The Dinner 2026 - Greater Reading Chamber Alliance

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, May 1

The Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) invites you to buckle up and get ready for takeoff at its 113th Annual Dinner. Join GRCA as it welcomes Mike Massimino, former NASA Astronaut, as its keynote speaker. Massimino will present “Be Ready for the Future: Change is Inevitable, Accept and Embrace It.”

The Annual Dinner will honor and celebrate the remarkable businesses of Greater Reading through its Business Excellence Awards in Category 1 and Category 2.

The Dinner is the largest gathering of business leaders in Berks County. Network with more than 700 business neighbors a cocktail hour and enhanced photo opportunities.

I want in!

Mike Massimino

Former NASA Astronaut, Columbia University Engineering Professor

Mike Massimino is a spacewalker from the final two Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions, where he and his crews traveled faster and higher than any other 21st‑century astronauts and enhanced Hubble’s discovery power a hundredfold. He performed the most intricate repair ever attempted in space, set a team record for cumulative spacewalking time on a single shuttle mission, became the last person to work inside Hubble and was the first person to tweet from space—all after overcoming years of rejections and even a medical disqualification on his path to becoming an astronaut.

Beyond NASA, Massimino has appeared widely on television, including “The Big Bang Theory,” hosting Science Channel’s “The Planets and Beyond,” commenting on Discovery’s “Space Launch Live,” and featuring on National Geographic’s “One Strange Rock” and Netflix’s “Worn Stories,” along with regular appearances on major morning shows, late‑night TV and news networks. He is the author of “Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible,” which distills lessons from spaceflight into practical guidance, as well as the New York Times–bestselling “Spaceman” and its award‑winning young readers edition.

Keynote Speech

Be Ready for the Future: Change is Inevitable, Accept and Embrace It

Companies go through reorganizations and changes to grow their business and prepare for future opportunities in the changing marketplace. Often these transformations are met with resistance by team members who are happy with the way things are, but leadership needs to clearly communicate the benefits of these changes to gain buy-in. Massimino relates changes in the space program to changes in today’s business world. During his career, NASA pivoted from working independently to embarking on global partnerships with the space faring countries of the world including Russia, and commercial partnerships with private space companies. Leadership made it clear that although many would be uncomfortable with these changes, they were needed to secure the future of space exploration, improve international relations, and stimulate a new space economy. Massimino encourages audiences that although they may have an initial reluctance to accept change, they should embrace it as an opportunity for future greatness and success.

Examples of Mike Massimino Speaking

Massimino uses humor and his unique storytelling ability to inspire audiences to identify the passion in their work, to use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, to provide leadership in the face of adversity and crisis and to never give up when pursuing a goal.

An Astronaut’s View of Space

Keynote at Salina Area Chamber of Commerce

I want to hear from Mike!

Each year at the GRCA’s Annual Dinner, we recognize the growth and vitality our member companies represent through the Business Excellence Awards. Nominated companies are ranked according to annual revenue growth – those with $1M in annual revenue for the past three years and those with $250K in annual revenue for the past three years.

Nominations are due Friday, March 7.

Submit A Nomination