Blount Partnership News &amp;amp; Events

We are so grateful to have members like you in our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.

Read our 67th installment of The Dialogue at the bottom of this email where we visit with Jennifer Goodrich, president of Crestcom.

If you or someone you know is looking for a job, please check out www.BlountAreaJobs.com. Additionally, if you need employees, please utilize the job board to advertise your open positions. Click here to get started.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

The Blount Chamber's 97th Anniversary Celebration is coming on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Airport Hilton. Be sure to get your tickets for $100 by calling 865.983.2241. Also, check out the sponsorship brochure and become part of this tremendous celebration.

So join us for this trendy event that gives the business community the opportunity to entertain clients while making connections within the county. With a live band, a menu of heavy hors d'oeuvres along with games taking place in a casino-type atmosphere, it will be a night to remember.

Providing the entertainment is Jessie's Girls which combines the stylings of a five-woman live national party band backed by a four-piece ensemble with two horns and a pair of disc jockey's churning out dance hits from today and yesterday.

Additionally, attendees have the opportunity to participate in interactive casino-style games and get a take home a souvenir photo with an on-site photo booth.

SIGN UP FOR NEXT SOFT SKILLS CLASS IN JANUARY

Registrations are currently being accepted for a free soft skills session set for Jan. 27 entitled, "Tips for Public Speaking." Whether you're naturally shy or love hanging out with a crowd, learn how to effectively capture an audience and inspire action.

All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. Those interested must register online at www.blountchamber.com/community/soft-skills. 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.

The other classes offered include Managing People & Personalities, Tips for Public Speaking, Hiring Good Employees, Motivation and Burnout, Time Management and Managing Change in the Workplace.

GET YOUR JANUARY MEMBER-TO-MEMBER PROMOTIONS IN

Please get your January member-to-member promotions in. We have nearly 50 merchants participating, so check them out and send in yours. Check out the December member-to-member promotions. New offers are being posted weekly, so check out the Blount County Chamber of Commerce Member-to-Member promotions online. This Member-to-Member Promotional Program offers you and your company the opportunity to market your products and services to the membership.

Here's how it works:
1. Submit a PDF of a service, product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.
2. An email with all the promotions will be sent out on the final Monday of every month to our member database.
3. All promotions will be posted on www.BlountChamber.com

KEEP CALM AND HOLIDAY ON

Any small business owner knows how stressful the holiday season can feel. December comes around, and it becomes hard to participate in the holiday spirit amidst the hustle and bustle of the fourth quarter. Here are a few guidelines to staying sane during this busy time: Read more

Learn more about marketing your small business in a digital world, ask questions about social media, and take the time to discuss future campaign ideas. What are you waiting for? It's free with your chamber membership. Schedule your FREE session today.

If you have any questions regarding your free digital marketing member benefit ( Save Local Now), your digital platform, or online marketing in general please reach out the Blount Chamber's Rachel Coffman.

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

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

Customer service is more personalized, hands-on and noteworthy from smaller businesses.

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

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

"The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles topped the Billboard Music Chart this week in 1970, a position it held for two weeks. This song was an international multi-million seller and a 2002 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.

	Events

	Dec. 19-25 December 19-22 -- Coats for the Community @ Blount County Public Library December 19-24 -- Blount County Habitat for Humanity Gift Wrapping at Foothills Mall December 19 -- Medic Blood Drive at Blount County Public Library December 20 -- Moe's Alcoa Percent Night for WB Lady Govs Softball December 21 -- Affordable Care Act Health Care Enrollment @ Blount County Public Library December 23 -- Recovery Revolution at RIO Revolution Dec. 26-Jan. 1 December 27-31 -- Coats for the Community @ Blount County Public Library December 30 -- Recovery Revolution at RIO Revolution December 31 -- Family Storytime @ Blount County Public Library Save the Date January 5 -- Afternoon Mixer at PCS January 26 -- Coffee Club at Regions Bank You can access the entire calendar here to see other community events and submit your own.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So here we go with our 67th installment visiting with Jennifer Goodrich, president of Crestcom which provides management & leadership training.

What exactly does Crestcom do? We help business become more profitable by training their managers & supervisors to lead teams more efficiently.

How did you get started? I have a passion for business and have a personal mission to save the world from boring & mundane training seminars. I spent 15 years in marketing & new product development for Fortune 500 companies and 5 years in marketing & new product development for small, nimble companies.

Who is your mentor? My father started his own business at the same age I did. He taught me to dream big, stay humble and "Serve to Survive!"

Describe your customers. Companies or organizations with 10-500 employees. Each of our classes give Continuing Education Credits for Engineers, Architects, Project Managers (PMI), CPA's, Financial Managers, Nurses, and Long-Term Care Administrators.

How do outside environments impact the business environment? Companies experiencing growth (due to changing economic, political &/or technological conditions) love the Crestcom program because it gives its leaders the skills to manage dynamic and unpredictable growth. Companies experiencing a soft market (due to changing economic, political &/or technological conditions) love the Crestcom program because it gives its leaders the skills to drive efficiency and cost savings.

Name three things you wish you knew when you started. #1. Expand more quickly... You can't do it all yourself. #2. Find a smart and scrappy social media expert. #3. Don't be afraid to say NO to the wrong type of customer.

What do you enjoy about the business? I love seeing TANGIBLE changes in businesses that participants boast about each month. I love blowing the minds of managers in these seminars (who think they've signed-up for a "regular" run-of-the-mill experience)

View previous Profiles

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