2022 CACCE Annual Management Conference

CLICK HERE to register and for more details!

The registration is $20 per chamber, and you must register in order to receive the recording from the session.

Please email me at tfulmer@tlfexecutiveservices.com if your Chamber would like to participate. The meeting link will be sent to you after payment is received.

AARP North Carolina

The Age My Way NC Summit is scheduled for October 5 in Raleigh at the McKimmons Center from 10:00am to 3:30pm. We will share results from the statewide survey and hear from stakeholders on steps our state should take to better prepare for our growing aging population. The Summit is hosted by the Governor's Hometown Strong Office, NC Department of Health & Human Services, and AARP. For more information and to register, please click here.

Convergent Nonprofit Solutions

Meeting your community's existing needs while laying the groundwork for its anticipated need is more critical than ever. Meanwhile, the concept of infrastructure is evolving. In addition to being functional, capital improvements now need to be aesthetically pleasing and sustainable. They must also be planned, executed, and publicized to make the community feel more connected. Read more on our blog about the two questions every EDO should ask when it comes to community planning.

Izzy West LLC

Would you like to increase member retention? Take a look at your member onboarding process. If you don't have multiple member touchpoints, and you think you just don't have the staff time to keep up with your new member checklist, then think again. Check out my upcoming live group program on How to Automate Your Member Onboarding featuring a tutorial of creating an automated email series (with chamber-specific examples). Register by September 12 by clicking here.

We will be scheduling a Zoom meeting soon so that you can learn more about their services.

Lumin Strategies

Who advocates for the business interests in your community? If it's not your Chamber, we should talk. Serving businesses in both North Carolina and South Carolina, we work with Chambers to help make them THE voice for business in their community. Read our Case Study on how we work with the Cabarrus Chamber and make plans now for the 2023 legislative session.

smarTours

smarTours is currently working with Bobby Todd and the Yadkin County (NC) Chamber on their travel program. We held a Zoom meeting recently to get to know Jorge and smarTours - click here for the recording.

YGM Total Resource Campaigns

Please help us welcome Karen Long as our new Director of Operations. She will handle our planning logistics as well as serve as a resource in Chamber research.

The Chamber's First Friday Means Business event will be held September 2 with Bob Morgan, President & CEO of the South Carolina Chamber, as the featured speaker. As part of the South Carolina Chamber's interactive Grassroots Tour, each attendee will receive a voting device. Attendee's answers will help set the 2023 South Carolina Competitiveness Agenda, along with the organization’s priorities for the 2023 legislative season. 

The Chamber's Blastin' for Business Clay Shoot Tournament is scheduled for Friday, September 16 at the Palmetto Shooting Complext in Edgefield, SC. Blastin’ for Business Clay Shoot, often referred to as golfing with a gun, will be a fun and exciting day outdoors with good food, great networking and shooting clays! We are welcoming straight shooters and novices of all skill levels who enjoy the fast pace of shooting sporting clays.

The Chamber is accepting resumes for the position of President. For more information and to apply, please see the CACCE Careers page.

Shadena Myers has joined the Chamber team as Operations and Programs Manager. Ms. Myers is a Navy veteran with prior accounting and administrative experience in higher education. She replaces a role filled by Ginger Olszewski who retired in June after 5 years’ service.

Megan Morris was promoted to Vice President of the Chamber. Ms. Morris joined the Chamber staff team in August 2021 as Member Services Director. In her new role, she oversees events and programming, communications, operations, and vendor management.

The Chamber's Foundation, through the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, along with Educate, Empower and Elevate Foundation (E3) and Roper St. Francis Healthcare have been selected to receive an $8.4 million grant through the Good Jobs Challenge funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. This project is one of 32 Good Jobs Challenge grantees, from a competitive pool of 509 applicants, to receive funding.  

The Chamber has launched their Chamber Ties campaign. Highlighting small moments that lead to big impact, the five videos feature our members telling their story and the impact the Chamber has had on their lives. Initiating, advocating and empowering our region to advance a prosperous business environment is our mission and we can’t do that without our dedicated members and their impactful work.

The Chamber is pleased to announce their new Workforce Innovation Labs program. The Labs offer a space for small businesses to work through their toughest challenges. They are also given tangible solutions for the recruitment, development and retention of their new and current talent. 

The Chamber is pleased to announce Lindsey Hartshorne has joined the Chamber team as Membership Coordinator. In this position, she will assist with membership sales and corporate partnerships as well as support the delivery of the Chamber’s membership benefits while ensuring optimum customer satisfaction. She will also play a key role in the implementation of the Chamber’s new Customer Relationship Management software.

The Chamber is pleased to welcome Valerie Mullins as their new Investor Relations and Business Development Specialist.

The Chamber recently announced Tampa, Florida as the 2023 Inter-City Visit & Leadership Conference location. Find more information about the annual trip held in late April on the official ICVLC website.

Explore The Triangle Experience with Raleigh Chamber President and CEO, Adrienne Cole, as well as the top business and community leaders from around the region at the 134^th Annual Meeting, presented by Wells Fargo, on Thursday, September 15 from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

The Chamber has named Cathy Miller as the Interim CEO. They are now accepting resumes for the position of President/CEO. Check out the CACCE Careers page for more information.

The Chamber has welcomed Vanessa Capehart as its new Membership Account Executive. Vanessa joins the chamber from the Country Club of Hilton Head, where she served as the membership director. Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, she is a graduate of Radford University.

The Chamber kicked off its new Business Over Lunch series attracting over 300 attendees this past June. SC Governor McMaster was the featured speaker. The next event will feature SC Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey, III on Monday, September 19, 2022. 

The Chamber honored several Chamber members at its recent Chamber Awards and Annual Meeting luncheon. Awards were given to the Young Professional of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Ambassador Rookie of the Year, Small and Large Businesses of the Year, and to the Volunteer of the Year. The Chamber introduced a “milestone” anniversary recognition this year and honored businesses who celebrated their 150^th, 50^th, 40^th, and 30^th anniversaries. They were delighted to be recognized by the Chamber. 

The Chamber’s board recently endorsed a Capital Project Sales (penny) Tax to improve roads and infrastructure in Lexington County. The Chamber will work with other civic and chamber organizations to promote the penny “vote yes campaign” to voters. The election will be November 8^th.

The Chamber is pleased to announce Andrea Hardwick has been promoted to Oak Street Visitor Services Manager. In this capacity, Hardwick will work with Diana Greene, MBACC Chief of Administration, to maintain the operations of the visitors center through various duties such as serving its patrons and visitors to the chamber, supervising visitor center staff and coordinating with the Airport Visitor Center Manager, managing the monthly calendar of events and the Project Lifesaver Program, and serves as a backup to the Facilities Manager.

The Chamber is pleased to announce the appointment of Danette Patton as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In this capacity, Patton will continue to elevate DEI initiatives at MBACC and CVB and across the Grand Strand’s business community. Patton will report directly to MBACC and CVB President and CEO Karen Riordan and serve as the staff liaison on the chamber’s DEI Council.

Partnership Grand Strand, a 501c3 Foundation of the Chamber, is looking to hire for four positions - Director, Workforce Talent Manager, Transportation/Infrastructure Public Policy Manager, and Business Retention & Expansion Manager. For more information on these positions, please see the CACCE Careers page.

The Chamber is hosting a Health Care Conference on September 15, 2022 in Durham, NC and virtual. The conference will take state-focused look at the current trends, key industry issues, and the longstanding changes to health care that will remain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A must-attend for members of the health care industry and those who want to learn what the future of health care will look like for the state of North Carolina.

The Ag Allies Conference will take place September 29, 2022 in Raleigh, NC and virtual. Ranked 10th in the U.S. for value of agricultural products sold, the agriculture industry is and will remain critical to North Carolina’s reputation as an economic leader in the Southeast. The Ag Allies Conference explores the trends and trajectory of our state’s powerhouse industry, focusing on workforce solutions, innovation, and policy.

The Chamber's Workplace DEI Conference: Charlotte is scheduled for October 12, 2022 in Charlotte, NC. This timely event delves into topics that will equip organizations of all sizes with the tools necessary to build a culture of belonging and maximize employee satisfaction. Content will be valuable for a wide range of attendees, ranging from the young professional to seasoned executive.

The Chamber is pleased to announce that Olivia Smith was promoted as the new Vice President of Administration and Melissa Dooley was hired as the new Marketing and Events Coordinator.

The Chamber is bringing the Disney Institute to the Carolinas, and you are welcome to offer our Rowan Chamber member discount to your members. "Disney's Approach to Employee Engagement" will be a great workshop on the labor shortage issue - specifically focused on retention & attraction of employees. The event will be held Thursday, September 22 from 8:30am to 4:30pm at The Laureate Center in Kannapolis, NC. Disney has limited attendance to 200, and we only have a few seats left! Registration deadline is September 15.

Shelley Lesniewicz, Executive Director, has announced her retirement from the Chamber will be in October. The Chamber has named Roger Peterson as their new Executive Director, and his official start date was August 1.

The Summer 2022 edition of Chamber Executive Magazine is now out - click here for more information.

Click here for Bob's latest article - Association/Chamber Business Model.

South Carolina

WACE Chamber Leadership Podcast

Click here for the episode - More Survival Tips for Chamber CEOs.