
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 26, 1995                   TAG: 9509260032
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PLANS REGIONAL BUSINESS LOBBY GROUP

The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce hopes to assemble a powerful business lobby in Richmond representing 44 chambers of commerce in Southwest Virginia and the state's Southside communities.

Chamber leaders, meeting in closed session last week, set a goal of expanding its lobbying efforts before the next General Assembly session starts Jan. 11.

Rob Glenn, the chamber's chairman-elect, said Monday the project would enable the region's chambers to band together as never before, while giving smaller chambers a direct voice in Richmond for the first time.

Bud Oakey, the Roanoke-area chamber's full-time lobbyist who represents the Roanoke chamber and six other chambers of commerce, could represent 44 chambers without added help, Glenn said.

``Chambers of commerce pretty much uniformly agree on business issues,'' Glenn said.

Participating chambers would pay an annual fee plus extra fees to have Oakey represent them on specific matters, Glenn said.

Jeff Gregson, a Roanoke native and capitol lobbyist since 1987, said he had little doubt lawmakers would listen to an expanded business lobby, but he wondered whether that many chambers can agree on an agenda.

``If they can start early enough and define the issues and speak with a unified voice, it could have some impact,'' Gregson said.

Another major goal of the chamber includes acting as host of an ongoing discussion on strengthening the region's economy. The 1,750-member chamber will invite to the talks representatives of the New Century Council, Virginia Tech, Downtown Roanoke Inc., the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership and local government officials.

Participants will seek ways to accomplish the objectives proposed this summer by the New Century Council for improving the area's quality of life, as well as other issues of value to business not in the New Century Council plan, chamber officials said.

In a bid to create closer ties between businesses and Virginia Tech, the Roanoke-area chamber has given a seat on its executive board to Ray Smoot, Tech's vice president for finance. Meanwhile, the chamber said it has opened its board of directors to representatives from eight area chambers of commerce and four economic development organizations in the New Century region, which includes the Roanoke and New River valleys and Allegheny Highlands.

by CNB