Make plans to attend our next HR Focus Group on Wednesday, October 3 at 8:30 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The topic will be "
The Nitty Gritty on the TN Drug Free Workplace" by Charity Suttles of Tennessee Drug Testing.
With updates that have taken effect in 2018, now is the best time for a workplace to join the state sponsored drug free workplace program! From policy development, testing requirements, training solutions, EAP resources, and more, this presentation will provide an overview of what it takes to participate in the program. We will also explain the newest updates so that you can see how simple and effective a drug free workplace can be. Your organization can be a part of the TN Drug Free Workplace program and reap the benefits it has to offer!
RSVP online here.
Join us October 23 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. for a special Lunch and Learn session about workers' compensation at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The fee is $15 and includes lunch.
REGISTER ONLINE.
Attendees at this presentation should expect to learn ways to turn a workers' compensation claim into a workers' recovery plan, ways that employers may be negatively influencing their workplace culture regarding workplace injuries and the impact that a workplace culture has on the cost and length of recovery in workplace injuries.
There will also be the latest updates to the Tennessee Workers' Compensation Act, as well as Bureau Rules or Policies and the effective date(s) of those updates.
The 2019 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. 2019, along with distribution four times throughout the year via area professional offices, newcomers, visitors, and new businesses all looking to relocate to Blount County.
In addition to intriguing stories and area photography that highlight the best of Blount County, Basically Blount also includes a finger-indexed, color-coded directory and buyer's guide of all Chamber members. Chamber members consistently tell us that they keep Basically Blount on hand throughout the year in order to find business products and services when they need them.
On top of the lifestyle magazines, we will have a complete online version on both the chamber and economic development websites.
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
Sign up today and promote your business in a primary marketing tool utilized by the Chamber and Economic Development Board. Key positions will go quickly!
Two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and University of Tennessee All-America Peyton Manning is the guest speaker for the
Blount Partnership's Best of Blount Awards, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m., at the Clayton Center for the Arts on the Maryville College campus.
Tickets are on sale for $70 (plus taxes and fees) by calling the Clayton Center at 865-981-8590 or
online.
The question and answer show format features queries provided by fans submitted at
www.blountchamber.com/ask-peyton prior to the event.
Awards will be given for Philanthropist of the Year, Community Impact Award, Bright Future Award, Business of the Year, First Responder Award and the Tourism Award.
Event sponsors are Massey Electric, Pilot Flying J, Cherokee Millwright, Blount Excavating, DENSO, T.W. Frierson Contractor, C2RL Engineering, McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Stowers Caterpillar, Joseph Construction and First Tennessee Foundation.
SOFT SKILLS SESSION FOR SEPTEMBER
It's Your Career! That's the focus of four free soft skills sessions offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce that are scheduled over the next five months.
Registrations are currently being accepted online at
www.blountchamber.com for a class entitled Improving Your Presentation Style - Strategies for Engaging Presentations set for October 26. This course qualifies for .2 CEU's awarded by Pellissippi State.
The other classes offered are: Making Your Social Media Look Good and Creating Infographics for Promoting Your Business.
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.
ALL THINGS GOOGLE LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES
The Google Lunch and Learn series meets in the new Learning Lab at the Blount County Public Library on Fridays each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch is available if desired. The next two classes are:
* "Get Up and Running with Google Slides" - October 5. Create a website from scratch. Learn how to manage your site and add collaborators. Work with text, links, and learn how to embed features like videos, Google forms, and maps. Discover how to make your site public or private and add pages.
Register here.
* "Google Hangouts" - October 12. Learn how to use Google Hangouts to initiate one-to-one and group text chats, phone and video calls, how to facilitate group meetings, webinars, and more.
Register here.
The "All Things Google" Lunch and Learn Technology Series is a professional development workshop series for adults who seek to learn about the Google platform, applications available through Google and how to access and use these applications (Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Drive, etc.) This technology series is offered by the Blount County Public Library with funding provided by the Tennessee State Library Archives Library Technology Training Grant.
OCTOBER MEMBER-TO-MEMBER PROMOTIONS
Member-to-member promotions are here for October. Submit to the email below. Check out the offers from Proven Protection, King University and ADT Roland's Bistro catering. See these and other promotions at
member-to-member promotions. New offers are being posted almost daily, so check out the Blount County Chamber of Commerce Member-to-Member promotions online. This Member-to-Member Promotional Program offers you and your company the opportunity to market your products and services to the membership.
Here's how it works:
1. Submit a PDF of a service, product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to
jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.
2. An email with all the promotions will be sent out on the final Monday of every month to our member database.
3. All promotions will be posted on
www.BlountChamber.com
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
A marketplace of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.
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 1980 was "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Single and also garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
