Blount Partnership News and Events

RIBBON CUTTINGS SET FOR THIS WEEK

Join us for a pair of ribbon cuttings this week. The first is the Olympia Athletic Club (398 Olympia Drive, Maryville) - Grand Re-Opening/Ribbon Cutting on November 5 from 4:45-7 p.m. Live music from Ashley Hepperly, over $500 in door prizes, bounce house, cornhole and food are on tap.

The second is the Townsend/Sunshine Covered Bridge ribbon cutting on November 6 from 2-3 p.m. presented by the Townsend Cades Cove Gateway Alliance.

READ THE DIALOGUE

Check out the latest edition of The Dialogue in this email where we visit with new Blount County Chamber member Jill Green, Professional Recruiter & Shareholder, for BGT Recruiting & Consulting, Inc.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Ever have someone "drop the ball?" Ever have someone act more like a "victim" than a contributor? Most likely, you said, "Yes" to one of these questions. The question becomes "can we actually control the level of engagement of our teams?" Meaning, can we as managers help someone become engaged? The answer is not "motivation"! Motivation is the most over-rated and over-used concept in management. Make plans to attend our next seminar on Wednesday, November 6 at 8:30 a.m., as Jennifer Goodrich, with Crestcom, will clearly the factors that create or kill engagement. She will also show the three areas that build workforce engagement. RSVP HERE.

STRATEGIC FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Join Propel Financial Advisors, DW Agosto Tax Planning and DW Lenski Law Group for a free seminar entitled Strategic Financial Planning for Small Business on November 13 from 8:30-10:30 and the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). Learn effective tax planning, investing in yourself and your employees, organizing your books and contracts, estate plans and buy-sell agreements. RSVP Here.

BEST OF BLOUNT AWARD TICKETS ON SALE

Former U.S. Army pilot and author Mike Durant, whose saga was chronicled in the 2002 Oscar Award winning movie Black Hawk Down, is the guest speaker for the Blount Partnership's Best of Blount Awards held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Clayton Center for the Arts.

Sponsored by Charter Spectrum, C2RL, Cherokee Millwright, DENSO, Blount Excavating and Massey Electric, tickets, which go on sale Sept. 9 at 10 a.m., are $35 (plus taxes and fees) and can be purchased from the Clayton Center ticket office at 865-981-8590 or online at www.claytonartscenter.com.

The Best of Blount Awards celebrates those individuals and businesses that give their time and resources to make this area an outstanding place to live and work.

Awards are given for Philanthropist of the Year, Community Impact Award, Bright Future Award, Large and Small Business of the Year, First Responder Award and the Tourism Award.

GET PLACEMENT IN 2020 BASICALLY BLOUNT

The 2020 Basically Blount lifestyle magazine and membership directory is entering production once again. This annual, full-color lifestyle magazine and chamber membership directory is initially distributed to all Chamber members starting Feb. 2020, along with distribution four times throughout the year via area professional offices, newcomers, visitors, and new businesses all looking to relocate to Blount County.

We are pleased to offer a variety of advertising opportunities at cost effective rates through our media kit. We have contracted with Marcon Marketing Consultants, a local Chamber member, to handle production and ad sales.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Basically Blount, the importance of supporting the Chamber, and how to get your business involved, contact: Rick Ford of Marcon Marketing at 865-705-8580 or Vicki Hawkins of Marcon Marketing at 865-310-2963

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS NOVEMBER 30

This November 30, the Blount Partnership wants to celebrate Small Business Saturday with you! It's a special holiday created so communities can show love for small local businesses. And it wouldn't be a celebration without businesses like you joining us!

The day was setup to help businesses with their most pressing need -- getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.

If your small business is interested in participating, please email alawson@blountpartnership.com. We will help get the word out about shopping locally at the beginning of the holiday season.

SIGN UP FOR THE NOVEMBER SOFT SKILLS CLASS

It's Your Career! That's the focus of a free soft skills session offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.

Registrations are currently being accepted online at www.blountchamber.com for a class entitled Building Success by Developing Leadership on November 22. Learn the difference between management and leadership. Explore the characteristics, qualities and attributes of proven leaders, and see how you can develop these traits within yourself and others.

All participants will earn .5 CEUs per session for participating. They will also receive an email survey two months after workshop participation to assess application of new ideas.

All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. 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.

YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DEALS

Blount Chamber members can now post their own Member-to-Member deals on this page at no charge. Simply login to your account, Click on the "New Coupon" button, fill out the form and click save. It's that easy.

Click here if you need access to your login information.

Of course, we will be happy to add your coupon. Just email information about the product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.

View the latest deals.

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

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

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 or any good news about your business, please send it to us. We'd love to share it with the community.

REMEMBER WHEN

Topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week in 1966 was "Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees. It was the debut single by the group and was featured in seven episodes of the band's television series, the most for any Monkees song.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 149th installment visiting with Jill Green, Professional Recruiter & Shareholder, for BGT Recruiting & Consulting, Inc., which aims to provide outstanding recruiting and consulting services for organizations and professionals in East Tennessee through our focus on people, culture and integrity.

Describe BGT Recruiting & Consulting. Our Recruiting services focus on the needs and desires of all parties involved in the hiring process in order to achieve long-term results and success. Our approach provides the highest level of confidentiality for all parties. Our Consulting services help organizations with the "people" aspect of their businesses through partnering on search processes and other projects, alleviating the administration and communication burden of the hiring process. We tailor each search to our client's needs and can do as much or as little as they desire to help them reach their hiring and organizational goals. BGT also has a passion for assisting small companies and non-profit organizations that need recruiting resources.

How did you get started? My business partner, Christine Bell, and I had been working together for a professional services firm during the economic downturn. After careful consideration, we decided that the timing was right to build our own team and brand. In January of 2012, BGT was founded.

What is your background? My education and previous work experience were in the field of accounting. I made the switch from accounting to professional services/recruiting in 2003 and Christine joined me in early 2008. After working together for 3 years, we recognized our values aligned and that we both had the passion to assist professionals with taking the next steps in their careers. We both feel our accounting backgrounds provided us with a solid foundation on which to continue to build as we established and built our own brand. Christine and I now collectively have over 17 years of combined experience in human resources and recruiting, coupled with over 24 years combined experience in the accounting field.

Who is your mentor? I have found mentors in many people and places throughout my career including within our team at BGT. I think that it is important to listen, keep an open mind and always have a willingness to learn.

Describe your customers. BGT works with both candidates and clients throughout East Tennessee. Our clients consist of companies in various industries and of all sizes that need assistance in finding talent. Our candidates are professionals who are either passively or actively seeking their next professional opportunity, typically with backgrounds in accounting, finance, human resources, operations, marketing and executive administration. BGT strives to connect talent with opportunity.

What environments impact your business environment? Our business is directly tied to the economy, both locally and nationally. We do experience ups and downs, but we feel fortunate to be in East Tennessee because our region seems to 'weather the storm' well. Christine and I have both lived all over the country. We chose to move our families to Knoxville and ultimately chose to focus our business on and in East Tennessee recognizing these factors. There was and is a great opportunity to make an impact on our community.

Name three things you wish you knew when you started. I wish I would have known how many details must be addressed when starting your own business. Although stressful, once we identified what functions we could outsource it freed up our time to focus on our core business. Building a network takes time and patience. Being primarily a referral based business, we devoted and continue to devote substantial time to this initiative with a focus on honesty and transparency. Finally, I wish I had realized what an amazing opportunity we had to make an impact on individual's lives through their careers and businesses which is at the center of what we do.

What do you enjoy about the business? I enjoy our team at BGT and appreciate their daily efforts to make the company successful while also creating a fun work environment. While being a business owner takes a lot of work, I am grateful to have a great business partner in Christine. Additionally, the nature of our work provides us with the opportunity to make an impact on peoples' lives and on the community which is very rewarding.

View previous Profiles

	Events

	November 4-10 November 4 -- Jan Kitelynn at the Townsend Visitors Center November 5 -- Olympia Athletic Club - Grand Re-Opening/Ribbon Cutting November 5 -- Google Calendar Essential Training Computer Class November 5 -- Learning and Loving Books with Mr. Gary November 5 -- Southern Appalachian Studies Series: City of Alcoa Centennial DVD November 6 -- Employee Engagement November 6 -- Townsend/Sunshine Covered Bridge - Ribbon Cutting November 7 -- Louisville Mercantile Holiday Open House November 7 -- Microsoft Word 2016 Essentials Computer Class November 7 -- Public Stewards of Children training November 7 -- Google Calendar Advanced Tips and Tricks Computer Class November 7 -- Spirit of Good Neighbors Awards Banquet November 7-8 -- Audrey Cordle at the Townsend Visitors Center November 8-10 -- Apple Valley & Thunder Roads present Loop the Link November 8 -- Facebook for Business - Social Media for Business Class November 8 -- Titanic Christmas & Winter Celebration November 8 -- ETMAC Veterans Appreciation Luncheon November 8 -- Second Friday Science Lunch November 8-9 -- Hoo La La Christmas & Store Expansion Unveiling November 9 -- Theresa Godfrey at the Townsend Visitors Center November 9 -- 2019 Foothills Holiday Market November 9 -- 27th Annual JDRF Dream Gala November 9 -- Sensory Movie Fun: Coco November 9 -- Tech Class For Tweens & Teens - Machine Learning November 9 -- Teen Gaming with Special Event: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament November 9 -- A Salute to Veterans Past and Present November 11-17 November 12 -- Power Connect Lunch November 12 -- Microsoft Word 2016 Essentials Computer Class November 12 -- ACA (Affordable Care Act) Enrollment Assistance November 12 -- Learning and Loving Books with Mr. Gary November 12 -- Wine and Will Workshop by Ladies of Justice November 12 -- Garden Series: Yardstick Gardening November 13-15 -- Ken Justice at the Townsend Visitors Center November 13 -- Strategic Financial Planning for Small Businesses November 13 -- Microsoft Excel 2016 Essentials Computer Class November 14 -- Microsoft Word 2016 Advanced Tips and Tricks Computer Class November 15 -- Instagram for Business - Social Media For Business Class November 15 -- Microsoft Excel 2016 Advanced Tips and Tricks Computer Class November 16-17 -- Rick Kratz at the Townsend Visitors Center November 16 -- Christmas Village November 16 -- Appalachian Reads Book Club November 16 -- National Novel Writing Month: Halfway There Party November 16 -- YA Cafe Save the Date November 18 -- Women in Business November 21 -- Coffee Club sponsored by Quinn Appliance LLC November 30 -- Small Business Saturday December 3 -- Chamber Social sponsored by Airport Hilton December 12 -- Coffee Club sponsored by Treasures Jewelers You can access the Blount County Chamber events calendar here or the community calendar here.

	Chairman's Club, Champion's Club, President's Circle