It's afternoon mixer week at the Blount Chamber. Get out of the office after work and unwind with us on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 3:45 p.m. at Brackins in Downtown Maryville.It is under new management and a non-smoking facility.

 

HELP RESTORE WAR MEMORIALS

Plans are being made for to restore the three Blount County War Dead Memorials on the lawn of the courthouse and turn the area into a lovely plaza. No government funds are going to be used for this project, so our community is raising the funds. The dedication is planned for Memorial Day, 2016.

 

If your company is interested in supporting the fundraising efforts to help honor our veterans, please visit www.blountwarmemorial.com to become a sponsor. The architectural renderings, the benefits of each level, and additional information about the memorial can be found on this website.

 

Sponsorship levels are: PLATINUM LEVEL: $25,000, GOLD LEVEL: $10,000, SILVER LEVEL: $5,000, BRONZE LEVEL: $2,500

 

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. Chamber members can get their discounted tickets for $25 until Oct. 26 by calling the Chamber at 865.983.2241 or clicking here. General public tickets are also available 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.

 

DRESS UP IN YOUR COSTUME AND JOIN US FOR PRIMETIME

It's a Spooktacular Party at Primetime presented by US Cellular.
Primetime will be here on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 4-6 p.m. at Maryville College's Alumni Gym. Admission is $15. Don't forget to bring a door prize.

This Halloween-themed event is your best opportunity to meet many Chamber members from all sectors of the community in one location. Use this event to network and meet new people in the business community!

To get your tickets or sign up to give away door prizes please call the Blount Partnership at 865.983.2241 or email [email protected]

Come network at the largest networking event in Blount County.

 

FALL MOUNTAIN HOME TOUR

Fall colors and majestic mountain vistas are guaranteed when you join the fun November 6, 2015, for the 5th Annual Fall Mountain Home Tour sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center Women's Guild. Two stunning Laurel Valley mountain homes and the top-rated Smoky Mountain Richmont Inn are this year's featured properties.

 

The Fall Mountain Home Tour will begin at The Barn Event Center in Townsend. The tour consists of a lovely luncheon with a glass of wine provided by Cades Cove Cellars and bus transportation to the featured homes for guided tours. Bus departures begin at 9 a.m. and luncheon reservations can be made from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on the half hour. The Heritage Center Guild presents the Home Tour to raise funds for the continuing development of the Heritage Center and its extensive educational programs. For all the details visit the home tour website.

 

Order your tickets today by calling the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center at (865) 448-0044.

 

HAPPY HAUNTING FROM OUR SAVE LOCAL NOW PROGRAM

Now that it's officially October, we're here to encourage you to create Halloween specific promotions using your Save Local Now digital platform. Seven out of 10 consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information available on a social media site, so don't be a scaredy cat! Share your posts to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ AND your email list directly from your platform! Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls may be popping up around town before you know it.

 

TIP: When you're creating posts for your business on SLN, make sure to use some SPOOK-tacular vocabulary when naming them. "Slashing prices," "Eat, Drink and be Scary," and "Lend Me Your Ear" are just a few examples.

 

TRICK: Appear in more places by using trending hashtags in your posts. #TrickOrTreat, #HappyHalloween, #HalloweenIsComing, and #HappyHaunting will get you started.

 

Save Local Now is a FREE member benefit. Your digital platform includes the four main components of online marketing: content publishing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and social media sharing. Contact Rachel Coffman for more information.

 

REGISTRATION CONTINUES FOR TWO SOFT SKILLS SESSIONS

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 "Can You Have It All? Achieving Work-Life Balance for Business and Personal Success" and "Working Smarter: Keys to Career Success," on Oct. 16 and Nov. 20, respectively.

 

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 business anchors the neighborhood infrastructure and supports the city and county tax base. Because they don't outsource, dollars are recycled back into the community. This adds value to the neighborhood by increasing its income.

 

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

 

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.

 

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	Oct. 8	Leverage the Power of LinkedIn to Grow Your Business	11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Register Here
Library	Oct. 22	Growth Wheel - Ownership & Management	11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Register Here

 

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

"Another One Bites the Dust" was a worldwide hit for Queen as it topped the Billboard Hot 100 this week in 1980. The song is credited as Queen's best selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies, and ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All-Time Top Songs.

Queen - "Another One Bites the Dust"