Wednesday, June 5 - 11:00am

 

CLICK HERE to register for this 30-minute meeting. Once you complete the short registration form, the system will share the Zoom meeting link, and you can add it to your calendar. The meeting will be recorded and shared with the membership in case you aren’t able to join us on that day.

Special Webinar for our North Carolina chamber members:

Tuesday, June 18 - 9:30am

 

Join us as we hear more about Rural RISE NC and connecting entrepreneurs to resources.

CLICK HERE to register for this meeting. Once you complete the short registration form, the system will share the Zoom meeting link, and you can add it to your calendar. The meeting will be recorded and shared with the membership in case you aren’t able to join us on that day.

CACCE is pleased to partner with Teri Smiley and Starfish Partnerships for our All Things Chamber Webinar Series. This is perfect for new staff members or a refresher for current staff.

The All Things Chamber bundle provides pre-recorded material, averaging a hour per module, plus downloadable notes pages of the slides and additional PDF documents. Participating chambers will have access to the website through December 2025.

The fee for the program is $195 per chamber. CLICK HERE to register. Participating chambers will also be invited to a private Facebook group for Q&A and connecting with fellow chamber members across the country. 

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy

Join Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) and the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) for a unique opportunity to get up close with the impressive turbine installation. Contact Michelle Querry at mquerry@chambersforinnovation.com for more information and to register.

Our Economic Opportunity of Utility Scale Solar in North Carolina webinar recording is now available. CLICK HERE to access the recording.

Convergent Nonprofit Solutions

CLICK HERE to register for the seminar scheduled for June 12 at 2pm EST.

Lumin Strategies

Register here for the 30-minute webinar on June 20th at 10am EDT and we'll send you the Zoom link to join!

Starfish Partnerships

Teri Smiley – Starfish Partnerships – 770.315.8031 teri@starfishpartnerships.com

The Chamber was thrilled to participate in the spring CACCE meeting in Greenville! Besides the educational learning, it was the relational connections that will have us coming back for more.

The Chamber's Board of Directors recently announced the selection of Kristina Harrell as the Chamber’s new Executive Vice President. Harrell previously served as the administrative assistant for the Chamber. Click here for the official press release.

The Chamber is pleased to announce that Brian Swords has been selected as the Chamber's new President & CEO.  Swords, a 30+ year leader in higher education, is a native of Pickens County and no stranger to the Easley area. He has served on the Easley Chamber board for over 12 years and was chairman of the board in 2012. Swords’ background includes both the private and public sectors, as well as extensive experience in economic development and public policy. Swords will begin work on June 17, succeeding Cindy Hopkins who is retiring after 12 years as head of the organization.

The Chamber proudly celebrated the graduates of the 2023-2024 Leadership Institute and Teen Leadership. This year, 28 community leaders and 25 teens successfully completed the eight-month programs. We are incredible proud to continue fostering leadership development that enhances the Pitt County Community. Thank you to Nutrien and Barbour-Hendrick Honda of Greenville for being this year’s presenting sponsors.

The Chamber is pleased to announce the 2024 South Carolina Festival of Flowers! Come celebrate the beginning of summer 2024 at the South Carolina Festival of Flowers in beautiful Greenwood, SC. Award-winning and one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events in June for ten years running, the SC Festival of Flowers offers a schedule of activities the whole family can enjoy. The festival fun kicks off with our Main Weekend, June 6 - 9, 2024. Take your time and view it all HERE then make plans to visit us for “a blooming good time!” Visit our Schedule of Events for all the great activities happening for you and your family!

On May 1st, the Chamber hosted a graduation for the first Student Leadership Vance Program participants. Fifteen 10^th and 11^th grade students from four local high schools were chosen to participant in the 6-sessions that included tours, discussions and presentations of various Vance County businesses. The sessions included Business & Economic Development, History & Public Safety, City & County Government, Education, Health & Community and Recreation & Tourism Day. These students were selected from an application process and are students from Vance Charter School, Vance County High School, Henderson Collegiate, and Crossroads Christian School. The students gained knowledge that will positively impact their lives and develop future leaders for our community or elsewhere. The program was presented to the Chamber Board of Directors by President Sandra Wilkerson in an effort to bring awareness of local opportunities for the youth in the community. The Chamber Board fully supported the proposal and the sessions were directed by Vanessa Jones, Director of Programs at the Chamber. Pictured are Vanessa Jones, HV Chamber of Commerce, Margier White, Chamber Board Chair and graduates.

On May 23rd, the Chamber proudly celebrated the graduation of 41 students from its Leadership Lancaster Program, marking the 35th class to complete this prestigious program. A Spring Mix & Mingle was held to celebrate the graduates on completing the 7-month program. Throughout the Leadership Lancaster program, students used the community as their classroom, gaining exposure to diverse areas of the community and becoming better equipped to serve as effective community leaders. Applications for Chamber’s 2024-2025 program opens on July 1. 

Charlotte Tallent, Executive Director, has announced she will be retiring from the Chamber effective June 28. The Chamber is now accepting resumes for the position. Please see the CACCE Careers page for more information.

Leadership Grand Strand (LGS), a premier leadership development program of the Chamber, is pleased to announce Shannon Furtick, IOM, as its new executive director. Furtick succeeds Diana Greene, who is retiring after 19 years of dedicated service to the organization.

Join us Thursday, June 6 to hear from employment and labor law specialist Phil Strach on the current federal and state unionization landscape. Attendees will learn how the potential for unionization is getting stronger across the country, ways to recognize union activity within their organization, and strategies for responding to these efforts. Secure your complimentary spot here.

The NC Chamber Foundation recently announced it has successfully funded its five-year NC Leads strategic plan. The NC Leads plan, developed with input and significant financial commitments from the private sector, prioritizes education and workforce development, strengthening North Carolina’s competitive business climate, and investing in infrastructure systems to support our state’s rapid growth. To date, $7.63 million has been secured to support the plan, exceeding the organization’s $7.5 million goal. The NC Leads plan and a list of investors are available online here.

In May, the aligned business community announced the North Carolina Business Playbook, a commitment and plan of action to protect North Carolina’s status as the number one state in the country to do business. The Business Playbook identifies five key focus areas for advancing the business and legal climate in North Carolina: protect our legal climate, maintain right-to-work status, keep taxes low and fair, prioritize workforce development, and invest in North Carolina’s infrastructure. The North Carolina Business Playbook was developed in partnership with the NC Chamber, American Property Casualty Insurance Association, Insurance Federation of North Carolina, North Carolina Farm Bureau, North Carolina Forestry Association, North Carolina Home Builders Association, North Carolina Medical Society, NC Restaurant and Lodging Association, NC Retail Merchants Association, NC Trucking Association, and NFIB. 

The Chamber and Triangle DEI Alliance will hold the annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Conference, in partnership with Bank of America, where The Focus is The Future on Tuesday, July 28. All are invited to join as we reflect upon the past, analyze the present, and focus on the future of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the business community and beyond. This conference will feature a series of panels, breakout sessions led by experts, a key learning moment with Matthew McCarthy, former CEO of Ben & Jerry’s, and opportunities to learn, build, and connect with a DEI lens.

The Chamber welcomes Jordan Little as their new Marketing Assistant.

The Chamber's Small Business Celebration will be held June 4 from 5:30-8:30pm at Brown Auditorium. The event will celebrate their 2024 Small Business Winners.

The 10th Annual Rowan Chamber Dragon Boat Festival will be held on Sat., July 27, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at The Shrine Club on High Rock Lake (6480 Long Ferry Road, Salisbury, NC). The actual Dragon Boat Races are the highlight of the festival, which features up to 30 teams paddling across a 300-meter course on water, each team is placed in three heat races determined by category and speed (corporate, community/non-profit or club team). For more information, click here.

Mara McJilton recently joined our team as the Communications Manager. Previously, she worked for WECT as a reporter for the past three years. Originally from Dunwoody, GA, Mara graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2021 with a B.S. in Agricultural Communications and a minor in Journalism & Electronic Media. In her new role, Mara will be working on various marketing and communications campaigns for the Chamber, in addition to leading efforts on future chamber newsletters. 

Thanks to a Professional Development Grant from CACCE, Colleen Dick, Senior Vice President, was able to complete her Certified Leadership Development Professional certification from the Institute of Organization Development. Click here for the full press release. 

We are thrilled to announce that Mark Owens and his team with Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. has been named a finalist for the ACCE Chamber of the Year Award for Category Four. Congratulations!!! We'll be cheering you on!

#ACCE24 is one of the most anticipated chamber conferences of the year. The event is scheduled for July 16 - 19, 2024 in Dallas, TX. Winners will be announced for Chamber of the Year and communication awards, sales accomplishments will be recognized and we will celebrate our newest CCEs. CLICK HERE for more information and to register for the event.

Registration is open for the 2024 summer sites! We are very excited to welcome you back to Madison, Athens, and Villanova and for another wonderful year! Click here to access registration.