RALEIGH - More than 200 business leaders and elected officials will participate in discussions on Wake County and Raleigh “hot button� issues at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s annual planning conference on Wednesday, August 23, at the Grandover Resort (One Thousand Club Rd.) in Greensboro.

Discussion topics will include a Blue Ribbon report, global competitiveness, the rapid growth of the Wake County Public School System, transportation, and other economic development issues.

At 9 a.m., the conference will begin with a Blue Ribbon report, followed by “Is the World Flat, and What Do We Do About It?� by Dr. Andrew Brod, Director of Business and Economic Research and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

At 11 a.m., a panel discussion on positioning our region for global success will include the following: Doug Aitkin, Vice-President of Global Strategy at the World Trade Center - North Carolina; Duane Long, Chairman of the North Carolina China Center; Jeffrey Carlisle, Vice President of Compliance and Government Relations at Lenovo Group; Suzanne Burns, Vice President and General Manager of Eaton Power Quality Corporation.

At 12:30 p.m., Curtis Media Group’s Phil Zachary will interview city and state officials about issues facing Raleigh, Wake County and the State. Tony Gurley, Vice-Chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners; Patti Head, Chair of the Wake County Board of Education; N.C. Sen. Neal Hunt (R-Wake); and N.C. Rep. Jennifer Weiss (D-Wake) will participate in the discussion.

At 1:45 p.m., Dr. Del Burns, Superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, and Bill Atkinson, President and CEO of WakeMed Health & Hospitals and Co-Chair of Friends of Wake County, will talk about the growth of the school system and the steps that need to be taken to prepare the next generation for global competition.

Reporters interested in covering any of these presentations or the conference may contact Amanda Williams at 919-664-7080 or awilliams@the-chamber.org.

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is the Triangle’s largest non-profit business membership organization made up of over 2,800 member firms representing 70 percent of the private sector employment in Wake County. The Chamber has been representing the interests of the local business community since 1887.