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GACCE SDC
2017 STAFF DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE  
Denise Ryan
Join us in Cartersville in March
Make plans to join us Thursday & Friday, March 30 & 31, 2017 at the LakePoint Complex in Cartersville. This conference is geared toward Chamber Executives and your professional staff members. We are excited to have Denise Ryan with FireStar Speaking as our featured speaker.  Our agenda will also include sessions that cover the following industry topics: Community Branding, Alternative Membership Options, Selling for Success, Developing Entrepreneurs, Sponsorship Development, and Chamber Apps & Marketing Tips.

Click the button below to register for the event...
GACCE DAY at the CAPITOL  
Capitol Photo
Join us in Atlanta on February 21 for GACCE Day 
We would like to invite you to join the GACCE Board of Directors at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 21 to celebrate GACCE Day.  We will meet in Room 125 at 9:00am, and we'll hear updates from Chris Clark, President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber, have a group photo with Governor Nathan Deal, and hear from Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Please click the link below to RSVP for the event...
GACCE SCHOLARSHIPS & SERVICE AWARDS
GACCE Awards
Application Deadline is Tuesday, February 28 
GACCE is proud to announce that 28 scholarships are being made available to our membership for the 2017-18 fiscal year. For more information on how to apply for a scholarship, please click here.

GACCE is also excited to announce a new program - GACCE Service Awards - where we will recognize our professional staff members for each 5-years of service to the chamber industry. If your staff member is celebrating a 5, 10, 15, etc. milestone year in 2017, be sure to click here to nominate them for an award.
GACCE WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVES  
Macon County
Gerald Beckum
Executive Director
Macon County Chamber
Montezuma, GA 
Quitman
Kelly Hanks
Executive Director
Quitman-Brooks County Chamber
Quitman, GA
ASSOCIATE MEMBER UPDATES  
Citslinc
Are you curious about the trips to China that your chamber peers keep talking about? Find out what all the fuss is about by attending the next Chamber Professional Free Inspection Trip! There are 2 dates scheduled for this trip in 2017 - April 1 or October 5. Click here for your registration form, and contact your GACCE Executive Director, Tiffany Fulmer Ott, for more information.
Georgia CEO - Logo
Fayette County has recently achieved several notable accolades and awards, and the best may be yet to come.
CLICK HERE for the full article.
GDEcD
GA Small Business Week has a date change! It is now March 13 - 17, 2017. As you  know, we moved the ROCK STARS awards luncheon from February to March, mainly for two reasons:  1) that third Monday in February is a holiday for a lot of people and 2) there always seems to be an ice event during that week! We thought we'd keep GA Small Business Week in February but soon realized that we do want the ROCK STARS event to kick off the week as it always has in the past.  So to that end, GA Small Business Week will now be the third week of March and in 2017, those dates are March 13-17. The ROCK STARS luncheon is March 13.

If you have already planned something in support of your local small businesses during February, no worries!  We will continue to post your activity on our website throughout February and March, just to even out the transition.
 
So please send us your activity so we can fill the site with exciting news from all over Georgia:  
www.georgia.org/smallbusinessweek  
GPEE
The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education's Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2017 report is now available. The publication identifies and analyzes key topics that will be the subject of discussion throughout the year. Each section ends with suggested action steps needed to move the state's public education system forward. This is the 11th edition of the report that is widely used as an education policy resource across the state. This year's publication looks at recurring themes such as funding and early education but looks at new subjects such as "Student Mental Health - Time to Take Center Stage," and "No Opportunity School District - What Now?"  The organization will provide one free copy upon request. The report is also available for download at the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education web site.
POWER 10
POWER 10 is pleased to announce and welcome its two newest campaign directors, Samantha Rein and Jeanne Drake Ward.  Samantha, an Emory Law School graduate, worked at Cisco Systems, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, the Georgia AG's office, and Troutman Sanders before joining POWER 10.  She is currently managing a funding feasibility study for two-time POWER 10 client, Johns Creek Advantage. Jeanne, an Emory graduate who holds an M.S.W from City University of New York, is a 20+ year nonprofit leader, strategic planner, trainer, and entrepreneur, who worked as a Senior Consultant for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits before joining POWER 10.  She is currently managing a $14M capital campaign for The Howard School in Atlanta.
Microsoft
National Entrepreneurship Week - Microsoft and You! 
Microsoft purchased the rights to the National Entrepreneurship Week URL last year and has committed to building this to be on par with American Express Small Business Saturday. This year National Entrepreneurship Week will be held February 20-24th. Microsoft, in collaboration with others, are joining together to shine a spotlight on Entrepreneurs. Throughout the week, a variety of events, resources and offers are provided to help Entrepreneurs launch, grow and succeed! 
 
Now the opportunity for you as Chambers is that you can opt into Microsoft's National Entrepreneurship Week programming and promote it to your membership. To take advantage of this it will requires a few things.
  1. Visit https://www.wininbizweek.com/ and review National Entrepreneurship Week. On the home page is a good video from Microsoft's SMB VP, Cindy Bates.
  2. Navigate to https://www.wininbizweek.com/about-contact and fill in the interest form. (Microsoft will reply back to you with additional information and a no cost Participation Agreement.)
  3. Fill out that agreement and return it to Microsoft so you can be included in the activities and document your participation in the Microsoft Community Connections program.
  4. Register any Entrepreneurship Week Events and receive a FREE event kit with software to raffle off! (www.mscommunityconnections.com)           
GACCE MEMBER UPDATES  
Augusta Metro Chamber
The Chamber is seeking a new Director of Workforce Initiatives. For more information, please see the GACCE Job Page .
Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber
The Chamber is pleased to announce the hiring of Velvet Clay as our new Membership Director.
Columbia County Chamber
The Chamber is currently accepting resumes for the position of Vice President. For more information, please see the GACCE Job Page .
Dawson County Chamber
The Chamber has expanded its staff by hiring a Marketing and Events Director, Davida Simpson .
Tommy Cook
Eatonton-Putnam Chamber
Tommy Cook has been named the new Membership Manager for the Chamber. Tommy graduated from Georgia College with a Masters in Business Administration in 2010, and started his career in economic development with Georgia College's Digital Bridges. During that time he worked closely with the Milledgeville Baldwin Chamber, Downtown Development Authority and Convention and Visitors Bureau on a variety of community development projects. He quickly developed a passion for this line of work, and the opportunities it provides to meet and help amazing people.
Fayette Chamber
The Chamber celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 14 at a gala event. The highlight of the evening was recognizing one of the founding members, Carolyn Clay, who was in attendance. To promote the Chamber's history and its impact on Fayette County, the Chamber produced a video. The Chamber also received proclamations from Fayette County, the five municipalities and the Fayette County School Board and resolutions from the Georgia House and Senate.
Georgia Greater Black Chamber
The Chamber was recently introduced to DeKalb County in January at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center. Commissioner Larry Johnson was the keynote speaker.
Greater Hall Chamber
The Chamber is pleased to announce three new hires in 2016: Mandy Lathem, VP of Membership Events; Christen Wilbanks, VP of Membership Sales; and Andi Harmon, VP of Education. The Chamber also has an opening for a Project Director in Economic Development. For more information, please see the GACCE Job Page.
Griffin-Spalding Chamber
After 20 years of service, Bonnie Pfrogner will retire as the Chamber's Executive Director at the end of February. Bonnie is a past GACCE Board Member and the recipient of the 2008-09 GACCE Executive of the Year Award.
Newnan-Coweta Chamber
The Chamber is pleased to announce that Cynthia Bennett has been named the new Director of Programs.
Taylor County Chamber
Chamber Director Amanda Haynie has been named the Vice President of the Presidential Pathways Travel Association for 2017.