CACCE Outstanding Chamber of the Year!

 Tiffany Fulmer Ott 

CACCE Administrator tfulmer@tlfexecutiveservices.com 

404.312.0524 

October 29, 2020 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) Names Outstanding Chamber of the Year for 2020 

The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) recognized the 2020 Outstanding Chamber of the Year (for a chamber with under 700 members) at their Annual Management Conference today via Zoom. 

The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce was honored as the recipient of the prestigious award. 

The CACCE Outstanding Chamber of the Year Award focuses on acknowledging one or more significant achievements / accomplishments that a chamber has initiated, stimulated, and/or led in its respective service area at some point during the past 18 months. 

CACCE is the professional development organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for chamber of commerce executives and staff members in North Carolina and South Carolina. CACCE equips chamber of commerce professionals with leadership skills and tools to build innovative chambers. The organization was formed in 1994 when the North Carolina and South Carolina state chamber associations merged. For more information on CACCE, or any of CACCE’s conferences or programs, contact Tiffany Fulmer Ott at (404) 312-0524. 

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Weekly Village Update 10.22.20

 

Chamber News Grow With Google Using YouTube to Grow Your Business Tuesday, October 27th from 1:00-2:00pm Video marketing is highly effective in boosting brand awareness, generating leads, increasing sales, and connecting with your audience. Did you know that YouTube is now the second-largest search engine in the world (behind Google) with over 2 billion monthly logged-in users watching 1 billion hours of video per day? Even more staggering is this stat: YouTube reaches 91% of the online population in the US. Today, when people want to know how to do something, they often turn to YouTube first. Register here. 25 Days of Holiday Shopping The Chamber is going to celebrate 25 days of Holiday Shopping. Please share with us your unique gift ideas, packages or promotions! To be featured on social media and in the Holiday Gift Guide you need to let Suzy know what you'd like to feature by Nov. 10th. Email Suzy Now! Shred Day - October 29th Thursday, October 29th 9am-1pm First Citizens Bank Parking Lot -Bring your old ATM receipts, checks, tax information, credit card statements, copies of bills and any other papers that contain sensitive information. -You do not have to remove paper clips, staples or other bindings. No need to sort papers by color. -Only dry paper will be accepted. Do not bring plastics, media tapes or cardboard. Chamber Discount on Health Insurance   Save on health benefits for your business   Discount for the Chamber Health Insurance of Western North Carolina*   Ready to save money on your company's health benefits?  Aetna Funding Advantage makes it simple. It offers: savings on monthly costs compared to ACA premium rates**; the long-term potential of surplus sharing; a digital administration and enrollment platform; wellness activated by Attain by AetnaSM app and Peerfit fitness classes; and more! And now, Aetna has teamed up with the Chamber Health Insurance of Western North Carolina to offer an exclusive discount. Businesses that are a member of the Chamber Health Insurance of Western North Carolina get a discount*** on monthly costs for all Aetna Funding Advantage plans! Note, discount is applied to administrative fee. Get a quote now To get a quote or learn more about Aetna Funding Advantage, visit http://www.discoveraetna.com/afa, or contact your broker. You can also check out the attached flyer for more details on how Aetna Funding Advantage works. To submit your news to our weekly newsletter, email Suzy@BlowingRock.com by Wednesday. Our newsletter reaches over 1,000 member contacts each Thursday! Upcoming Activities & Meetings Grow With Google - October 27th Shred Day at First Citizens Bank - October 29th Ribbon Cutting at Beautiful Jewels - November 4th Member News Turkey Trot 5K This year’s event has gone from a single day, to "High Country Turkey Trot Week." Taking place across multiple social media platforms, including contests and prizes, the event will run from Nov. 19-26.  There will be an "official" 5K race on Facebook, a peer-2-peer fundraising contest, with the top three fundraisers receiving gift cards and prize packages, Instagram, costume contest and TikTok Turkey Dance Challenge with the participants receiving the most "likes" on each platform winning gift cards and prizes. REGISTER: HCTurkeyTrot.org Tweetsie Christmas Beginning November 13th, Tweetsie Railroad will host Tweetsie Christmas, every Friday, Saturday, and select weekday evenings through December 31st. The park will open at 5:00 p.m. and the train will depart every 40 minutes beginning at 5:30 pm.  Tickets are $44.00 for an adult, $38.00 for a child (age 3-12), and free for children age 2 and under.  They will go on sale Tuesday, October 13th. Space is limited due to reduced capacity. Buy your tickets online (link to tickets) or call 877-TWEETSIE (893-3874). For more information about Tweetsie Christmas visit Tweetsie.com. Frist Citizens & CIT Merge First Citizens BancShares and CIT Group announce Transformational Partnership to create Top 20 U.S. Bank based on assets. First Citizens has agreed to merge with CIT Group, creating a financial institution with over $100 billion in assets. The company will operate under the First Citizens brand name. Schaefer Center Presents Up Next on the Schaefer Center Presents Free Virtual Series: NC Black Repertory Company’s The Resurrection of Alice Filmed on the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts stage exclusively for the fall 2020 series. The second event in The Schaefer Center Presents (SCP) virtual performing arts series, presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts and Cultural Programs, features a streamed production of North Carolina Black Repertory Company’s dramatic play The Resurrection of Alice, about a young girl trapped in an arranged marriage in mid-20th century South Carolina, Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8pm. The award-winning, Winston-Salem, NC-based theatre company filmed the play on the stage of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts especially for the virtual series. The event is free of charge, but advance registration is required at TheSchaeferCenter.org. American Red Cross Volunteer Fair Join Red Cross’ upcoming High-Country Disaster Virtual Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, 10/28 from 12-1 pm to learn how to help your neighbors and community in times of need! 39 additional Disaster Volunteers are needed to join their local Disaster Action Team to respond to disasters including home fires to provide comfort, hope, and resources to those impacted, and to assist virtually as a Disaster Casework Volunteer to help individuals and families recover after a disaster. RSVP required by 10/25. RSVP by visiting: tinyurl.com/HighCountryRSVP ; Questions? Contact kasey.marshall@redcross.org or 336-646-4047. If you are unable to attend the fair, but would still like to volunteer, let us know! BRAHM Participates in National Program Blowing Rock Art & History Museum has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is administered by the American Alliance of Museums. Through guided self-study and consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower BRAHM to better serve the citizens of Blowing Rock by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.   The museum’s participation is made possible through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards through self-study and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer. BRAHM has chosen to do a MAP Organizational assessment in order to prepare our museum for accreditation and in an effort to best serve our community and diverse audiences “We are so proud of all that BRAHM has accomplished in its short nine years. This assessment will give us helpful information as we chart our course for our second decade. We appreciate the opportunity to have this outside lens on our institution.” Said Lee Carol, Executive Director of BRAHM. Learn more here. Doc's Rocks Re-Opening Doc's Rocks will re-open at their new location at 100 Shoppes on the Parkway Drive on Friday, October 23rd. Doc's Rocks will be open 11am-7pm. Go check out their new space! Grief & Covid Discussion Grief is a natural response to loss, and feelings of loss can be compounded during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. Caldwell Hospice will host a virtual discussion about the grief process and how it is has been further complicated by COVID-19 on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 12noon via Zoom. Caldwell Hospice Grief Services Coordinator Kimberly Setzer, MSW, LCSW, will facilitate the discussion. To enroll in this educational event, please RSVP by calling 828.754.0101 or emailing ksetzer@caldwellhospice.org. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link. To learn more about all grief support services, call or visit www.caldwellhospice.org or Facebook.  We'd love to see you! The Chamber Team is glad to see our businesses re-opening! Email Regina to let us know you're open and we will stop by for a socially distance visit. More events and updates can be found on our online calendar. To submit your news to our weekly newsletter, email Suzy@BlowingRock.com by Wednesday. Our newsletter reaches over 1,000 member contacts each Thursday! Thank you to our 2020 Chamber Partners!

Art in the Park Artist Application

 

Blowing Rock Art in the Park 2021 Artist Application is Now Available! Thank you for your interest in the 59th season of Blowing Rock Art in the Park. You may now apply for the 2021 season on Zapp! Details are on the website. 2021 Dates May 22, June 12, July 17, August 14, September 11, October 2 Apply Now Here!