Tuesday, July 16 - 10:00am

Introduction to Quest Voyager

Ian Scott, President & Chief Architect of Discovery

Quest Voyager is a rapidly expanding group travel company in the global travel industry, renowned for offering premier quality "Journey of Discovery programs” at competitive prices. We leverage our 35 years of travel industry expertise to deliver outstanding, meaningful travel experiences and create the kind of memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. If you are curious about how this type of program can bring your Chamber more non-dues revenue – or are looking for a new travel partner if you’re already providing Chamber Travel programs – you won’t want to miss this session!

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.

Tuesday, July 23 - 9:00am

GACCE Office Hours - Financial Management

David Bradley, President & CEO, Athens Area Chamber

Join us as David dives into Financial Management for Chambers – he’ll cover items including, but not limited to:

• Financial Policies and Procedures (should include reserve and contingency fund balance goals)
• Approved Annual Budget (Board should approve budget each year and that be reflected in board minutes)             
• Profit/Loss Statement
• Audit Report (current Georgia Certified Chamber program requirement is that a full audit is conducted every 3 years at a minimum and when a new Executive begins)
• Form 990
• Insurance Policies – General Liability, Directors & Officers, and Workers Compensation

These webinars are for all chamber staff – not just Chamber Executives! Be sure to come ready with any questions you may have related to Financial Management.

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.

Also - if you missed our GACCE Office Hours on Human Resources last month, click here to watch that video.

GACCE is pleased to partner with Teri Smiley and Starfish Partnerships for a new 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 PowerPoints 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. 

Future of Small Business

Tuesday, July 16 - 8:30am to 1:00pm

Invesco - Atlanta, GA

Small Businesses represent almost all businesses in the state and employ millions of Georgians. Responsible for significant job creation and innovations, it is vital to foster the growth of small businesses, amidst challenges and uncertainty. Join us to dive deep into top trends for small businesses as well as solutions-oriented discussions pertaining to talent development and building social capital. Click here for more information and to register.

The Chamber announces the resignation of Christine Greeson, Director of Programming. Ms. Greeson is leaving to care for her Mother, who lives in Florida, and also assist her fiancée, who’s growing business needs extra support. Said Chamber President Tommy Jennings, “We are sad to see Christine leaving us. She has made the Barrow Chamber better and stronger with her talents. But we are grateful for all she has done to make us better.” The Chamber is currently conducting interviews for the position, and will look to make an announcement in early July.

Tyler Salter has left his position as the President/CEO of the Chamber to become the Executive Director of the Vidalia Housing Authority.

The Chamber will host their Chamber Member Appreciation Lunch on July 24 at the Nashville Community Center.

Cindy Rivers McGraw, Executive Director, recently earned her Georgia Certified Economic Developer certification through the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The Georgia Certified Economic Development (GCED) program offers economic development professionals Georgia-specific training that is directly applicable to their communities’ economic success. Click here for the official press release.

Leadership in the Limelight at GNFCC's North Fulton Focus Series: The spotlight was on leadership at the latest North Fulton Focus Series hosted by GNFCC. The event featured a compelling fireside chat with Delta's President Glen Hauenstein, who shared insights from his career journey and emphasized the importance of humility in success. Additionally, the session highlighted the announcement of the North Fulton Friendship Initiative, celebrated the graduation of the latest Leadership North Fulton class, and honored the winners of this year's Non-Profit Awards.

The Chamber proudly introduces Janet Marie Gunnels as its newly named Communications & Marketing Strategist. Janet Marie brings a wealth of experience to this role with 10+ years of experience developing and implementing communications and marketing strategies, leading marketing teams, advising C-suite executives, and creating compelling content and copy to engage audiences. In her previous role with Serenbe – Chatt Hills, she produced a podcast featured in the top 15% of downloads within the industry as well as email campaigns ranked #2 ROI for home purchases. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University and her master’s degree from Clemson University. In her spare time, she is an active participant in community theater.  

OneDigital has been retained to conduct the President & CEO search for the Chamber due to Karen Rackley's upcoming retirement. For more information on the position and to apply, please see the GACCE Career page.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Vubiz! With this collaboration, Vubiz will be offering a vast catalog of on-demand training courses, covering a wide range of topics, all at an incredibly affordable price. A portion of the fees from each course purchased through our landing page will be reinvested back into our Chamber. This means that by learning and growing through these courses, our members also help us expand our operations and support our local businesses even further! You can visit our landing page to explore the extensive catalog of courses.

2024 Annual Convention Registration Open

#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.