We wrapped up 2017 with our Annual Banquet and Meeting last week. During the brief business meeting, new board members were elected. We are pleased to welcome Bill Bohl of Self Regional Healthcare, Theo Lane of Duke Energy, Ken McBride of Newberry County Department of Social Services and Steve Wilson of Wilson Tractor to our 14-member Board of Directors. We recognized outgoing board members Robert Martin of Lane Properties, George Piersol of State Farm/George Piersol, Wayne Pratt of FB Pratt Funeral Home and Sandy Scherrens of Newberry College. We also recognized Ambassadors Kimberly Kitchens of Servpro of Newberry and Laurens Counties and Mike Meadow, a retired firefighter, for their service and volunteerism of the many programs and events that we host.

We are working with Summer, Inc. to publish an updated Newberry County Community Guide and Chamber Member Directory. This comprehensive guide will be for visitors, new and current residents, and businesses of Newberry County. There will be 4,000 full color, magazine-sized books printed on high quality gloss paper and distributed throughout the county as well as South Carolina Welcome Centers.

This guide will include information about Newberry County and include a business directory of all Chamber members listed by both service area and alphabetical order. For information on additional advertisement opportunities within the directory, please contact Rob Summer at (803) 271-3663.

To update your business information for publication or to check on your membership status, please contact us.

A popular event to be held in February is our Annual Legislative Breakfast. It will be held on Tuesday, February 6 from 7:30 until 9:00 a.m. on the second floor of Community Hall, located at 1209 Caldwell Street in downtown Newberry. We will hear from Senator Ronnie Cromer, Representative Rick Martin, and a Newberry County representative. Contact us to reserve your spot. Tickets are $10 per person.

You are welcome to stop in anytime to chat, and we also hold Coffee and Commerce, an informal program, on the first Tuesday of even months at 10:00 a.m. in the Chamber conference room. The first of this year will be held on Feb. 6. and these times are set aside to specifically meet with peers in a group setting to learn more about the Chamber and how your business and the Chamber can better work together to meet your business needs. If it is difficult to break away from your business, please call us and we can schedule a time to visit you.

Go ahead and save the date for the first Business After Hours of the year. It will be held on Feb. 15 from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. at First Community Bank, 1735 Wilson Road in Newberry. It is a time for Chamber members and prospective members to network and learn more about each other’s businesses. It will also be a New Member Reception, so we look to meet some new faces and hear from them.

We welcome you to visit us on the first floor of Community Hall in downtown Newberry, located at 1209 Caldwell Street. You may also contact us at 803-276-4274 or chamber@newberrycounty.org.

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Michelle Long

Contributing Columnist

Michelle Long is executive director of the Newberry Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at michelle@newberrycounty.org.