"The Downtown BID has been at the frontline of the homeless crisis for more than a decade, providing leadership and partnering with agencies, businesses, and organizations to make a difference because it’s the right thing to do,” said Richard H. Bradley, the Downtown BID’s executive director. “We look forward to making continued progress in fiscal year 2011 and beyond. ” 

Streetcar Support
Richard Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID and president of DC Surface Transit, Inc. (DCST), testified in support of streetcars at a DC Council hearing on November 17. Along with city leaders from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Office of Planning (OP), he urged Council members reviewing the city’s updated Streetcar System Plan “to continue the momentum achieved thus far on the DC Streetcar system and become true partners in making it successful.”

The Committee on Public Works and the Environment is assessing the plan, which details strategies to design, construct, and operate the proposed 37-mile, eight-line system across DC’s eight wards. The Council must approve the general streetcar system plan and the more detailed streetcar line now under construction along H Street/Benning Road.

City officials believe streetcars will spur economic development and make it easier for DC residents to move between neighborhoods to access jobs, shopping, and other destinations. Both DDOT and OP say a $10 billion to $15 billion increase in the value of existing and new development along the streetcar line will boost the city’s tax base. DCST, a nonprofit that includes the Downtown BID and its organizational partners, agree that streetcars can positively and dramatically impact community and economic development.

Downtown Gets Festive
Looking for the perfect holiday gift or simply set on fleeing to a festive, winter wonderland? Have we got a gem for you! The sixth annual Downtown Holiday Market goes into full swing on Friday, December 3 and runs through Thursday, December 23, from noon to 8:00 pm between 7th and 9th Streets, in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and National Portrait Gallery.

This year nearly 180 rotating artisans and exhibitors, averaging about 50 per week, will sell unique and quality crafts, fine art, jewelry, pottery, clothing and photography. Selections will include handmade knits, Peruvian art, handcrafted soaps, contemporary jewelry and European textiles. Also available, specialty foods that will make ideal hostess gifts and absolutely fabulous live entertainment, from jazz, swing and blues to reggae, a cappella and bluegrass.

Last year’s market attracted 150,000 shoppers, some of whom purchased Downtown Holiday Market Dollars—gift certificates that can be used at this Market—for the hard-to-please type on your shopping list.

The Downtown BID produces the Market annually in partnership with Diverse Markets Management. This year’s media partners include WAMU 88.5, The Washington Examiner and WASH-FM. For more information about this year’s Market, click here.

Cherry Delight
Have a thing for cherry-infused items? Spread holiday cheer this season with unique gifts from the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Seasonal items include the 2010 collectible Festival ornament—a glass, hand-painted limited edition ornament with beautiful blossoms—jewelry, and home goods from the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, and Give-A-Tree cards from the Arbor Day Foundation depicting the Festival. Every card you send helps bring American national forests back to life by planting a tree in honor of the recipient. To place orders, click here. Proceeds from all gifts support various National Cherry Blossom Festival programs.

A Downtown Original
The Downtown BID extends condolences to the family of Jose Vega, a former Safety/Hospitality SAM Supervisor who died last month following a long illness. Vega was an “original” Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance (SAM) employee, and was a supervisor for most of his 13 years with the BID.  A treasured member of the SAM Program, he assisted several thousand people over the years and was a member of a specially trained team of 12 SAMs known as the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST). He retired from the BID in September. “Mr. Vega was the pinnacle of what the SAM Program is all about,” said Everett D. E. Scruggs, the Downtown BID’s operations director. “The SAM Red ran through his veins. He was a pioneer and will forever be remembered by the Downtown BID.”

Beyond the Norm
The October SAMs of the Month have more than six years of experience among them: Safety/Hospitality Team Member Denise Macklin and Maintenance Team Member Anthony Davenport.

Denise Macklin joined the SAM Hospitality team in February 2006. Her dedication and common sense approach to problem solving and job assignments makes her a valuable asset to the entire SAM program. Part of the coveted “Green Team”--comprised of some of the most proven members of the SAM Program--she meets and greets Downtown workers as they arrive to work in the morning, flashing her brilliant smile and impressing them with her pristine appearance. She is also a member of the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), a specially trained cadre of SAMs dedicated to homeless outreach on the street, and is often called upon to conduct Safety/Information fairs in Downtown office buildings. A multiple SAM of the Month winner, Macklin is an extremely outgoing, dependable, and exemplary employee.


Anthony Davenport came highly recommended when he joined the Maintenance SAMs in 2008, after serving as a volunteer for the BID-sponsored Downtown Holiday Market. He is a member of the 9:30 am to 6:00 pm maintenance crew. He has a tenacious work ethic and no problem “stepping up” when his supervisor is absent. Davenport thoroughly understands the SAM Maintenance operation and how important the final shift of the day is to maintaining Downtown’s aesthetics. Not one to complain, he often seeks constructive criticism of his work efforts and always strives to exceed expectations.
Congratulations to both SAMs!

CityCenter DC, the 515,000 SF Hines/Archstone mixed-use development, is expected to deliver in 2013.

The report, which provides an overview of the major development and construction projects in DC, tracks activity as far back as 2001 and focuses on the office, retail, residential, hospitality, and education sectors and features development hot spots. Over the past 10 years - from the beginning of 2001 through August 2010 - 820 DC development projects have been completed, totalling 113 million SF, with an estimated value of $30 billion. Another 89 projects, totalling 11.2 million SF and $5 billion, are under construction. The near-term pipeline is 98 projects, totalling 17.8 million SF and $5.9 billion, several of which have broken ground since August 2010.

Several Downtown projects, developers, and architects are featured in the report. Among the top Downtown BID area office pipeline projects cited are the US Commerce Department’s Herbert Hoover Building (Phase II) located at 14th Street & Constitution Avenue and scheduled for delivery in 2011; CityCenter DC, the 515,000 SF Hines/Archstone mixed-use development, expected in 2013 and also listed as a top retail and residential pipeline project; and the Lafayette Building (811 Vermont Avenue), the $226 million General Services Administration (GSA) renovation due in 2016.

The Marriott Marquis, the convention center hotel (901 Massachusetts Avenue), made the top Downtown hospitality pipeline project list, while New York University’s 75,000 SF Constance Milstein & Family Academic Center slated for 1307 L Street made the top education list. In addition, Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street) was named one of the city’s most active private developers with 18 projects. Eric Colbert & Associates PC (717 5th Street) was among the most active architects with 37 projects.

A section devoted to green development notes that by the end of 2012, DC will have more than 100 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified projects-including 44 Silver, 40 Gold and nine Platinum buildings. DC’s Green Building Act of 2006 is fueling the number of LEED projects by requiring any nonresidential project or post-secondary educational buildings undergoing new construction or substantial improvements to meet LEED certification standards beginning in 2012, for properties 50,000 SF or more. Two of 27 completed projects with LEED Gold or higher certification cited in the report are Downtown: 700 6th Street and 901 K Street. Only one of 10 projects under construction with LEED Gold or higher certification is located Downtown, 733 10th Street.

A Banner Year
Dominating the limelight since September is Douglas Jemal, president of Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street). A longtime Downtown BID Board member, he received one of our 2010 Momentum Awards for Downtown Citizen last month for preserving historic structures and creating an array of commercial retail establishments not seen in Downtown in recent memory. Jemal and his company are multiple Momentum winners, having received five other awards since 2001 for making Downtown more vibrant, inviting and smart.

Other accolades have also come his way recently. In October, Washingtonian magazine named Jemal one of “45 Who Shaped Washington from 1965-2010.” He was cited for using “his cash to buy and preserve community gems all over DC,” and was praised for working with others to preserve the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (600 I Street) and old Woodward & Lothrop building (1025 F Street) and renovating and renting out the storefronts along 7th and H Streets, as well as promoting retail over office buildings across the region.

In September, Shaw Main Streets, the non-profit organization concerned with revitalizing the 7th and 9th Street commercial corridors in Shaw, named Jemal “Development Partner of the Year” for his tireless efforts reinvigorating the area. This year alone, Jemal lured Carmine’s (425 7th Street), Forever 21 (1020 G Street), Pret A Manger (1155 F Street), Crumbs Bake Shop (604 11th Street), Lou Lou Boutique (950 F Street), Amorini Panini (906 F Street), and Fro-Zen-Yo (1006 F Street) to the Downtown BID area. Anthropologie (950 F Street) is set to open this spring.

Trading Hands
Tishman Speyer, a leading real estate behemoth, has reportedly acquired 1110 Vermont Avenue for more than $130 million, or about $427 per SF. According to media reports, the company purchased the 20-year-old, Class A office building from Perseus Realty. Perseus renovated and repositioned the 305,000 SF property after buying it for $82 million in 2005. It refinanced the property in 2009, securing $103 million. The building is 83% occupied and includes Starbucks, Tompkins Builders, Young & Rubicam, StreamSage, Lockton and, coming next year, Lincoln Restaurant. The building features a 24/7 security attendant, an on-site property manager and engineer, and a tenant-only fitness facility.

Non-Profit Expansion
Habitat for Humanity, the affordable housing builder, will lease 5,800 square feet (SF) of space at 1424 K Street. According to the Washington Business Journal, it’s joining other non-profit organizations, such as the United Way, the National AIDS Fund, and Partners of the Americas, in the newly renovated building.

The National Endowment for Democracy, a grant-making organization focused on strengthening democratic institutions worldwide, is leasing more space in the old Woodward & Lothrop building at 1025 F Street. It will grow from 50,000 SF to 65,000 SF. The 496,000 SF building also houses the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office and the Glover Park Group, a strategic communications firm. Douglas Development Corporation (702 H Street) owns both properties.

Meanwhile, another non-profit organization will move into the Downtown BID this month. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) a non-profit citizens’ group, is moving its headquarters to 777 6th Street, an 181,000 SF Class A office building. NPCA has signed a 10-year deal to occupy 32,979 SF of space. NPCA’s new neighbors will include The American Association for Justice and Cooley Godward Kronish LLP.

Restaurateur Alan Popovsky (right) and designer Maggie O'Neill.

Rolling in the Dough
Say hello to District of Pi, the award-winning deep and thin crust pizza restaurant, which will move into 6,500 SF of space at 908 and 910 F Street in the spring. The pizza restaurant is part of the Missouri-based Pi Pizzeria chain known for its deep-dish cornmeal crust and gluten-free fare. It also serves appetizers, salads, and desserts. Look out for Pi Truck DC, the restaurant's mobile pizza truck opening next spring. For more information, click here. 

Restaurant Row
After 24 years, La Prima (427 11th Street) has closed its doors. Chef Enzo Fargione of Teatro Goldoni fame will open Elisir, a contemporary Italian fine dining restaurant, in the space this spring. The lunch menu will feature fish and meat and house made sausages, cold cuts, and fresh pastas. For dinner, diners will have a choice of two prix fixe tasting menus and a seasonal a la carte dish. Expect an extensive wine selection and a partially open kitchen with high, circular glass panels. Elisir will seat 90 patrons in the dining area, up to 25 at the bar and accommodate 20 in a private room. The restaurant will share the same 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue building now occupied by TenPenh and Central Michel Richard.

Cupulate Sweetness
There’s nothing crumby about Crumbs Bake Shop (604 11th Street), which opened the first of five DC shops last month to much fanfare and hosted a 1,000 cupcake giveaway just days later. The New York-based shop’s menu includes taste, classic, and signature size cupcakes. The six-inch signature cupcake is as big as a, uh, cake! For more information, click here.

Down but Not Out
A fire forced M & S Grill (600 13th Street), a popular Downtown dining spot, to close temporarily in October. We’re glad to report the restaurant  will reopen for lunch, dinner, and happy hour on December 3. For more information, call 202.347.1500 or click here.

Excitement in the Air
City officials, developers, and others gathered for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the $520 million Washington, DC Marriott Marquis last month. Destination DC (901 7th Street), the city’s official convention and tourism corporation, said the occasion is an important first step toward creating a more compelling convention package for major associations and corporations and will help boost the city’s $5.2 billion meetings and tourism industry. Once the hotel is completed in 2014, it will generate $30 million to $50 million in local tax revenues.

The Convention Center headquarters hotel—which will have 1,175 rooms and more than 100,000 SF of function space, including a 30,000 SF grand ballroom and two, very important, junior ballrooms of 10,800 SF each—will span almost the entire block between 9th and 10th Streets and L Street and Massachusetts Avenue and be tied together with an enormous atrium skylight. Now that the 1.2 million SF project has moved forward at least 10 groups are already in serious negotiations to book space at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place). In addition, the number of “priority one” events, which book a minimum of 2,500 room nights, will likely increase 60% to 75%.

History in Our Backyard
Clara Barton’s work during the Civil War will be on display when her former residence and Missing Soldiers Office at 437 7th Street is turned into a museum next year. The National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, is negotiating with the General Services Administration (GSA) to use the space, which was rediscovered in 1996 when the building was scheduled for demolition. Back then, more than 2,000 artifacts were uncovered.

The Museum, a non-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to preserving and researching the legacy of Civil War medicine, plans to showcase artifacts and use images, sounds, activities, and information to tell the story of the building's rediscovery and Barton’s life while she lived there. Barton was a famous nurse and first president of the American Red Cross. She ran the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army at the site from 1865 to 1867, handled more than 63,000 letters, and helped determine the fate of more than 22,000 men.

Changing Times
It was bound to happen. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street) and its 23 neighborhood branches now allow users to pay fines and fees online using a Visa or MasterCard, once they log into their catalog account. Cash is no longer accepted at neighborhood libraries, although checks and money orders are still welcome. By the way, all DC public libraries will be closed on Friday, December 3, for staff training. All books, CDs and DVDs due on that day can be returned on Saturday, December 4, without incurring late fees—so no need to carry that checkbook! For more information, visit www.dclibrary.org.

More Street Eats
The mobile food vendors keep coming. The latest food trucks rolling around Downtown and DC: CapMac, Fojol Bros. of Benethiopia, and Dangerously Delicious Pies. CapMac specializes in mac and cheese, as well as chicken parm meatballs with ziti. Fojol Bros., already busy with a truck selling Indian cuisine, launched DC’s first Ethiopian food truck last month. It’s a real experience, one replete with spicy stews, squares of spongy injera (bread), and a sink where you can wash your hands, which you’ll need to scoop up the food with the injera. Dangerously Delicious Pies, the store, is the first DC restaurant to launch a food truck. The 100% homemade desserts are made using only fresh ingredients and include chocolate peanut butter chess, chocolate coconut chess, and pulled pork BBQ pies.

Preserving the Past
Congratulations to the Downtown winners of the Eighth Annual Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation, who walked away with three of 18 awards presented by the DC Office of Planning’s Historic Preservation Office. Several individuals, businesses, and local organizations were honored for their exemplary work and commitment to historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and public education.

Innovative Neighbor
Blackboard, Inc. (650 Massachusetts Avenue), a leading provider of education and learning software, teamed with Barnes & Noble to transform the way millions of college students study. The companies integrated the free Barnes & Noble NOOKstudy eTextbook reader application into Blackboard Learn™, the Web-based teaching and learning platform. Among the enhancements wrought by the partnership: teachers can streamline e-textbook assignments and digital course content that students can access and purchase online, and assign specific readings within assigned materials pointing to the exact location in NOOKstudy where they are available. As for students, they can go straight from Blackboard Learn to the assignment and begin reading and studying. With NOOKstudy, they’ll have access to multiple pieces of online course material, which they can highlight, tag with searchable terms, take notes on, and customize, helping them save time, stay organized and study smarter. Who knew?

All About Business
Argelia Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of the DC College Access Program (1029 Vermont Avenue), is the only Downtown woman named one of 25 honorees in the Washington Business Journal’s 2010 Women Who Mean Business awards. She heads a non-profit organization that encourages and enables public high school students to enter and graduate from college and is recognized as one of the most influential women in the metropolitan Washington area. We would also like to give a shout out to Elizabeth Price, president of the NoMa BID, which works closely with the Downtown BID to transform neighborhoods and bolster the city’s overall economic well-being. She was also named an honoree. Congratulations, ladies!

The Future Is Here
Earlier this year, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) solicited information about ways the city could design a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Well, the first curbside electric car charging station is now here—at the Franklin D. Reeves Center on 14th Street—and organizations in and around the metropolitan Washington area interested in receiving free public charging stations are encouraged to sign up for this new transportation technology. Drivers can also visit the website to suggest other public locations where the chargers can be installed. For more information, click here.

Thanks in part to federal stimulus funds, California-based Coulomb Technology, a leader in fueling the electric transportation industry, is now giving away EV chargers to area residents and businesses through its Coulomb ChargePoint America program and will provide 4,600 charging stations in nine regions, including DC, by October 2011. The goal is an admirable one—to accelerate developing and producing EVs to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gases and create jobs. The Downtown BID encourages Downtown business owners to take the leap and install the charging units in their buildings to make this technology easily accessible to workers, residents and visitors.

LEEDing the Way
The General Services Administration (GSA) is delivering on President Obama’s pledge to increase sustainability and energy efficiency across government. The agency recently upgraded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements to Gold certification, as a minimum, for all new federal building construction and large renovation projects. Updates to GSA’s Facility Standards will reflect this change by yearend. The agency’s leased properties will remain at LEED Silver certification for new construction lease projects of 10,000 SF or more. At the request of tenant agencies, LEED for Commercial Interiors is optional for leases in existing buildings. For more information, click here.

Honoring Excellence
The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) is now accepting applications for the second annual Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, which recognizes outstanding businesses and organizations for their environmental stewardship, innovative best practices, pollution prevention, and resource conservation. Applicants can choose to apply for the awards under one of five categories: Construction/Development, Hotel, Innovation in Green Products or Services, and Partner (for associations and non-profit organizations). Or you can apply under a general category, either Small Business or Large Business. The application deadline is January 31. For more information, contact Mary Lynn Wilhere at marylynn.wilhere@dc.gov, or click here.

Parking Options
Charge it, or toss in the coins and dollar bills. These are the flexible choices now available, or soon to be available, to visitors and residents in Downtown and other city neighborhoods. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is installing 1,150 new solar-powered, single-space meters that accept Visa and MasterCard, credit and debit cards, as well as coins and dollar bills. The “smart” meters also alert DDOT and the city’s contractor when they malfunction and are the first in a number of parking programs that DDOT will roll out over the next few months to provide more convenient and efficient parking systems. The city has been testing several new technologies, including pay-by-phone, in-car metering, and occupancy sensors. The first two options are coming soon to a location near you.

Circulating Information
Interested in keeping tabs on the popular DC Circulator bus service? The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) just made it easy. A new website allows riders to peruse information on routes, ridership, finances, performance data, and more. Dashboard information and data will be updated monthly and is accessible by downloading Microsoft Silverlight. Enjoy. For more information, click here.

Hop a Ride
Discount travelers to New York and other locales along the Eastern Seaboard, listen up. Megabus, the low-fare motor coach operating from the CityCenterDC site on 10th Street between H Street and New York Avenue, will add 10 new routes beginning December 15, making DC its fifth and lucrative travel hub. Some of its new destinations: Richmond, Virginia; Boston, Massachusetts; Knoxville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Toronto, Canada. To celebrate, the company is offering 10,000 free seats for departures to and from the expansion cities between December 15 and January 15. Talk about customer satisfaction! For more information, click here.

Gearing Up for Change
The National Mall is getting a facelift. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed the final long-range plan for “America’s Front Yard” last month, paving the way for fundraising and detailed designing to help revitalize and restore the national park to its former glory.  The plan provides guidelines on how to improve the Mall, which suffers from years of neglect and dwindling resources, and took four years to refine and modify. The wear and tear from more than 25 million visitors annually has contributed to the deterioration of the historic landscape and its vistas, which also lack basic and convenient services such as restrooms, water and food.

The Trust for the National Mall, founded by Chip Akridge, the chairman of Akridge (601 13th Street), will help implement the final plan and raise a substantial portion of the $600 million to $700 million needed to renovate the Mall. The Trust is the official non-profit partner of the Interior Department’s National Park Service (NPS) and was also chosen as the beneficiary of Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity, held on the Mall in October. For more information, click here.

Meanwhile, NPS has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to assist with plans to reconstruct the Mall’s turf and soil. The turf suffers from wear and tear, the soil is compacted, and drainage, grading, and stormwater management all need to be enhanced. The EA evaluates several alternatives for turf and soil replacement and irrigation system reconfiguration and analyzes their impact on visitor use and other relevant resources.

A copy of the National Mall Turf and Soil Reconstruction EA is available, click here. Public review copies are also available at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street). The NPS encourages feedback on the EA and will accept public comments through Tuesday, December 7, by clicking here.

Floodwater Control
Construction work will begin on a new levee across 17th Street below Constitution Avenue this month to protect Downtown DC—particularly Federal Triangle—the National Mall, and portions of Southwest DC from river flooding. Who knew an existing, more than 80-year-old levee is inadequate because it relies on sandbags and jersey barriers to block floodwaters? So says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which conducted a nationwide review of flood zone maps following Hurricane Katrina. As a result, an eight-foot-high concrete wall will be built to keep the area out of a 100-year flood zone. Property owners should be happy. The new levee will prevent them from having to purchase flood insurance, estimated to run about $1,500 a year. What the levee won’t prevent: an eyesore on the national landscape.

The Taxman Cometh
If you missed the chance to pay back taxes and interest during the DC government’s Tax Amnesty program that ended on September 30, shame on you. Employed tax delinquents can expect to receive less take-home pay as early as next month, when the city will begin garnishing wages to collect outstanding taxes and interest. The limited-time offer to file late tax returns and make payments to the city was available to individuals and businesses and covered tax returns due prior to December 31, 2009. In the end, the city collected $20.8 million from more than 11,500 delinquent taxpayers. That’s $800,000 more than expected, but only 1% of the city’s projected fiscal year 2011 budget deficit.

Wednesday, December 8, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Annual Membership and Awards Luncheon
Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H Street

Join the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) as it hosts its annual membership and awards luncheon. This year’s theme is Region Forward, a vision for building an accessible, sustainable, prosperous, and livable national capital region. The keynote speaker is Robert McCartney, metropolitan affairs columnist at the Washington Post. Admission is free, but registration is required. For more information, contact Patricia Warren at pwarren@mwcog.org, or click here.

Wednesday, December 8, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
National Capital Planning Commission
Speaker Series: Beyond Granite - Global Approaches to Public Art, Placemaking, and National Commemoration
Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th & G Streets

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), the British Council and the Trust for the National Mall team up to explore how temporary art installations can prove to be powerful alternatives to national commemoration in DC and help alleviate pressure on the National Mall, open the door to more artists and project sponsors, prompt greater exploration of new and dynamic designs and materials, and bring new people into the discussion about placemaking in the public realm. Thomas Luebke, secretary of the US Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), will moderate a panel discussion. This event is free and open to the public. To register, click here.

Thursday, December 16, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
DC Chamber of Commerce
Annual Meeting and Chairman's Inaugural Luncheon
Capital Hilton
1001 16th Street

Join the DC Chamber of Commerce as it celebrates past year accomplishments and launches new initiatives at its annual meeting and luncheon. Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, is the featured guest speaker. The cost is $75 for members; $125 for non-members. For additional information, contact Annette Coram at acoram@dcchamber.org, or click here to register online.