Creature Comforts' Get Comfortable Launch is Here! |
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What is Get Comfortable 101?
Get Comfortable aids in greater communication, stronger partnerships, fewer silos, less replication, and the concentration of funding around our community’s most pressing needs. While there are many worthy causes in our community, discomfort emerges whenever any need goes unmet. But rather than tether our corporate giving to a specific charity, Get Comfortable channels the generosity of many toward our city’s greatest needs. It is seldom that the public, private, and nonprofit sectors come together, compare notes, and execute a unified strategy. But we need one another: we need both the guidance of local leadership and generous businesses to propel social innovation. So, Get Comfortable with Creature Comforts by learning more below!
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How can you get involved in Get Comfortable?
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The Get Comfortable Launch is this Wednesday, February 10th at 4:00 pm! Grab your computer and your favorite Creature Comforts beer as Creature celebrates the start of another fundraising season! Additionally, you'll hear from the brew masters at Creature Comforts and Sierra Nevada about this year's collaborative Hazy Double IPA. Click here for the Zoom link.
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Click here for an informational video
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Join Get Comfortable here.
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Something big is coming soon....
Annual Meeting!
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Join us for our 117th Annual Meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 25th at 11:30am! This virtual production will be just as exciting as in years past and will be free for our members and the entire community!
At the event, we will:
- Celebrate a year of unprecedented change
- Briefly discuss the re-organized Chamber of 2021
- Honor award recipients of the:
- Small Business of the Year
- Spirit of Athens Award
- Upshaw Bentley Citizen of the Year
- ATHENA Award
We will also have special guests that will be dropping in for words of wisdom, encouragement and hope!
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Our goal is to celebrate this extraordinary community, the people that have worked so hard to make a dynamic difference and to find HOPE in a sometimes dark world. Join us for this 60 minute production! You don't want to miss this!
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Thank you to our friends at Kaptiv8 for providing the Chamber with graphics for the Annual Meeting! |
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Thank you to all of our Annual Meeting Sponsors! |
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Due to the effects of COVID-19, the Athens Chamber felt it was important to focus our efforts in giving back to the community during hard times. Through the investments of our sponsors, the Chamber will be providing support to local restaurants by giving free gift certificates to our Annual Meeting Attendees! Meet our sponsors for the 2021 Annual Meeting! |
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We present the ATHENA Nominees for the Upcoming Annual Meeting! |
Meet our ATHENA Award Nominees!
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Erin Barger
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Farrah Sinclair
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Jennifer Dollander
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Alison McCullick
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Michele Pearson
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Ilka McConnell
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April Farlow
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Sarah McKinney
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Laura Whittaker
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Kimberly Keegan
- Monira Silk
- Sarah Thurman
Click below to see all of our wonderful ATHENA nominees!
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ATHENA International was founded in 1982 to honor women leaders and bring balance to leadership voices worldwide. At the Chamber, we continue this initiative by honoring a recipient with the ATHENA Award.
This very prestigious award actively supports and celebrates the ATHENA mission by honoring individuals who meet a certain criteria:
- Strive toward their highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment
- Excel in their chosen field
- Devote time and energy to their community
- Actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential.
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Chamber Events are Back in Action! Join us! |
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Network with Your Favorite Women in Business! |
We miss you, ladies!
We're excited to re-launch the Women in Business group, and are kicking it off with a virtual networking event, hosted by our Women in Business Chair, Alesia Mitchell of South State Bank.
While we aren’t quite ready to gather in person just yet, we thought it would be fun to bring everyone together for an online networking event. We will go around the zoom room and let everyone introduce themselves and their business.
After the event we will email contact info for everyone in attendance (there will be an option during registration to not have your info shared).
Invite a friend to join you! We can't wait to see you soon!
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Join us for Pancakes and Policy! |
Join us as we hear from Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas with an update on the State of Clarke County School District.
Tickets are $25 and includes your choice of a $15 gift certificate to one of our local breakfast spots! This is a great way to support local businesses while attending this important virtual event!
You will be able to select one of the following restaurant gift cards of choice during registration:
Pre-Registration will be required for this event!
Invite a friend to join you! We can't wait to see you soon!
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Business After Hours is BACK! |
Join us for Business After Hours at Lumberjaxe on Thursday, February 18th at 5:00pm to see your old chamber pals and to throw some axes! We are limiting the number of attendees to 40 so be sure to register today. Masks will be required upon entry.
Invite a friend to join you! We can't wait to see you soon!
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You Don't Want to Miss This! |
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Secure your position in the Official 2021 Athens Area Chamber Guide! |
The Athens Area Chamber Community Guide is a great resource for businesses and townies alike! Those who advertise in the Chamber Guide will enjoy numerous benefits and the ability to reach various members of the Athens community.
If you would like to be featured in this guide, please reach out to Nelson Smith, Regional Marketing Executive at (404) 625-4153 or at the email address below!
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Join the Georgia Chamber for an Equality & Inclusion Town Hall featuring State Representative
Calvin Smyre on February 16 at 1:00pm!
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Join Georgia Chamber President & CEO Chris Clark for a discussion around equality and inclusion with Representative Calvin Smyre of Georgia’s 135th District. Smyre will discuss measures taken to improve equity in the state as well as identifying current initiatives and future opportunities that Georgians must consider as we strive toward a more resilient and inclusive future, together.
This event is free of charge, but registration is required. To register, please click on the link below!
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Envision Athens: The Year of the Good Neighbor |
Join Envision Athens in inspiring locals to commit to pursuing unity, equity, prosperity, and compassion in the new year. Envision Athens is a movement, inviting all people in our community to unify Athens Clarke-County around a common vision, and we're declaring 2021 the Year of the Good Neighbor! The goal of this year-long campaign is to inspire all Athenians to be Good Neighbors, united under one vision to better our community’s future through our four core values— unity, equity, prosperity and compassion. Throughout each month of 2021, Envision Athens will focus on one community element including education, health, environment, small business, nonprofits, and several others.
Click below to learn more!
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Join the Athens Wish Celebration! |
Right now, there are over 50 children in the Athens community waiting for their wish to come true - Beckam is one of them.
With your help, Make-A-Wish hopes to create a magical surprise for Beckam while he waits for his wish. He’s been in recovery the past seven months from back fusion surgery and the pandemic has made him wait even longer for his wish. He deserves HOPE and the Athens community can help us bring it to him right now.
Together, we will raise vital funds for future wishes while celebrating Beckam. This socially distant family-friendly event and car parade is powered by wish families, volunteers, companies, donors and friends.
Click below to learn more!
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2021 Athens Wish Celebration
Loganville High School (100 Trident Trail Loganville, GA 30052)
March 28, 2021
Start: 1:00 PM - meet in the school parking lot for a socially distant car decorating party while enjoying food, contests and tunes!
Parade: 2:30 PM
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Register. Sign up today and invite friends, family and colleagues to join your team or create their own.
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Fundraise. Tell people why you are supporting Make-A-Wish and ask for their support. Together, we will raise vital funds for future wishes while celebrating Beckam.
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Car Parade. See the Make-A-Wish mission come to life, decorate your car, celebrate your fundraising success and HOPE to Beckam!
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Athens based Junk South is proud to announce its new headquarters on Athens’ Eastside! |
Celebrating its 9th year of business, Junk South completed the purchase of 4120 Lexington Rd with the help of Charlie Upchurch at Upchurch Realty and John Loftis at First American Bank & Trust. Founder & owner, Chris Caswall shared that "this is a dream come true". Junk South "has been working to establish itself as a valued resource to Athens' residents & businesses since day one and now we are even more invested in this community with our new facility”.
To read more, click below!
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Bring the family for the last installment of the Family Movie Series – Big at The Classic Center! |
Join The Classic Center for the final installment of the Family Movie Series, presented by RW Allen. With social distancing and other safety precautions in place, you can feel good about bringing the whole family!
Tired of being a kid, Josh Baskin wishes to be "big." But when his wish is mysteriously granted, is being a grown up everything it's cracked up to be?
Remember the simple joys in life with a movie all about learning to appreciate where you’re at.
To read more, click below!
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Want to be featured in the Members in the News Section? |
To be featured in the Members in the News Section, submit your content to our 'Members in the News' section (events, press releases, employee recognitions, etc) through the Member Portal!
Feel free to contact
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If you would like to send in a testimonial to the Chamber, use the link below! If you have any questions, please email victoria@athensga.com
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Special greetings to our new member of the week! Welcome! |
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Welcome to the AACOC, Edward Jones Investments: James Neves, Financial Advisor! We are so happy to have you on board! |
One-size-fits-all may be fine for some investors, but Edward Jones Investments' James Neves believes investments should be tailored to your needs and not generically based on guidelines for someone your age or at your stage of life. Whether your goals include preparing for or living in retirement, paying for education, planning for the unexpected, or creating an estate or inheritance, they can offer investment solutions tailored to your financial goals!
Learn more about our newest member below!
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Welcome to the AACOC, Unified Healthcare for the Rural Underserved! We are so happy to have you on board! |
Unified Healthcare for the Rural Underserved (UHRU) strives to improve the health and well-being of rural and underserved people worldwide. They focus their efforts on those who are disadvantaged in receiving health care because of ability to pay, ability to access care, or other disparities for reasons of race, religion, language group, social status or geography.
Learn more about our newest member below!
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Get Involved with Athens! |
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United Way of Northeast Georgia: National 211 Day! |
211 is a vital program for our region! This February 11, also known as National 211 Day, is a perfect time to share the benefits of United Way's health and human services information and referral program with your colleagues, neighbors, friends and family.
Challenges exist for everyone – and sometimes getting help can feel hard. United Way of Northeast Georgia’s 211 program makes it possible for everyone in the region to get connected with local resources to meet the needs of everyone. On Feb. 11, join United Way of Northeast Georgia in celebrating National 211 Day by telling your story of getting help through 211 or how you share 211 with others – by handing out cards, putting a poster in your storefront, or more – via your social channels. Post your stories and tag @unitedwaynega on Instagram or Facebook and let us know how 211 matters in your life!
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ESP: Big Hearts is this week! |
Each year, ESP brings together members of the community with the children and families it serves for one special night: Big Hearts. It’s an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the abilities of some of our community’s most big-hearted individuals, while leaving their disabilities in the wings. This year for Big Hearts, there will many opportunities to provide your support for ESP families including the 2021 Kia Telluride Raffle Entry, a Host at Home Watch Box Preorder, Big Hearts Watch Box Preorder, among other great items!
Click here to learn more about this special event!
Click below to learn more!
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The Culinary Kitchen of Athens: The Winter Community Market 2021 is Finally Here! |
Don't let the cold weather keep you away! Winter Community Market 2021 has gathered your favorite local shops and makers together so you can purchase goods during the winter season!
The Winter Community Market will be held every Saturday, January 9th to March 13th from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. It will be held at Hendershot’s Coffee located on 237 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30601.
To apply as a vendor or to learn more about the event, visit the website below!
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Farm to Neighborhood is Back! |
After keeping everyone safe during the Holiday Season, Farm to Neighborhood is back! Ordering is available each Thursday! In addition, Rashe's Cuisine Restaurant opened back as well on January 27th, and will remain open from Wednesday to Friday from 11am-6pm!
Order from Farm to Neighborhood below!
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Join the Classic Center Cultural Foundation for their 3rd Annual Gold Tournament! |
Hole-in-One: Golf for a Cause
ATHENS, Ga – The Classic Center Cultural Foundation will host its third annual golf tournament on March 22, 2021 at The Georgia Club. Last year’s socially-distanced tournament was a resounding success, with fun had by all and support raised for a worthy cause. With an 8:30 a.m. registration time and a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start, this tournament is the perfect opportunity to lace up your golf shoes and enjoy a beautiful spring morning.
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The tournament supports the Cultural Foundation’s mission to provide diverse performing, visual, and culinary arts programs for our community, as well as hospitality and workforce development initiatives in and around Athens. These initiatives include a scholarship program, Hospitality Careers Academy, Bread for Life, and more!
The tournament will be played in teams of four with an entry fee of $125/player or $500/team. This fee includes the tournament, breakfast, lunch, and beverages. Sponsorship opportunities are also available and provide a great advertising outlet for your business.
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Join the Love Athens Hard Campaign! |
In an effort to support healthcare workers in our community, Tribe Hair Company has created the Love Athens Hard campaign and would love for your business to be involved! At the start of the pandemic, nurses received tons of donations to help make their days a little brighter during difficult times.
As the pandemic has progressed, those donations have decreased, but the burden on health care workers has not. If your business is willing to give resources/small donations (cards, gift baskets, snacks, etc), please reach out to Tribe Hair Company at tribehaircompany@gmail.comor message Tribe Hair Company on social and they will sign you up for a specific drop-off date.
Let's come together to support our community healthcare workers!
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Join the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department to learn more about TRUE, a zero waste program! |
Join the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 8am
for a Free Sustainable Industry Roundtable to learn more about TRUE, a zero waste program, and how it can help your facility go beyond recycling. TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) projects are changing the conversation about waste by re-thinking everything that comes in and out of a facility from an upstream approach and viewing every material as a resource. We are asking businesses, campuses, and communities to go beyond recycling by reducing, reusing, rethinking, and redesigning their processes.
This presentation will provide an in-depth understanding of effective zero waste strategies such as the difference between a waste audit and a zero waste audit, showcase project case studies and give an overview of the TRUE Advisor professional credential.
Click below for more information and register!
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Join reBlossom in Doula Speed Dating February 23rd from 7-8pm! |
What on earth is a doula?
They're not the same as a midwife, they don't deliver babies, but they are your support person during pregnancy, birth and beyond!
Are you pregnant and considering having a birth doula at your side? Or are you interested in someone to help you after the baby arrives? Meet the birth and postpartum doulas in the community during the doula speed dating event and pick one for your birth and/or postpartum period.
A $200 scholarship will be given away from reBlossom to help you have the most supported pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience that you deserve. During the event, there will be quick introductions and then you will be matched up with doulas in private meeting rooms on Zoom so you can chat with them, get to know them better and ask them questions.
To register, use the email below for the Zoom link!
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Considering a career in healthcare? Imaging Healthcare Specialists is looking for Bilingual (English/Spanish) and English speaking Customer Service Representatives! |
Be part of a team dedicated to making a significant contribution to the health and well-being
of others. With over 30 years of imaging services experience, Imaging Healthcare Specialists has earned
an outstanding reputation for providing the highest quality medical imaging technology, highly
specialized expertise and exceptional customer service to physicians and patients.
Position Summary: Imaging Healthcare Specialists are looking for motivated, energetic candidates for our customer service operations center in Athens, Georgia who can deliver a “best in class” patient engagement experience. The position will be responsible for maximizing efficiency through the indexing of incoming medical imaging orders, assisting patients and physicians with incoming calls and scheduling exams. Shifts available for this position are from 11:00- 9:00pm.
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W&A Engineering Partners with Hendershots Coffee and Heart Music Athens! |
W&A Engineering is pleased to extend the Building Better Communities Local Business Partnership program into the month of January! All this week, you can help support a local charity by dining local at Hendershots, located in Bottleworks on Prince Avenue. W&A Engineering will match their first $500 in sales with a donation to Heart Music Athens, a local nonprofit supporting music education. Help support our local community by stopping by Hendershots! |
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ByoPlanet International has its Official Grand Opening! |
On January 19th, 2021 ByoPlanet International held its grand opening and official ribbon cutting ceremony for its new facility in Athens, GA.
Due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the need for electrostatic disinfection technology, ByoPlanet has grown tremendously. To accommodate the surge in demand, ByoPlanet moved into the Classic Center in Downtown Athens in March of 2020 to utilize the space that would have been otherwise empty due to the pandemic. ByoPlanet also employed many of the Classic Center employees that would otherwise have been furloughed. Since early March 2020, ByoPlanet has created over 120 jobs in Athens Georgia, and is expecting to add between 30-50 additional assembly, test, and engineering positions by the end of 2021. ByoPlanet International hosted Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp, the Mayor of Athens Kelly Girtz, Georgia Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson as well as Senator Frank Ginn for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Read more about the entirety of the event below!
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Complete your Graduate Program online with Piedmont College! |
Are you interested in completing the Education Graduate Program at Piedmont College?
Piedmont College is currently offering an online format for their Graduate Program in Education! With this program, you can earn on average up to 15-20 percent more annually, and the program provides more opportunities for balancing family, work, and study!
Click the below for more information!
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Thank you to all of our 2020 Chamber Champions! |
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Follow us on social media! |
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