Adrienne Cole and Michael Haley Receive Impact 50 Award

Raleigh Magazine’s Impact 50 recognized two Raleigh Chamber leaders: Adrienne Cole and Michael Haley! The duo each received acknowledgments for their leadership and impact that has touched every facet of Raleigh. Adrienne and Michael have both played a major role in the success of the community’s growing infrastructure and business recruitment. 

Adrienne Cole has been recognized as a collaborative leader throughout the community during the duration of her time as CEO of the Raleigh Chamber. Her background of Economic Development has landed her at the forefront of several significant projects throughout the city, including PNC and Red Hat’s relocation to DTR, Campbell Law School’s move to Raleigh, and Bandwidth’s new HQ. She also helped to spearhead multiple bond referendums to support Wake County Public Schools, housing affordability, transportation, and local parks. She added that “Being able to work on important infrastructure projects, as well as with new and existing companies as they create jobs and investment in our city/county is a privilege.” 

Michael Haley, Executive Director of Wake County Economic Development, is an absolute trailblazer when it comes to business recruitment, retention, expansion, and talent development in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. His leadership and advocacy have helped the city win notable named companies such as Apple, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, Gilead Life Sciences, Audemars Piguet and Pendo. In the last five years of his role, the city has gained $4.5 billion in private investment and 10,000+ jobs! The ongoing pipeline of potential jobs and investments that Michael leads continues to reinforce top monthly rankings for the metro: #1 Best Place to Start a Small Business, #2 Best City to Move to in 2024, and #1 Top Metro for Career Growth in 2024!