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It's another busy week around the Chamber. First off, take in the
Women in Business luncheon meeting with Sharon Hannum at Cooper's Restaurant inside the Airport Hilton, today at noon. The topic is "Personal and Professional Communication Strategies."
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, be sure to come out to the
New Member Social at
Buffalo Wild Wings in Hamilton Crossing beginning at 3:45 p.m. All Chamber members are invited to meet the new members and network.
Finally, on Friday, Aug. 21, Alcoa City Manager Mark Johnson will deliver the
Alcoa City Briefing on priorities, the budget and the vision for the community's future. The meeting is set for 8 a.m. at the Blount Partnership board room.
 "The Dialogue," which is a brief Q&A with a new Blount County Chamber member, features Tony Saddy, owner and certified personal trainer at Get Fit Maryville. Check out the feature at the bottom of this email.
BRING YOUR FORKS AND NAPKINS 'CAUSE TASTE OF BLOUNT IS HERE
 A tasty way to sample flavorful cuisine is back for the 14th consecutive year as
Taste of Blount, hosted by the Blount Partnership and the city of Maryville and sponsored by MK Russell & Abbott, Citizens Bank of Blount County, Clayton Homes and Partners Development, is being held at the Theater in the Park in Maryville (across from the Blount County Courthouse) Thursday, Sept. 3 from 6-8 p.m.
Nineteen restaurants, caterers and gourmet grocers are participating this year's event. They include: Apple Valley Country Store & Cafe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Calhoun's, Chadwick's Churn, Chick-fil-A Hunter's Crossing, Dead End BBQ, Dominos, Hilton Knoxville Airport, Honey Baked Ham, Full Service BBQ, Jet's Pizza, Kroger of Maryville, Lambert's Southern Pies & Bake Shop, Lemon Grass of Maryville, McAlister's Deli, Rocky's Jamaica Sunrise, Roland's Bistro, Smokin' Joe's Bar-B-Que and Vienna Coffee House.
Advance tickets, which are $25 for chamber members, $30 for the public and $15 for students 17 and under, are available at the Chamber office (201 S. Washington St., Maryville, Tenn.), by phone 865.983.2241 or
online. Also gain access to a NEW beverage experience for $10.
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
Local ownership of business means residents with roots in the community are involved in key development decisions that shape our lives and local environment.
Why Buy Locally Owned?
Choices!: A wide variety of independent businesses, each serving their customers' tastes, creates greater overall choice for all of us.
CHAMBER BENEFIT OF THE WEEK
 Are you looking for a great company that can help increase your presence in the online world? 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
[email protected].
BTAP CLASS & MIXER SCHEDULED
 Be sure to register you or your staff members for the next
Blount Tourism Ambassador Program class
which is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 1-4 p.m. followed by a BTAP mixer from 4-6 p.m. 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.
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 |
Aug. 20 |
Google-ize Your Business |
11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Register Here |
| Chamber |
Sept. 24 |
Starting a Business |
9 a.m.-Noon Register Here |
| Library |
Sept. 29 |
Email Marketing |
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Register Here |
| Chamber |
Oct. 8 |
Google + |
11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Register Here |
| Library |
Oct. 22 |
Growth Wheel - Ownership & Management |
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Register Here |
| 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
We are jumping in our
way back machine to this week in 1965 when Sonny and Cher topped the Billboard Music Charts for three weeks with their hit, "I Got You Babe." The song was featured as one of the greatest duets of all times by both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazine.
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| Sonny & Cher - "I Got You Babe" |
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