Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, will be the keynote speaker at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 annual meeting on April 14, at the Capitol Theatre in the Riffe Center, 77 S. High St., in downtown Columbus. The meeting will mark the second time a member of the Bush family has served as keynote speaker — former President George H.W. Bush spoke in 2003.
“We are extremely excited to have Bush as our keynote speaker,” Andrew E. Doehrel, president and CEO of the chamber, says. “Bush champions many of the same issues as the Ohio Chamber. His business and leadership experiences, along with his presidential insights for 2016, will make for an excellent presentation.”
During his two terms as Florida’s governor, Bush reformed the state’s education system. Florida raised academic standards, required accountability in public schools and created the most ambitious school choice program in the nation. Prior to serving as governor, Bush served as Florida’s Secretary of Commerce.
Besides H.W. Bush, former annual meeting speakers have included Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, Carly Fiorina, Tom Brokaw and Bob Woodward. The Ohio Chamber prides itself in hosting influential and thought-provoking speakers.
“We want our annual meeting to be the meeting that Ohio business leaders make it a point to attend each year,” Beau Euton, vice president of membership says. “Bush continues that tradition for us.”
While the exact timing of the day’s events are still being worked out, the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award will be presented at the meeting, and the legislative reception will take place immediately following the meeting.
“Because we are expecting a large turnout for our annual meeting, we have moved the legislative reception to the Sheraton Hotel (formerly the Hyatt on Capitol Square),” Euton says.
The ticket price of $125 covers the cost of the annual meeting and the legislative reception. Registrations were accepted starting in February. There will be special pricing for local chambers of commerce and their guests.
“While we are still ironing out the details with Bush, we wanted all of our members to know that if they are making plans to come to Columbus to network with their elected officials and other business leaders, April 14 will be the day to do it,” Doehrel says. “All of the members of the Ohio General Assembly will be invited to attend the keynote address and the reception. The theatre holds 900 people and we expect to sell out.”
This year’s presenting sponsor of the annual meeting and legislative reception is Ohio Chamber Champion member Squire Patton Boggs. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Euton at [email protected] or by visiting www.ohiochamber.com/events/annual-meeting.
