The Best of Blount Awards with comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo is here. Tickets for Thursday's show are on sale at the Clayton Center for the Arts for $30.
Listen to Frank on WNOX with Frank Murphy. 
Listen to Frank on the Sports Animal with Jimmy Hyams and John Wilkerson. 

The Blount Partnership will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veteran's Day. 

 

Join us for a pair of ribbon cuttings this week. The first is Tuesday at Compassion Counseling located at 331 W. Broadway, Maryville, at 4 p.m. The second is Thursday, Nov. 12 at Blackwood Insurance located at 903 W. Broadway, Maryville, at 11:30 a.m.

 

Additionally, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center is hosting a Business Planning Seminar on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m.-noon at the Blount Partnership, 201 S. Washington St., Maryville. Register here.

 

COMEDIAN FRANK CALIENDO TO PERFORM AT BEST OF BLOUNT AWARDS

Comedian, actor and impressionist Frank Caliendo will perform at the Best of Blount Awards on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Maryville College's Clayton Center for the Arts. All ticket sales are being handled at the Clayton Center for $30.

 

Caliendo is best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS. He is known for his impressions of Charles Barkley, NFL color commentator John Madden, sportscaster Jim Rome, comedian Robin Williams, actors Morgan Freeman and William Shatner, and United States Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

 

The Best of Blount, which focuses on the Blount County community as a whole rather than only on the business sector, celebrates those individuals and businesses that give their time and resources to make this area an outstanding place to live and work. Awards will be given for Philanthropist of the Year, Community Impact Award, Bright Future Award, Business of the Year and the Tourism Award.

 

BLOUNT COUNTY CHAMBER AWARDED 5-STAR ACCREDITATION

Good news! The Blount County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that after a comprehensive self-review, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded us with 5-Star Accreditation. This prestigious honor puts us among the top 1% of chambers nationwide. The Chamber has been 5-Star accredited since the designation was first awarded in 2005. In fact, the Blount Chamber has been accredited since 1984 and is just one of four 5-star chambers in the state of Tennessee.

 

This past year, the staff, board, and volunteers of spent countless hours completing the Accreditation process. Our task: demonstrate competency in 9 core areas ranging from finance to facilities. The result of our hard-work is evidenced by this impressive rating. But in truth, we should all be extraordinarily proud of this milestone achievement. It was a true team effort.

 

The only national program recognizing chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement, Accreditation allows us to renew, improve, and promote sound business practices, policies, and procedures.

 

Local chambers are rated Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars, or 5-Stars. State chambers are recognized as either Accredited State Chamber or Accredited State Chamber with Distinction. The final determination is made by the Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members and chamber executives from across the country.

 

BLOUNT CHAMBER MEMBERS INVITED TO FANTASY OF TREES

RSVP Becky Miller by Nov. 20 with your name, business name and chamber if you wish to attend.
 

 

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS COMING

The Blount County Chamber is participating in Small Business Saturday on November 28. It's a day to celebrate the local businesses that make our community great -- and anyone can join in, from business owners to shoppers to government officials. We also remind you shop locally on Black Friday, Nov. 27, and use local business websites to shop on Cyber Monday, Nov. 30.

 

The day was setup to help businesses with their most pressing need -- getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.

 

If your small business is interested in participating, please email Amy. We are trying to get the word out about shopping locally at the beginning of the holiday season.

 

Hear from local experts on how to succeed in your local business. Attend this FREE business event presented by Dex Media on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from noon-1 p.m. at the Blount Partnership, 201 S. Washington St., Maryville. You'll learn business building strategies, tips and techniques from your community leaders, all geared toward increasing your productivity and business success. RSVP to  Debbie Laugherty - 865.705.1762  

 

REGISTRATION CONTINUES FOR FINAL SOFT SKILLS SESSION OF 2015

It's Your Career! That's the focus of free soft skills sessions offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce that are scheduled over the next nine months.

 

Registrations are currently being accepted for "Working Smarter: Keys to Career Success," on Nov. 20. More classes will be offered in the spring, so be sure to check back for complete details.

 

With more and more millennials entering the workforce, employers have noticed many workers in a variety of professions are lacking in several areas, including problem solving, conflict resolution and critical observation. But, even though they possess the hard skills to get an interview, it's the important soft skills that will land the job and help them keep it.

 

All classes are conducted at the library located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 30 participants. Those interested must register online. A complete class description is located on the registration site. All classes run from 8-10 a.m. with networking beginning at 7:30 a.m.

 

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

 

Local owners, typically having invested much of their life savings in their businesses, have a natural interest in the community's long-term health.

 

Find what you're looking for in the Chamber Directory.

 

CHAMBER BENEFIT OF THE WEEK

Attend a free 30-minute marketing evaluation with 42nd Street Design and receive 250 free business cards. The evaluation includes website audit, overview of social media strategies, tips about effect Google marketing, advise on top 10 free directories. Call 865.382.7007 or email.

 

GOT AN EVENT OR NEWS? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT

Is your organization hosting an event in the community? Submit it here on our community calendar. If it's a tourism event, please email Ashlee so she can post it on www.SmokyMountains.org.

 

Also, please send us any news releases or good news about your business. We'd love to share it with the community.

 

REMEMBER WHEN

We'll go back to this week in 1992 when the theme song for the TV series "The Heights" topped the Billboard Singles Chart. "How Do You Talk to an Angel" was No. 1 for two weeks. Ironically, the series was canceled one week after the song fell from its peak position.