GACCE MISSION
The mission of GACCE is engaging, educating, and empowering chamber professionals.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST

How to Improve Your Finance Skills (Even if You Hate Numbers) 
Rebecca Knight for Harvard Business Review     
 If you're not a numbers person, finance is daunting. But having a grasp of terms like EBITDA and net present value are important no matter where you sit on the org chart.
  
We're All Millennials: Three Lessons for Leaders 
David Marquet for Forbes         
 A renowned thinker said this about the younger generation: "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise." This was said by Socrates, 100 generations ago.
GACCE 100 Year Logo
   
2017 Event Dates
Be sure to save these dates:
  
August 1 - 4
 Executive Leadership Conference
Jekyll Island, GA

November 16 & 17
 Volunteer Leader
Conference
Peachtree City, GA 
Georgia Chamber
   

Be sure your small businesses are getting all they can out of their chamber membership.  Join with the Georgia Chamber's Federation to strengthen the collective voice of Georgia's business community.

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TUESDAY TIDBITS 
Tips from Your Chamber Professional Association
Chamber Executive Spotlight
Debbie Jones                                   
Executive Director / CEO  
Thomson-McDuffie Chamber  

 [email protected]    
 
 How long have you been
in the Chamber profession?
Just over a year  

How long have you been in your current position?
same       

What do you love most about your job?
I work with an awesome staff that continues to come up with innovative ideas for our Chamber.  I truly love McDuffie County and the people in it.  We may be a small community, but it's the people and traditions here that make my job a lot of fun .   

Tell us about your most embarrassing Chamber moment.
We put on a block party/business expo in downtown Thomson in front of the Depot center. We had a live band, food vendors and other entertainment. I did not book all of the rooms at the Depot, because I just assumed they knew I wanted the whole building....BIG MISTAKE! Little did I know that AA would be meeting that same night, and I accidentally set up the beer tent in front of the doorway to that meeting. I will never live this down .  
  
 Which Chamber Executive has had the biggest impact on your career and how? 
Tammy Shepherd, President of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. She is a huge support system for me. With her help, our Chamber has taken on new direction, and our members love it! She has been truly been a wonderful mentor and a great friend.
  
What is your Chamber's signature event?
Our signature event is our Annual Banquet held in January. This is our way of recognizing our Board of Directors, plans for the upcoming year, and awarding outstanding members. Barbara Dooley was our guest speaker this past year, and she put on a fabulous show. People are still talking about it !
 
What is your favorite Georgia destination outside of the one you represent and why?
My favorite Georgia Destination is off the beaten path in Shellman Bluff, GA. I have spent a many of weekends there, fishing and boating over to Blackbeard Island. We would eat at Speed's Kitchen or Hunters Café, and they'll always treat you like family there. 
 
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a restaurant owner. I would always play as the chef, and make grilled cheese sandwiches for my older brother. I called my restaurant "Deb's Diner." My brother actually told this story at my wedding rehearsal dinner, and how he turned it into a game by convincing me to cook for him.