Revolution: The 120th Annual Meeting
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce will bring together the region’s business and community leaders for its 120th Annual Meeting at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
This year’s milestone arrives at a fitting moment. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the 120th Annual Meeting will explore the idea of Revolution — not only as a defining moment in American history, but as a pattern of transformation that continues to shape how we live, work and do business.
Over generations, new technologies, industries and ideas have repeatedly changed what is possible. Today, advances in artificial intelligence are among the forces driving another period of rapid change.
The Annual Meeting will consider those moments of transformation through a forward-looking lens: the courage to begin, the vision to build and the leadership to shape what comes next.
A conversation about what comes next
Headlining the Annual Meeting will be Ross Perot Jr., chairman of The Perot Companies and Hillwood and chairman of the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Perot will share his perspective on American business leadership and innovation before joining U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds for a conversation moderated by Dr. José-Marie Griffiths.
Griffiths begins her term as chair of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on Oct. 1 and will take the stage at the Annual Meeting in her new leadership role. She now serves as chancellor of Dakota State University after previously serving as the university’s president. Her career has spanned technology, research, higher education and economic development, giving her a distinctive perspective from which to guide the conversation.
Together, Perot, Rounds and Griffiths will bring perspectives from business, government, technology and education to a discussion about innovation, opportunity and the leadership required to shape what comes next.
Those ideas have particular resonance in Sioux Falls. The community’s growth has long depended on people willing to take chances on new ideas, invest for the future and work together to create new opportunities. The Annual Meeting will celebrate that spirit while looking ahead to the choices and possibilities facing today’s leaders.
Celebrate, connect and look ahead
The Annual Meeting is the Chamber’s signature gathering, bringing the business community together to celebrate the past year and look ahead.
This year’s format will allow more time for conversation and connection before the formal program begins, with live music from The Hegg Brothers Group with Andrea Ross.
The program will recognize retiring members of the Chamber Board of Directors and other volunteer leaders, celebrate Chamber and agribusiness honorees and recognize the recipients of the Vision Sioux Falls Awards and Four Under 40 Awards.
The evening will also recognize Griffiths as the Chamber’s chair for the next year and look back at the organization’s accomplishments over the past year.
With America’s 250th anniversary as its starting point, the Annual Meeting will bring together history, innovation and leadership while keeping the focus on the opportunities and challenges ahead for business and the greater Sioux Falls community.
Tickets for the Annual Meeting go on sale Sept. 8 and are $100 per person. Reserve your seat at siouxfallschamber.com.
About Ross Perot Jr.
Ross Perot Jr. serves as chairman of the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization. He is also chairman of The Perot Companies and Hillwood, the global real estate development company he founded in 1988.
Perot developed Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the country’s first industrial airport, through a public-private partnership in 1988. The airport became the anchor of AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre development in North Texas that today is home to more than 600 companies and has generated $142.9 billion in regional economic impact.
Perot also co-founded Perot Systems Corporation, serving in leadership roles including CEO and chairman of the board before the company was acquired by Dell Inc. in 2009. A former U.S. Air Force pilot, he later served as chairman of the Air Force Memorial Foundation, leading the 14-year effort to build the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Did you know? In 1982, Perot completed the first helicopter flight around the world, covering more than 26,000 miles in less than 30 days.