WHAT IS A POLITICAL POP-IN?
Pop-in for a few minutes as the Blount Partnership and co-host Quality Financial Concepts hold a Political Pop-In event on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 from 9-11 a.m. in the Courtyard at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville).
 
This event is an opportunity for the membership and community to mingle with elected officials and political candidates in a relaxed atmosphere.
 
There will be no speeches or debates – just time for casual conversation and some light refreshments.
 
Your safety is of top priority to us, and we will be following guidelines outlined in the Tennessee Pledge’s plan for community events.
Sponsored by:
Tiered Sponsors: Arconic, MB Consulting, Shanks & Associates, ATMOS Energy, C2RL, CBBC Bank, Pinnacle Financial Partners
TAX-FREE WEEKENDS UPCOMING
For 2020 only, the Tennessee General Assembly has approved two sales tax holiday weekends to help Tennesseans save money and support the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first tax-free holiday weekend focuses on clothing and other back-to-school items. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday July 31 and ends 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2. Qualifying items include clothing, school supplies, computers and other qualifying electronic devices. Certain price restrictions apply. Consumers must purchase items for personal use, not business or trade.
The second sales tax holiday weekend focuses on restaurant sales. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 7 and ends 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9. During this time the retail sale of food and drink by restaurants and limited service restaurants, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. Â§ 57-4-102, is exempt from sales tax.    
    
For more information about the sales tax holiday weekends, visit www.tntaxholiday.com
The Summit is an opportunity to network with and engage business leaders from across East Tennessee. Imagine many of the things you enjoy at in-person conferences: engaging speakers, practical seminars, expanding your business network with professionals outside of your area, vendor booths (and swag!). 

Now imagine all those things in a virtual platform. The Summit is our response to a changing world. Most in-person large conferences are projected to be postponed until late 2021. The lack of large scale networking and educational opportunities has added to the weight many businesses are feeling during this time. Join hundreds of other professionals from the East Tennessee Region for our area’s first virtual conference and trade show.

As a Blount Chamber member, you can receive a $100 discount
for vendor registration.
Use Code: blountsummit2020
EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY
Early voting the August 6 primary which includes the State Primary, County General, Friendsville, & Townsend City Election continues until August 1.


COMPLETE THE CENSUS
Please complete the 2020 Census and we ask that your family and friends do the same. Blount County has a response rate of 67.6% 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.
SOFT SKILLS RETURNS
The August 21 edition of soft skills classes offered by the Blount County Public Library is quickly approaching.

This Zoom Webinar session is entitled "Empowering and Motivating Employees." Here, you will learn to empower employees and enable better performance. Learn strategies to help employees be their best.

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
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS & HUMAN RELATIONS
July 22 from 9-11 a.m.
Do you want to grow your self-confidence, communication skills, and persuasion skills?
The Tennessee Small Business Development Center is hosting a myriad of online training webinars to assist you in all facets of your businesses. Take a gander at the upcoming events for July.
 

July 28 from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Learn how surety bonds help small businesses win contracts by providing the customer with a guarantee that the work will be completed. Come hear how to get positioned for federal, state and local government contracting as well as other purchasing activities. 
 
July 30 from noon - 1 p.m.
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
SPONSOR VIRTUAL NETWORKING
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INTERESTED IN SPONSORING A VIRTUAL COFFEE CLUB?
If you've been wanting to host a coffee and the waiting list was too long, why not get on the list to sponsor one of our virtual coffee clubs? 

Benefits of attending virtual networking:
  • Meet others that you may not have met at an in-person coffee.
  • Extend your reach outside of driving area.
  • Meet members located outside the county.
  • Multiple opportunities to meet others in smaller group breakout rooms.

Dates for future virtual coffee clubs are: October 9, November 13 and December 11.

Contact Jessica Hahn at jhahn@blountpartnership.com  
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 .
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
NEWLETTER SPONSORS