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THANK YOU FOR SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHP EVENT
 Thank you to all who participated in the membership event last week. If you didn't hear, we added 396 new and upgraded members to the roster while posting the second-highest revenue total ever in a membership event. We'll be working like heck to get out and meet all our new members and thank those that upgraded in the next few weeks.
Additionally, Dave Bennett and Jackie Mills were named the event's Godfaddah and Godmuddah, respectively. They spurred the competition and even made Your Chamber Connection facilitator Jimmy Cusano blush a bit.
Thank you to the chairs Bob Booker, Chris Soro, Kathy Johnson, Jason Brooks, Keeli Loveday Boyce, Rick Hudolin, Tom Hatcher, Joe Huff, Justin Marcus and Jennifer Wackerhagen who did a phenomenal job of guiding their teams and keeping the excitement going.
The Blount Partnership can't do what it does without your support and now we'll continue working to make Blount County the great place it is.
BACON AT THE BEAR
 Make plans for Saturday, August 3 for the highly acclaimed 'Bacon at the Bear', featuring 13 of the best regional chefs cooking their own personal dishes to benefit New Hope Children's Advocacy Center. Presented by New Hope: Blount County Children's Advocacy Center, each Chef will incorporate Benton's Bacon and a common theme steeped in the roots of Appalachia. Each ticket includes a bourbon or wine tasting session, presented by Knoxville Beverage; Annual silent auction to benefit New Hope; Artisan and farmer's exhibits on The Lawn; Live music by Humle Bob & the Engineers.
The event is part of the Dancing Bear Lodge and Appalachian Bistro Vittles & Fiddles Weekend, a three day celebration of Appalachian cuisine, culture, and community. The new weekend-long gathering is an extension of that same culinary vibrance, with additional opportunities for guests to enjoy the sounds, sights, and culture of Appalachia.
GET TICKETS HERE.
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET
 When you roll out the red carpet for your customers, they run out and tell everyone they know. In today's marketplace, customers have more choices and louder voices than ever before. That's why focusing on excellent customer service is the new marketing! Your customers can be your best source of advertising - if you engage your team to up their game in terms of the experience they create!
During this 1/2 day, interactive workshop we will discuss what it takes to build a culture of service where your team members are excited and ready to roll out the red carpet for your customers. Walk away with actionable ideas for:
- Taking your customer experience up to the next great level.
- Improving the 3 areas of the customer experience, including the WOW Factor
- Enhance customer and team member interactions
- Use 5 steps to building a culture of service excellence
So, join presenter Donna Cutting of Red Carpet Learning Systems on August 7 from 8 a.m.-noon at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The fee is $40 for Chamber members (book included) and $50 for non-members (book included).
REGISTER ONLINE.
BLOUNT COUNTY BRIEFING
 Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell will be giving an update on Blount County on Friday, August 9 from 8-9 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) boardroom. He will discuss priorities, budget challenges and their vision for the future for our community. The briefings provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen and build new partnerships between members of the business community and local government officials.
RSVP ONLINE.
NETWORKING 101
 You're invited to join presenter Betsy Cunningham on August 13 at 2:30 p.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville), as she'll guide down the path on how to better network. Be honest, we can all use a little refresher.
Participants will focus on how to connect, create and cultivate relationships whether in a group or one-on-one setting. You will learn how to introduce yourself in a meaningful way, be goal focused about networking and gain strategies and systems to network effectively.
RSVP ONLINE.
SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST 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 Communicating and Listening Effectively on August 30. 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
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
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 1982 was "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. It was the theme song for the film Rocky III, which was released a day before the single. The song was written and recorded at the request of Rocky III star, writer, and director Sylvester Stallone, after Queen denied him permission to use "Another One Bites the Dust," the song Stallone intended as the Rocky III theme. It held No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks and was the No. 2 single of 1982, behind Olivia Newton-John's "Physical."
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Blount Chamber members can now post their own
