THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER PRESENTED BY:
GROW WITH GOOGLE
Get Your Business on Google Search and Maps
Sept. 15 from 2-3 p.m. | REGISTER HERE

Learn about Google My Business, a free tool for local businesses that want to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps. Get (virtual) hands-on help in creating or updating your business profile or a simple website.

In this live webinar, you will learn how to:
• Create or claim your Business Profile on Google
• Manage your business info across Google Search and Maps
• Use Google My Business to connect with potential customers
• Create a free website using the info from your Business Profile
Join us for a virtual state legislative briefing with Sen. Art Swann and Reps. Jerome Moon and Bob Ramsey on September 21 at 8:30 a.m.


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the Department of Revenue announced a new digital eligibility tool for small business owners to determine if their business may be eligible for a Tennessee Business Relief Program payment.

More than 40,000 small business owners across 60 different industries qualify for the Tennessee Business Relief Program. Eligible businesses have until September 25, 2020 to confirm their information with the Department of Revenue in order to receive a relief payment between $2,500 and $30,000 in no-cost funds from the state.

The eligibility tool can be found at businessrelief.tn.gov.
IN-PERSON RIBBON CUTTING
Creative Spark ribbon cutting September 16 at 4 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening Ceremony
2009 East Broadway Ave.
Maryville, TN
September 16 at 4 p.m.
MEET A NEW CHAMBER MEMBER
This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 162nd installment visiting with Christopher Thompson, business development director for Holtz Builders, which is a general contractor building both residential homes and commercial buildings.

How did you get started? 
I got started in construction right out of San Diego State University. We were building multi-million dollar estates in Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch, California.

Describe your customers.
Our clientele range from private companies in the hospitality industry to municipalities needing a police station. We also build for ourselves and offer affordable employee housing to hospitality communities.

Name three things you wish you knew when you started.
1) Value your youth, your body does get old 2) Enjoy and be thankful for each day they are a gift 3) Sometimes your hardest tests in life are your happiest memories

What you enjoy most about your position?
PEOPLE.......I love meeting and talking with people....the more you talk the more you find out you have more in common then differences.
FUNNY WiFi Names
  1. Drop It Like It’s Hotspot
  2. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Wifi
  3. Wi-Fight the Inevitable
  4. It Burns When IP
  5. Abraham Linksys
  6. Silence of the LAN
  7. Bandwidth Together
  8. Nacho Wifi
  9. No More Mister Wifi
  10. No LAN for the Wicked
  11. I Believe Wi Can Fi
NEED ASSISTANCE IN
HR, MARKETING OR ACCOUNTING?
Have you experienced supply chain disruptions, staffing challenges, a decrease in business or a business closure as a result specifically due to COVID-19

Through the CARES Act the TSBDC has received funding to hire industry professionals to provide consulting at no cost for our clients. If you need assistance in the areas of accounting, marketing and human resources contact our center!

Let our consultants help navigate the complexities of business ownership during a Pandemic.  


With barriers brought on by COVID-19, we believe small businesses still need that human connection to help identify pools of opportunity. With the simple press of a button, you can find yourself meeting virtually with a consultant who wants to help you and your business succeed on every level.
Do You Need Help Rethinking Business Strategy?

The TSBDC is here to provide business counseling and training assistance at no charge.

Small businesses, like yours, are the backbone of Tennessee’s economy, and we know many of you are hurting right now due to the many challenges brought on by COVID-19.

We can help you explore your options and the issues you’re facing.

Get free one-on-one consultations from experts in Accounting, HR and Marketing.

We're here to help small businesses in East Tennessee grow and succeed.

Visit our website to Request Free Advising 
SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY
If you've ever wanted to Share your Chamber testimony about how the Blount County Chamber of Commerce has been a benefit to you during the COVID-19 pandemic or has assisted you in general. Please share with us.

We would like to use your quote on social media as a way to thank you for your investment.

COMPLETE THE CENSUS
Please complete the 2020 Census and we ask that your family and friends do the same by September 30. Blount County has a response rate of 70.8% which is below the 71.6% response rate in 2010.

The process is simple and can be completed online.

There are 12 easy questions and no citizenship questions.
Why is this important?
The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.
GET A GRIP ON CONFLICT
The September 25 edition of soft skills classes offered by the Blount County Public Library is quickly approaching.

This Zoom Webinar session is entitled "Conflict De-escalation and Resolution." Here, you will gain insights into your conflict management style and the styles of your team. Discover your own emotional triggers, explore ways to deal with conflict, and leave with best practices you can apply in professional and personal settings.

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.

WEBINAR CALENDAR
Your Leadership Journey
September 15 from 1-3 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
Are you looking for guidance on the next step in your leadership journey?

Dale Carnegie Course Free Preview Session
September 23 from 9-11 a.m. | REGISTER HERE
Are you looking for ways to connect more easily with others, influence others to your way of thinking, and better manage your stress?

Virtual Selling: How to Build Relationships Online
September 25 from Noon-1:30 p.m. | REGISTER HERE
Are you looking for ways to make virtual connections, book more meetings, and increase your sales numbers?
The Tennessee Small Business Development Center is hosting a myriad of online training webinars to assist you in all facets of your businesses. Take advantage of training opportunities with the SBDC at no cost.

Get the Facts on PPP and EIDL
Hear from SBA every Monday and Friday at noon ET until December 21. Find out what is a myth and what is a truth on SBA loans for small businesses. REGISTER HERE 

September 15 from 9-10 a.m.

September 17 from 9-10:30 a.m.

September 17 from 9 a.m.-noon

September 18 from 9-11 a.m.

September 23 from 2-3 p.m.

September 23 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

September 24 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

September 24 from 9:30-11 a.m.
Virtual Network Training Class with Raeus Jae Cannon
Sept. 22 from 3-4:30 p.m. | REGISTER HERE

Raeus Jae Cannon asks audiences:
• How would your life and business improve if you could stop making cold calls?
Are you prepared to steer more prospects into your funnel?
• What are you doing to accelerate and improve existing relationships?
• Would you profit from relationships that drive business to your door?

Raeus is highly energetic and enthusiastic as she asks you to "read the signs" on the networking highway. Enjoy learning common sense driving tips and techniques you can use before you leave and continue to use for years to come.
Virtual Security in a Crisis
Sept. 23 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. | REGISTER HERE
 
During this unprecedented time providing security to protect our assets can be challenging. Join us on September 23rd at 8:30 a.m. as trained Crisis Manager, retired FBI agent Ricky Hill and owner of A&A Investigations and Consulting Group shares a process he developed to protect personnel and system infrastructure.

This training will show you how to:
  • Identify your risk
  • Develop protection planning, response planning, business recovery planning and continuity planning
Power of a Positive Leader
October 7 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. | REGISTER HERE

Join Kevin Waters, CEO of Clear Leader Group for a workshop entitled the “Power of a Positive Leader.”

Discover how self-awareness can help you become a better leader, learn about humble confidence, and uncover what feedback is and what it is not and how to effectively give feedback.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
September 14-20
September 14 -- Gmail Basics
September 15 -- Tuesday's at Two
September 17 -- Food Truck Thursday
September 17-20 -- SHRM CP/SCP Certification Prep
September 18 -- United Way Gas Day
September 18 -- Google Calendar
September 18 -- United Way Gas Day
September 19 -- Dancing Bear Bike Bash

September 21-27
September 21 -- Women in Business
September 21-27 -- SHRM CP/SCP Certification Prep
September 22 -- TactionRX Ribbon Cutting
September 22 -- Tuesdays @ Two

Save the Date

TENNESSEE PLEDGE
As businesses reopen across the state, Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group released guidance for businesses. The Tennessee Pledge guidelines recommend capacity limits, spacing requirements, and frequent sanitization, among others.
 
The full guidance offered by the state can be found here as well as printable guidelines.
COVID-19 CASES IN BLOUNT COUNTY
Distance
The City of Maryville publishes a daily web page that breaks down all the COVID-19 cases in Blount County.

Bookmark it to make sure you know the facts.
TRACK THE ECONOMY
Credit Card
If you're interested in an economy tracking information chart from the national, state and local levels, view and interact with this website.
BE SURE YOU'RE FOLLOWING US
If you aren't following us on social media, you must. We are constantly updating information as each day progresses. So, give us a like and stay up-to-date as we move through this crisis.
 
 
And follow tourism updates here:
Here's a great way to offer Member-to-Member deals using your chamber member account. Check the deals.

Members can post Coupons and Discounts to this page at no charge. Click Here
REMEMBER WHEN
Topping the Billboard Top 100 this week in 1984 was "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner. It gave Turner her first and only US number one.
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