Blount Partnership News and Events

 
Check out the latest edition of The Dialogue in this email. This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 133rd installment visiting with Jake Wynn, owner of Timshel Creative.
 
RIBBON CUTTING SET FOR WEDNESDAY
Come celebrate with Tech Nav for its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at its first storefront location at 1895 Louisville Rd. in Alcoa on February 13 at 3 p.m. Bring a friend for food, drinks and networking.
 
POWER CONNECT LUNCH
Join us for a mid-day networking lunch on February 12 at 11:30 a.m., at Smoky Mountain Brewery in Maryvlle. Meet, mingle, lunch, connect, nibble, engage and network with other influential professionals.

While you (and the other guests) will have an opportunity to introduce your business, current areas of focus and/or anything you could use help with, all I ask is that everyone shows up with a focus on how they may be able to add value for the other attendees.

Open to ALL Blount County Chamber members, but you must RSVP online. This is a Dutch Treat lunch.
 
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS
Join us February 21 from 9-11 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) for a free seminar from the Tenenssee Small Business Development Center entitled "Branding Your Business" Successful branding is the ability to increase awareness about your products and/or services. Why is it important? Think of the various advertisements you see on television, Mention a product and an image or phrase immediately comes to mind or vice versa. Think of the images on your smart phone. There are no lengthy descriptions or discussion. You see the image. You make the association. Learn key strategies about building brand awareness which can increase your visibility, sales, and customer base. REGISTER HERE.
 
NETWORKING 101
Presenter Betsy Cunningham is hosting a free seminar entitled "Networking - It's Not Just for Sales People," on February 26 from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Blount Parntership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). Networking 101 focuses on how to connect, create and cultivate relationships whether in a group or one-on-one setting. Partcipants will learn how to introduce themselves in a meaningful way, be goal focused and other strategies to make meeting people more beneficial. So, take that step and see how much good networking skills can improve your personal and professional life. REGISTER HERE.
 
FACEBOOK GOT YOU RUNNING IN CIRCLES?
Join us February 27 from 9-11 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) for a DIY workshop presented by Epic Nine. Rethink your Social Media for 2019. Imagine feeling confident about your business's social media strategy for 2019. If you feel like you are spinning your wheels across the social media landscape and not seeing much return on all the time and money you've invested in it, you're not alone. Join us as we tackle some of the frustrations that small businesses have on social media and answer these questions: What sort of ROI should I expect on social?; Are ads necessary for success?; How do I get engagement on my posts? REGISTER HERE.
 
BLOUNT COUNTY JOB FAIR SEEKS PARTICIPANTS AND SPONSORS
The Blount County Chamber of Commerce presented by Blackberry Farm, Pellissippi State, Staffing Solutions and Resource MFG and working off its mission statement to promote economic growth, is hosting a job fair on March 28 from 2-6 p.m. at Foothills Mall in Maryville.

If you are interested in sponsoring, please review the form here.

Any business or company interested in participating can reserve booth space which includes one eight-foot table, two chairs and table linens if needed. The fee is $160 for Blount Chamber members and $210 for non-members. Please email ccarter@blountpartnership.com to register.
 
CHAMBER NIGHT WITH THE ICE BEARS
Join fellow Blount County Chamber members as we watch the Ice Bears in action March 9 at 7:35 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. Bring the family and enjoy a fun and relaxing evening. Everyone receives a free Ice Bears cap. Get your tickets today.
 
SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST SOFT SKILLS CLASS
soft skills 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 Personal Professional Development Planning on February 22. 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.
 
PACKET DELIVERERS NEEDED FOR OPERATION THANK YOU
Participate in the Chamber's 21st annual "Operation Thank You" set for February 19-21, 2019 and meet other business people on a one-on-one basis.

During this three-day event, Chamber members, the Chamber staff and Board of Directors will personally deliver Chamber member information packets. We invite you to join us in this three-day effort. You can agree to call on as many or as few members as your schedule permits.

If you, someone (or several people) from your business, organization or group is interested in participating, please contact Amy Lawson at alawson@blountpartnership.com or call 865.983.2241.
 
PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
Take advantage of your Blount Chamber discount and protect you, your family and employees by enrolling in IDShield. IDShield monitors identity from every angle and alerts you to status changes immediately. It can also help restore your identity if it has been compromised. LEARN MORE
 
LYNDA AT THE LIBRARY
Businesses need to take advantage of the Blount County Library's subscription to Lynda.com. Using your library card, get access to Lynda.com, a LinkedIn Company, with thousands of courses in software, creative and business skills to develop your staff skills and meet learning needs at your own convenience. Learn More.
 
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!
 
Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business enĀ­sures a strong community.
 
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 1975 was ""Fire" by R&B/funk band Ohio Players. The song is noted for its sound of a siren recorded from a fire truck, heard at the beginning, as well as in the instrumental break in the middle.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 133rd installment visiting with Jake Wynn, owner of Timshel Creative which specializes in commercial videography, social media management, and digital storytelling.
 
What is Timshel Creative? Timshel Creative exists to help other small businesses tell their stories in a unique and personal way. We specialize in videography, photography, and social media marketing as platforms to connect business owners with their patrons.
 
How did you get started? Timshel Creative has always been a dream of mine, but it took coming to a pretty critical juncture this fall for me to take the leap and start running my own small business.
 
What is your background? I studied public relations and marketing in college, and through those programs learned a lot and fell in love with using my camera to tell stories in a really meaningful and specific way. Since graduation I've sharpened my skills at a few small agencies in west Tennessee, learning how to make an excellent product with limited resources, and ultimately learning what it is that I love about the marketing industry: Stories
 
Describe your customers. I've been fortunate enough to work for a pretty wide variety of clients from non-profit organizations, several health and fitness businesses, and government bodies. I think that every brand has a different story to tell, and I love working with clients who love and are passionate about what they do.
 
What do you enjoy about the business? I love getting to work with other small business owners to help them develop a story and identity that really fits who they are and what their business is about.
 
Events
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