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It's time for
coffee club, a monthly networking event put on by the Chamber. So join us this Thursday, Aug. 27 at the
Boys and Girls Club of Blount County 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.
Don't forget about the
Blount Tourism Ambassador Program mixer. If you graduated from the program or what to see what BTAP is about, come out Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott in Alcoa. We'd love to see you there.
"The Dialogue," which is a brief Q&A with a new Blount County Chamber member, features Elizabeth Ross, vice president at
ECS Central, PLLC. Check out the feature at the bottom of this email.
TASTE OF BLOUNT IS ALMOST 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. You can also experience a NEW beverage area for $10.
Twenty-one 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, Miss Lily's Cafe, Rocky's Jamaica Sunrise, Roland's Bistro, Ruby Tuesday, 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 at
www.BlountChamber.com.
SOFT SKILLS SEMINARS
 It's Your Career! That's the focus of eight 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.
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.
Registrations are currently being accepted for the first three classes with the inaugural class entitled "Time Management Techniques to Improve Your Productivity at Work" set for Sept. 18. This class aims to help people gain techniques and tools to help them manage their time effectively and increase their overall productivity.
The other classes with open registration are "Can You Have It All? Achieving Work-Life Balance for Business and Personal Success" and "Working Smarter: Keys to Career Success," are set for Oct. 16 and Nov. 20, respectively.
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
An argument for buying local is that it enhances the "velocity" of money, or circulation speed, in the area. The idea is that if currency circulates more quickly, the money passes through more hands--and more people have had the benefit of the money and what it has purchased for them.
Why Buy Locally Owned?
It's simple. When you buy local more money stays in the community.
CHAMBER BENEFIT OF THE WEEK
Did you know the Chamber has two meeting spaces located in its building? The board room has a capacity for at least 60 people, while a conference room that can accommodate 15 is also available. Check out the
meeting room facility form for more information.
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 |
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
This week in 1985, "The Power of Love," by Huey Lewis and the News and written for and featured in the 1985 blockbuster film
Back to the Future gave the band their first number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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| The Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News |
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