He adds, “As a smaller community, we are one of the few taking ourselves seriously.”
Jameson also believes Aiken must take advantage of the economic and community development that the Savannah River Site offers. Three years ago, the Savannah River Laboratory became a National Laboratory – one of twelve in the country.
“This changed the scope of research tremendously,” says Jameson. “The lab now can do research for all agencies of the national government, such as the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security.”
“The Savannah River National Lab can be an incubator for entrepreneur development, and there are numerous entrepreneurial opportunities that will come from the lab. As it gains national respect, the question is: Will Aiken be ready for spin-off opportunities? In order for our community to take advantage of this, Aiken must have the right resources in place.”
Jameson foresees Aiken playing a major role in America’s nuclear renaissance.
“As the interest in nuclear energy grows, the thought is that the Southeast will be the greatest benefactor in regard to jobs and investment because of the Savannah River Site,” he says. “We have an incredible concentration of talented engineers and technicians with nuclear backgrounds.”
In fact, Aiken has the largest population of experienced nuclear engineers in the Southeast.
“We need to figure out how to position ourselves, so this opportunity does not move away from us because we are a smaller community. We need to talk about this. We need to look at how to partner with businesses and organizations to ensure this opportunity does not pass us by.” He adds that the Chamber plans to announce a Blue Ribbon Panel to study this issue in 2008.
While distinct, these three strategies for the future of Aiken are intertwined. The success of one greatly affects the others and relies on community discussion and involvement, strong leadership, and, most importantly, action.
“These are the things that twenty-five years from now – the seeds we are planting now – will begin to bloom,” says Jameson. “No one will know who worked on it, or who was involved, but they will know that the community leaders and planners knew that they were setting Aiken up for a brilliant future.”
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