It's coffee club week! Make plans to join us Thursday, July 30 at 7:45 a.m., at Ripley PR. Their office is located at 210 East Street which is behind the BB&T Bank on South Washington St. across from the Blount Partnership. The Partnership lot is available for parking.

 

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. They are open to anyone associated with a Chamber member business.

 

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

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

 

Think - about where you spend
Shop - Blount County
Buy - locally whenever possible

 

Why Buy Locally Owned?
Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses and service providers -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

 

SBA OFFERS A PAIR OF 1-HOUR SEMINARS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

The Small Business Administration is coming to the Chamber on Thursday, July 30 to present two 1-hour programs on " Financing Your Business the SBA Way" from 9-10 a.m. and " Understanding the Affordable Care Act" from 11 a.m.-noon.

 

Financing Your Business the SBA Way covers SBA loan options including which loan program meets a specific entrepreneurial need. The session begins with the 5 C's of credit including character, cash flow, collateral, capitalization and conditions. It then transitions to an overview of SBA's actual loan programs. Lastly, specific information will be shared about interest rates and repayment terms plus our participating lenders. Whether you are an existing entrepreneur or have given thought to starting a business, this seminar will put you ahead of the game in government guaranteed lending.

 

Certain parts of the Affordable Care Cat (ACA) are in effect. As a business owner, you will want to know how this healthcare policy impacts your business. If you are confused about the changes, costs, or your role, you should attend this workshop directed at explaining the business provisions of Health Care Reform and the Affordable Care Act.

 

RSVP to Jacqueline Merritt of the SBA if you wish to attend either or both programs. There is no fee to attend.

 

CHAMBER BENEFIT OF THE WEEK

Everyone deserves identity theft protection. Including you. Identity theft affects millions of Americans each year. Victims of identity theft can face issues such as lost job opportunities, problems with securing a loan or harassment from debt collectors. You can get the experts on your side with an identity theft protection plan. Services include access to your credit report (or consumer credit disclosure), consultations, expert restoration and more. Let LegalShield help you worry less and live more. Learn more about our Identity Theft Plans.

 

BTAP CLASS & MIXER SCHEDULED

Be sure to register you or your staff members for the next Blount Tourism Ambassador Program which is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 8 a.m.-noon at the Blount Partnership office. Later that afternoon from 4-6 p.m., there is BTAP mixer at the Courtyard by Marriott in Alcoa.

 

The class is FREE and teaches front-line employees and volunteers best practices and ensures that they understand their role in increasing tourism. Contact Deborah Nye at 865.983.2241 to register.

 

The Blount Tourism Ambassador Program is a multi-faceted program that serves to increase tourism by inspiring front-line employees and volunteers. When visitors have a positive experience they are more likely to return in the future and also share their experience with others. Everyone benefits - the visitor, the industry, the local economy, and most importantly, the front-line worker. BTAP helps your front-line increase their knowledge of the region; provides answers to the variety of questions received from visitors; and gives your front-line a chance to meet one another, learn from each other's experiences and celebrate together!

 

Food will be provided at the mixer and attendees will have an opportunity to tour the property. So, take this opportunity to meet the new ambassador's and earn points at the same time.

 

We encourage everyone to take advantage of our networking opportunities. These events are held in order to help bring our CTAs together to strengthen our knowledge of different places around our area with a first-hand experience. These educational experiences are free to you and a great way to gather first-hand knowledge to pass along to visitors.

 

SOOOIE! PIGS AND POLITICS RETURNS IN AUGUST

The fourth annual Pigs & Politics Legislative Day returns to the Clayton Center for the Arts courtyard on the Maryville College campus Thursday, August 13 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

 

This is a great opportunity for the public to visit with candidates and elected officials as they mingle in a summer pig roast setting with the community. There are no speeches; just a lot of Calhoun's BBQ, beer provided by Smoky Mountain Brewery and a live performance by the Jeff Jopling Band.

 

Elected officials will once again be serving BBQ while collecting "tips" for their respective non-profit organizations.

 

Tickets, which are $25 (public), $20 (Chamber) and $10 (kids), are available by calling 865.983.2241 or ONLINE.

 

TN ACHIEVES SEEKS MENTORS

TN Achieves is seeking mentors for the Class of 2016. 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.

 

LACE UP THOSE SHOES FOR THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS HALF MARATHON

Following a successful run last year, the Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon presented by Vacation Races returns to the Townsend area Sept. 12 at 7:30 a.m. Register online and check out the recap video.

 

The course is a beautiful run through the woods just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The course begins near Heritage High School in the Hubbard Community outside Maryville and ends in Townsend, just under a mile from the National Park boundary. The finish line is at the lot next to the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend with beautiful views of the mountains.

 

BE SURE YOUR BUSINESS IS PARTICIPATING IN SAVE LOCAL NOW

Take advantage of our newest member benefit, Save Local Now. Learn more about their digital marketing platform, and stay up-to-date on modern marketing practices with the SLN blog.

 

By being a member of our chamber you have exclusive access to SLN, a FREE member marketing platform built to maximize your online exposure (and increase sales!). The SLN platform allows you to enhance your digital footprint, create content, and share that content where it really matters: online, on social, and through email marketing.

 

If you haven't signed into your SLN account to enhance your listing, we encourage you to do so. SLN is constantly boosting SEO efforts for every member profile.

 

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
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 Register Here
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

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is a song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. The song spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1973.

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown