Chamber Connection
Advocating for the economic vitality of Hartselle:
"We build community through business."
January 22, 2021
Chamber News:
Welcome New Members! DragonFly Athletics
HACC Young Professionals
The HACC Young Professionals' purpose is to engage individuals who want to develop and advance their careers, to make a positive impact on the community, and to boost their leadership potential.

The HACC Young Professionals facilitate growth opportunities by hosting:
  • Quarterly Organized Young Professional Functions
  • Monthly informal networking gatherings
  • Regular Professional Development Offerings

Membership Criteria and Membership Options
  • Age Range – 21 to 40 years of age
  • Affiliation: Employee of a chamber member, business owner, or representative in the area
  • Chamber Member Fee: $50.00 billed annually on January 1
  • Non-chamber Member Fee: $80.00 billed annually on January 1

The 2021 HYP applications will be accepted year-round. 
Click here for more information.

We kicked off 2021 with our first Ambassador meeting of the year on Wednesday, January 13! We are so proud to have this amazing group of talented professionals serving our membership. Keep an eye out for these smiling faces...they will be reaching out to our membership soon.
Click here to learn more about our Ambassadors and the work they do.
Upcoming Events:
Caffeinated Conversations @ Main Street West Gallery
Workforce and Education Committee Community Meeting
The purpose of the Workforce and Education committee is to enhance the development of our existing and future workforce through local and regional partnerships to provide a globally competitive business environment for the Hartselle area. The workforce and education taskforce works to help expand public and private workforce training efforts for the emerging, unemployed, and underemployed workers in the Hartselle area. The focus is to provide a well-trained workforce to meet the needs of area businesses and industries.

The next committee community meeting will be Monday, February 15th, at 9am. This meeting is for anyone who is interested in learning more about the committee and its objectives.

Meeting will be via Zoom.

Email admin@hartsellechamber.com for assistance with Zoom link if needed.
Hartselle 101 Tours
Introducing Hartselle 101 Tours, presented by Peck-Glasgow Insurance. This tour will highlight our community for residents - new and old! The tour starts and ends at The Station (the Hartselle Depot) location at 110 Railroad Street. Informative segments include: Get Outside & Get Moving ~ Be a Tourist in Your Own Town ~ Get Involved ~ and Shop Local. The bus will tour different Hartselle areas and provide some Hartselle/Morgan County history. Tours offered quarterly throughout the year.

2nd tour: February 26, 2021
Click here to register!

Resources and Reminders:
Alabama SBDC -
FREE Webinars Series
Kicking off in January

FREE Webinars Series Kicking off in January! These are ongoing and great resources to help offer advice and strategies in overcoming recent business challenges. Here are a few of the featured webinars:

+ Businesses looking at Government Procurement as a New Market

+ Wells Fargo Survival Series during the month of January

+ LISC Quarterly “Doing Business Online” Series kicks off in January

+ CARES Act Small Business Recovery Course

These FREE Webinars can be taken as a single webinar OR all in any order. Registration is required to receive the zoom links. For these and other webinars Click Here!
Samford University's Virtual Job and Internship Fair
February 25, 10 am-2 pm
Click below to register your business!

ICYMI: Pandemic Relief Information and Resources

JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO KEEP ALABAMA OPEN


BCA has launched the grassroots movement to “Keep Alabama Open." This initiative strives to unite Alabama business owners and workers who have diligently worked throughout the pandemic to follow State Health Orders and best practices when it comes to keeping customers and themselves safe while continuing to earn a living and support their families.

Governor Kay Ivey’s administration has proven that the State is perfectly capable and willing to make the tough decisions needed to save lives and livelihoods, utilizing Alabama solutions tailored specifically for our unique situation and needs.


Associations and Chambers throughout the state have already signed on, including the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, NFIB, Alabama Retail Association, Alabama Restaurant, and Hospitality Association, Alabama Truckers Association, Alabama Road Builders Association, and the Alabama Beverage Licensees Association, just to name a few.

Members of the public wanting to Keep Alabama Open can join the movement on social media, as well as with new window signs and bumper stickers. For more information and to sign onto the initiative, visit keepalabamaopen.com.
Emergency Blood Appeal Results in Multiple LifeSouth Community
Blood Drives
 During an emergency blood appeal, some cancer patients have had their treatments postponed due to a low blood supply. Motor vehicle crash victims and trauma patients will have to go untreated if there is not enough blood stocked in hospitals.
 
“There is not an artificial substance created in a lab to make blood,” Kelley McPhail, district director at LifeSouth said. “It has to come directly from a human body. That is why it is so important we have donors.”
 
LifeSouth has come up with a temporary solution that may assist with the shortage of blood, Community Blood Drives. In North Alabama, LifeSouth has six community blood centers in four different regions. All four regions are participating in their own community drive.
 
Community drives will allow people in the community to gather for one common cause and have a little fun in the process. LifeSouth will be following all CDC, state, and city regulations as it pertains to COVID-19.
 
“We are wiping down beds between donors, everyone on our busses and in our centers are required to wear masks, and we have limited the number of donors allowed to give at one time,” McPhail said. “It has never been a better time to give blood.”

Every donor receives a free COVID-19 antibodies test and a free cholesterol screening Please visit www.lifesouth.org to find the closest blood center or blood drive near you. Call LifeSouth’s toll-free number, 1-888-795-2707 for more information on giving and to schedule an appointment 
NEW! Save Small Business Resource Center Connecting Main Street to Available Funding Programs, Advice and Tools for Survival
Earlier today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of its comprehensive new Save Small Business resource center—including federal, state, and local financial assistance programs, emergency financial relief resources, grant programs and more—to help provide the assistance and guidance small businesses need right now amid Congressional inaction to provide additional, much-needed financial relief to Main Street. Click here to view the new Save Small Business resource center.
Hartselle Tigers Athletic Director Pat Smith has shared a warning to our local businesses and community members. He wanted us to share that any authorized apparel or sports gear that is sponsored by a local business will only be solicited through the Athletic Department or team members. There are companies that are not local preying on our community to make a profit, none of which benefits our schools, our teams, or our local community. Please be aware that these solicitations are widespread and not supported by our local school district. Please contact the Hartselle City Schools district office or Hartselle High School athletic department if you have questions about any questionable solicitations.
It is a federal law for virtually all males living in the US, both citizens and immigrants (documented and undocumented) 18-25 years old to register with the Selective Service. Failure to do so is a violation of the law and individuals can lose the benefits and jobs associated with registration. By not registering, young men lose access to job training and certification programs, student financial aid, Pell grants, federal job training and federal jobs--including employment with the US Postal Service--and delayed citizenship for immigrants. Our communities are negatively affected when young men fail to register because we lose significant federal dollars that would have otherwise been granted for more education and a better trained workforce. Please help remind every young man that he needs to register in order to retain his benefits.


Dr. Jones does an excellent job keeping us informed on all the great things taking place at Hartselle City Schools. We encourage you to take a look at her newsletter each week.  
 

For information on the latest resolutions from the Hartselle City Council, click HERE to check out their meeting minutes posted on their website.
Chamber Connection Presented By:
Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce
Post Office Box 817 110 Railroad Street, Hartselle, AL 35640
(256)773-4370