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It's hard to believe June is half over. Where has the time gone? Regardless, there's still plenty of Chamber events before we reach the midway point of summer.
Today at noon, Sharon Hannum leads a great discussion at the
Women in Business dutch treat lunch held at Cooper's Restaurant in the Airport Hilton. The topic for this meeting will be "How to Apply Basic Change Principles for Your Business or Team." These lunch meetings allow women to share best practices and discuss issues relevant to their work. So come out and get involved with the many successful women business leaders in Blount County.
 On Friday, June 19, from 8-9 a.m., the
City of Maryville will hold a briefing presented by Twin City Motors and First Tennessee Bank at the Blount Partnership boardroom. Local government leaders will discuss priorities, budget challenges and their vision for the future for our community. The briefings provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen and build new partnerships between members of the business community and local government officials.
 Next week is busy as well with our fourth
Cash Mob set for Tuesday, June 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. at
Roost Home in Downtown Maryville. The first 60 people will be choosing a gift from a table of home accessories!
 Finally, mark your calendar for Thursday, June 25 as
K12, Inc. is hosting the monthly
coffee club at 7:45 a.m. Coffees are designed to offer our members the opportunity to build business relationships with other members and to gain exposure for their business or organization in an "open house" setting.
iREACH SEEKS PARTICIPANTS
 As administrators in the Maryville City Schools prepare to deploy 5,000 devices to students in all grades this summer as part of the iREACH initiative, a partnership has developed between the schools and the Chamber to provide a directory of free Wi-Fi throughout Blount County. Blount County, Alcoa and Maryville Directors of Schools are encouraging businesses and other community organizations to sign-up through the Blount Partnership and share Wi-Fi with students who may not have access at home.
While some businesses already have Wi-Fi available to patrons at restaurants, coffee shops, medical offices, or churches during regular business hours, they may not have full access in the parking lot or green spaces. As part of the Free WiFi Zone campaign, businesses are asked to consider expanding Wi-Fi into the parking lot and green spaces for students to use after hours.
The free Wi-Fi partnership is a win for education and the community. The hope is that business owners, pastors, administrators and managers of organizations throughout the county will register their place of business in support of great teaching and learning in Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County.
You can sign-up to participate or just view the Free WiFi directory from the Chamber by linking to
www.bcwi-fi.com.
tnACHIEVES SEEKS MENTORS
 The mentor application for the tnAchieves Class of 2016 is open! While returning mentors do not need to complete the mentor application again to serve, we ask that you take a few minutes to share the following link (
www.tnachieves.org/mentor-application) with your family, friends, and co-workers. We simply cannot recruit the mentors needed without you!
We want to ensure every student in our community has a local resource as they transition from high school into post-secondary and thank you for your commitment and support.
EXPLORE ORNL
Explore ORNL is a unique opportunity to discover the world-class capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including: Transportation Technologies, Material Characterization, Neutron Imaging, Sensors, High Performance Computing, Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, and 3D Printing.
Learn more and
register here by July 3.
BE SURE YOUR BUSINESS IS PARTICIPATING IN SAVE LOCAL NOW
 The Blount Partnership is thrilled to announce Save Local Now, our newest FREE member benefit! We at the Blount Chamber chose to partner with Save Local Now for many reasons. Here are the top three:
1. Save Local Now brings our community a proven "Buy Local initiative.
2. Save Local Now provides our members with free digital marketing tools.
3. Save Local Now offers our members effective time management solutions.
Chamber members can use Save Local Now to create, manage and analyze their very own digital marketing campaigns. Bundled together on one single platform, Save Local Now includes live business listings, deal and event publishing, email marketing, iPhone and Android apps, social media sharing, SEO, and real-time analytics. After receiving an activation email, members of the Blount Chamber are eligible to create unlimited digital marketing campaigns using the Save Local Now platform.
For consumers, Save Local Now (
www.savelocalnow.com) is a website and iPhone and Android app that gives people access to exclusive offers from their favorite businesses. Locals and tourists alike can use Save Local Now to access deals, events and savings where they shop, eat and play from any browser on any device. Access local deals, events, and promotions by visiting savelocalnow.com, or by downloading the free SLN app on your iPhone or Android. Saving money and buying local in Blount County has never been easier.
GET TICKETS FOR HOPS IN THE HILLS
 The inaugural Hops in the Hills is coming to downtown Maryville, June 26-27. It will be a yearly craft beer festival celebrating the science and agriculture of the region.
Many craft brewers will be on hand to offer samplings of their beers. In addition, there will be two seminars on "The Growing of Hops" and "Craft Beer 101." Trent Gillard from Hellbender Hops, will be on hand to educate about the growing of hops. In the later, attendees can learn brewing from some of the best experts and brewers in our area, as well as the art of crafting a fine brew.
DOWNLOAD THE BLOUNT PARTNERSHIP APP
 As a gateway to the Smoky Mountains, Blount County is home to some of America's most spectacular views and breathtaking scenery, ranking high among Tennessee's 95 counties in tourism activity. If you are looking to locate or expand your business, you have found the ideal solution. The Blount Partnership-as a cooperative effort between three of the county's key development organizations: Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Board and the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority-promotes economic growth and stability, fosters community development and enhances the overall quality of life.
Use this free app to access news and to navigate the Blount Chamber economic development information, member business and upcoming area events for Blount County. The app also links you to the Blount Partnership websites and social pages.
Search for Blount Partnership at the iTunes and Google Play app stores or download here:
Apple |
Android
FREE BUSINESS OPERATION WORKSHOPS
 The Blount County Chamber of Commerce and the Blount County Library have partnered with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center to present free business operation workshops on Google, social media, business marketing and planning, starting a business and government contracting for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Workshops are held at the Blount County Chamber, 201 S. Washington St., Maryville, TN, and at the Blount County Library, 508 North Cusick Street, Maryville, TN. Participants are free to bring their own lunch.
For more information or to attend any of the following workshops, participants are asked to register by clicking on the Training tab at
www.tsbdc.org.
| Location |
Date |
Seminar Topic |
Time |
| Chamber |
June 25 |
Getting Ready to Go to the Bank-Business Planning |
9 a.m.-Noon Register Here |
| Library |
Aug. 6 |
Growth Wheel - Business Processes |
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Register Here |
| Chamber |
Aug. 20 |
Google-ize Your Business |
11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Register Here |
| Library |
Sept. 10 |
Growth Wheel - Choosing Employees |
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. |
| Chamber |
Sept. 24 |
Starting a Business |
9 a.m.-Noon |
| Chamber |
Oct. 8 |
Social Media |
11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. |
| Library |
Oct. 22 |
Growth Wheel - Ownership & Management |
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. |
| Chamber |
Nov. 12 |
Business Planning |
9 a.m.-Noon |
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
Famous for its inclusion in the film
The Graduate Simon and Garfunkel topped the Billboard Singles Chart this week in 1968 with "Mrs. Robinson." The song became the duo's second chart-topper and was the first rock song to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1969.
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| Mrs. Robinson - Simon and Garfunkel |
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