Chamber Newsletter - Wilkes Journal-PatriotChamber Newsletter Volume 69, Issue 1 February 24, 2014 717 Main Street North Wilkesboro, N.C. 28659 (336) 838-8662 2014 Program of Work

ChamberNewsletterVolume 69, Issue 1 February 24, 2014

717 Main StreetNorth Wilkesboro, N.C. 28659

(336) 838-8662www.wilkesnc.org

2014 Program of Work

WILKES CHAMBER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS will guide the chamber to successfully complete the 2014 Program of Work. Sitting are, left to right, Dr. Wanda Hutchinson of the Wilkes County schools, Karen Poteat-Bolin of CarolinaWest Wireless, Terrian Carter of the Addison Inn, Cynthia Staley of LifeStore Insurance & Mortgage, Pat Hatley of CenturyLink and Ginger Shaffer of the Wilkes Job Link Career Center. Standing, left to right, are Dan Little of Wilkes Com-munity College, Jimmy Flythe of Duke Energy, Shane Gebauer of the Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Jon Gambill of Qdoba Mexican Grill and Sweet Frog Yogurt, Brent West of Tyson Foods, Darrell Groves of Vulcan Materials, Dennis Huggins of the Wilkes County Schools, Randy Brooks of Gardner Glass Products, Eric Cramer of Wilkes Communications, Johann Louchez of BB&T, Jimmy Mason of LP Corp., Charlie Silva of Blue Skies Hypnosis, Bill Hanlin of the Wilkes County Cooperative Extension Service and Gene Faile of Wilkes Regional Medical Center. Board or executive committee members not in the photo include Charles Johnson of United Country-Johnson Realty, Terrie Stackhouse of Carolina Realty, William Clark of Hardees, Vanessa Eller of First Citizens Bank, Arthur Lankford of Tarheel Oil Co., Kerry Dyer of Worldwide Protective Products, Don Easterling of Lowe’s Companies, Steve Ellis of Fleetmaster, Haley Portante of Portante Clan Construction, Shanna Bell of Stroud Miller Insurance Co., Dr. Christy Brown of the Hearing Center of Wilkes and Sam Franklin of Wilkes Family YMCA.

By LINDA CHEEKWilkes Chamber of Commerce President

Chamber Mission“Promoting economic devel-

opment and striving to enhance the quality of life for all Wilkes County citizens.”

W ilkes Chamber of Commerce, estab-l ished in 1946, serves as the voice

for business and industry for Wilkes County. The purpose of the organization is to promote and support economic development through the promotion and refer-ral of chamber membership and the overall business and industry located within Wilkes County and the region. The chamber serves as the communication hub for the county, providing detailed

information to citizens interested in relocation, area and regional tourism, and the accessibility of products and services available.

The chamber maintains two websites featuring detailed data to enable visitors to gain greater knowledge of the County and chamber members—www.Wil-kesnc.org and www.ExploreWil-kes.com. Both websites include listing and contact information for all chamber members, busi-ness educational opportunities, workforce training, leadership development, relocation needs, arts, entertainment, local shop-ping, and visitor assistance.

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce 2014 Program of Work is a plan

Leadercast 2014: A positive change in leadershipBy LINDA CHEEKWilkes Chamber of Commerce President

W i lkes Cha mber will host LEAD-ERCAST 2014 on Friday, May 9th at

the Stone Center located in the Wilkes County Schools Admin-istrative offices on Cherry Street

in North Wilkesboro. Community and business leaders regionally can access the knowledge and

experience of world-renowned leaders by attending this postive change in leadership event.

The Leadercast event is broad-cast LIVE from Atlanta, Ga. to hun-dreds of sites around the world, including North Wilkesboro. This year’s speaker lineup includes:

author and communicator;

Nobel laureate & human rights

activist live from Cape Town, South Africa;

and best-selling author of “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers;”

-writer, director, producer and

See PROGRAM, Page 10

See LEADERCAST, Page 4

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, Inc.2014 Board of Directors

Of!cersName Title CompanyJohann Louchez Chair 2014 BB&TJ. Gene Faile Chair Elect 2015 Wilkes Regional Medical CenterBrent West Chair Elect 2016 Tyson Foods, Inc.Randy Brooks Past Chair Gardner Glass Products, Inc.Shane Gebauer Treasurer Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Inc.Charles Johnson Assistant Treasurer United Country-Johnson RealtyCynthia Staley VP Ambassadors/Membership LifeStore Insurance & MortgageDr. Wanda Hutchinson VP Education Wilkes County Board of EducationDennis Huggins VP Leadership Wilkes Wilkes County Board of EducationEric Cramer VP Youth Leadership Wilkes TelecommunicationsBert Greene VP Legal Affairs Law Of!ces of Robert G.Greene, Jr. PLLCDan Little VP Small Business Assistance Wilkes Community CollegeTerrian Carter VP Tourism/Quality of Life Addison PropertiesGinger Shaffer VP Workforce Development Wilkes JobLink Career CenterJimmy Flythe Executive Committee at Large Duke EnergyTerrie Stackhouse Executive Committee at Large Carolina Realty, Inc.DirectorsWilliam Clark 2014 Board Member Hardee’s of WilkesboroVanessa Eller 2014 Board Member First Citizens Bank—WilkesboroShane Gebauer 2014 Board Member Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Inc.Darrell Groves 2014 Board Member Vulcan Materials CompanyArthur Lankford 2014 Board Member Tar Heel Oil, Co.Karen Poteat-Bolin 2014 Board Member Carolina West WirelessKerry Dyer 2015 Board Member Worldwide Protective ProductsDon Easterling 2015 Board Member Lowe’s CompaniesSteve Ellis 2015 Board Member Fleet Master, Inc.Pat E. Hatley 2015 Board Member CenturyLinkJimmy Mason 2015 Board Member LP-Roaring RiverHaley Portante 2015 Board Member Portante Clan ConstructionShanna Bell 2016 Board Member Stroud Miller Insurance Co.Dr. Christy Brown 2016 Board Member The Hearing Center of WilkesSam Franklin 2016 Board Member Wilkes Family YMCAJon Gambill 2016 Board Member Qdoba Mexican Grill & Sweet Frog YogurtBill Hanlin 2016 Board Member Wilkes County Cooperative ExtensionCharlie Silva 2016 Board Member Blue Skies HypnosisEx-Of!cioVictor Varela Mayor Town of RondaRobert Johnson Mayor Town of North WilkesboroMike Inscore Mayor Town of WilkesboroLarry South Town Manager Town of North WilkesboroKenneth Noland Town Manager Town of WilkesboroJohn Yates County Manager County of WilkesGary D. Blevins County Commissioner-Chair County of WilkesRobin Hamby Vice-President/CFO Wilkes Economic DevelopmentDr. Marty Hemric Superintendent Wilkes County Board of EducationChamber StaffLinda Cheek President Wilkes Chamber of CommerceJamie Lakey Membership Director Wilkes Chamber of CommerceLynn Dyer Of!ce Manager Wilkes Chamber of CommerceWendy Scott Marketing & Communications Wilkes Chamber of CommerceBrain Elledge Travel Specialist NWNC Visitor CenterTreva Frazier Travel Specialist NWNC Visitor CenterElla Rhodes Visitor Center Volunteer Coordinator NWNC Visitor CenterWilliam Rhodes Visitor Center Volunteer Coordinator NWNC Visitor CenterStacy McNeil Travel Specialist NWNC Visitor CenterJanine Lewis Travel Specialist NWNC Visitor Center

Chairman: All about a positive attitude

As Chairman of the Board of the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, my theme for this year is EPA—Enthusi-astic Positive Attitude. This is a theme that has had a profound impact in my life. Back in 2003, I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and

-ing we had, Kelly King (who is now our CEO) mentioned EPA and the reasons for always having an enthusi-astic positive attitude. It has stuck with me ever since.

There are so many things in our lives that we cannot control, but we can control our hearts and our minds. Being positive makes a big difference since we only have one chance to make a strong first impression. When I was a teenager, my family and I visited the states that are in the Pacific Northwest. When we got to Oregon, we attended a church in a small town named Medford. The people in that town were some of the nicest and happiest people I had ever met. By the time we left that small town, we had met dozens of people and had half a dozen lunch invitations! That experience has stuck with me ever since. That was my first (and only) impression of Medford, Oregon, but their EPA was so unique that I still remember it fondly. My hope is that the people of Wilkes County can do the same.

Why should we encourage EPA in Wilkes? Let me give you five reasons of why we should be proud of our county and why we should have EPA:

1. People—The people of Wilkes County are some of the very best people I have ever known. They have high char-acter and great work ethic. There are too many strong leaders in the community to name. This community is also extremely generous. I have seen this firsthand when serving as the chairman for the Wilkes County March for Babies. The funds raised were more than doubled what had been previously raised through the generosity and love of the people of Wilkes County.

2. Entrepreneurship—Wilkes County has a strong spirit of entrepreneurship. Some of the companies that came from Wilkes include Lowe’s, Lowes Foods and Holly Farms (now a division of Tyson). Other entrepreneurial companies in

Wilkes include Window World, Gardner Glass Prod-ucts, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm and many others. Even better, more companies are now expanding and hiring.

3. Agriculture—This is Wilkes County’s “secret weapon” and has been a focal point for Wilkes Eco-nomic Development Corp. Few people may know that North Carolina is 10th in the nation in agriculture. Wilkes is seventh in the state in total cash receipts. In 2012, Wilkes had $303,106,365 in cash receipts from agribusi-

ness. This makes a big difference. Wilkes is first in bees, second in broiler farms and hay, third in cattle and apples, fourth in grapes, seventh in eggs and ninth in layer farms. That is something all Wilkes County citizens should be very proud of.

4. Physical Attributes—Wilkes County is the 13th largest county in North Carolina. In elevation, it goes from 900 feet on the east-ern side to over 4,000 feet on western side. It truly has the best of both worlds. Wilkes has W. Kerr Scott Lake, Stone Mountain, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Brushy Mountains. You’d be hard pressed to find another place in the state that has such beautiful foothills, mountains and lakes.

5. Quality of Life—Wilkes is a great place to do business and live. We have a good hospital and excellent medical facilities. We have a progressive school system. We have a musical heritage with MerleFest and other musical events that are held throughout the year. We have historic downtown areas and the “Harvard on the Yadkin” with Wilkes Community College. Wilkes is also considered one of the best places in the state to retire. We have so much we can do—hike or fish at Stone Mountain, go mountain biking at the trails of W. Kerr Scott Lake, camp at Rendezvous State Park, take a stroll on the greenway, go to the many vineyards in the county, or drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The opportunities are limitless.

we should have an enthusiastic positive atti-tude about Wilkes County. I am humbled to be able to serve as chairman for the Board of the Chamber of Commerce this year and know that 2014 will be our best year ever!

Johann LouchezChamber Chairman

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014 • 3

Prearranged Funeral PlanningCemetery and MausoleumGrief Recovery Services

MonumentsFloral Arrangements Laminated Obituaries

www.reinssturdivant.com

Thank you to the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce 110 per-cent membership investors.

They are:4 Seasons Vacation Rentals

& Sales, A & J Rental Inc., A Greener World Recycling, A-1 Self Storage, Addison Proper-ties Inc., Advantage Restaurant Supply, Aflac-Nicholas Weh-rmann, AlarmSouth, Allstate Insurance-Tonda Phillips, Ameri-can Cancer Society, Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., Anytime Fitness, Appalachian Lumber Company Inc., Ball & Ball Inc., Barium Springs, Basic Finance Inc., BB&T Wilkesboro, Belk No. 233, Best Image Signs, Bet-ter Homes Furniture, Blair and Ward Properties LLC, Blue Ridge Environmental Consultants PA, Blue Ridge Mountain Club, Blue Ridge Tractor Co. Inc., Blue Skies Hypnosis Center LLC, Bojangles #6291, Botanics Trading LLC, Brame Huie Pharmacy, Brewer, Brewer & Sorel PLLC, Browse About Book Exchange, Brushy

Mountain Bee Farm Inc., Brushy Mountain Farm & Orchard, Brushy Mountain Ruritan Club, Brushy Mountain Dental Clinic, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse & Creamery, Bureau of Security Specialists Inc., Burger King-North Wilkesboro, Conley Call, Camp Harrrison-Herring Ridge, Captain Video & Tanning Salon, Carolina Mobility Specialists, Carolina West Wireless Corp. Office, Carolina West Wireless-Retail Store, Charter Business, City Florist, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Community Blood Cen-ter, Communities In Schools of Wilkes Inc., Cook’s Inc., County of Wilkes, CrossRoads Harley-Davidson, C.S. Forester Benefits Group, Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes Inc., Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape, D’Moser Travels, Dan Huffman & Associates Construc-tion Co., DAVHENCO Inc., David’s Car Care, Dazzle Dog Pet Groom-ing LLC, Deal Insurance Group, DHHS Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Domino’s Pizza, Dou-

ble D Security, Double Trouble Early Learning Center Inc., Dr. Robert Taylor OD, Dreams and Kitestrings, Duncan Insurance Agency, DW Benefits, Dwight Phillips Auto Sales Inc., Ebene-zer Christian Children’s Home, Eckerd Youth Alternatives Inc., Eden Stonework & Landscaping, Edward Jones Investment Tenth Street, Edward Jones Invest-ments-Wilkesboro, Employment Staffing/Employment Control, Everett Chevrolet Fleet & Com-mercial, FastMed Urgent Care P.C., Faw Insurance Agency Inc., Ferrell Propane Gas Inc., First Citizens Bank, Foothills Auto Spa, Foothills Sanitation & Recy-cling Inc., Forbes Printing-Holly Harmon, Freedom Auto LLC, Frontier Natural Gas, Gardner Glass Products, Gentiva Home Health, Glenn Hill Apartments, Goodwill Career Connections Center, Great State Bank, Green 2 Go LLC, Edward F. Greene, Hard-ee’s of Wilkesboro, H&R Block, The Hearing Center of Wilkes,

HIT Solutions LLC, Holiday Inn Express, Holistic Medical Clinic of the Carolinas, Huffman Broth-ers Construction Inc., Impact Col-lision Center Inc., InfusionPoints LLC, Insurance Service & Credit Corp., Integrity Design and Dis-plays Inc., Interflex Group, Isom Ham Design Group, Ivy Ridge Traditions, J. Martin Productions Inc., JAG Publishing Inc., James River Equipment Company, James Vannoy & Sons Construc-tion Co. Inc., jh DesignWorks, The Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home, Johnny Huffman Plumb-ing Co. Inc, Flossie Johnson, Rob-ert Johnson, Keller Electric Co. Inc., Kestrel Management Cor-poration, La-Z-Boy Casegoods Distribution Center, Law Offices of Timothy D. Welborn PA, Laws Rental Properties, Leading to Change Inc., Learning Pathway of NWNC, Leatherwood Moun-tains, Libby’s Boutique, LifeStore Insurance & Mortgage, Dan Little, Lowe’s Technical Services, Lowes Motel, LP-Louisiana Pacific,

Mary Kay Cosmetics/Melissa Hamby, MBI Builders LLC, Dr. Sloan McCarter OD, McDonald’s (Hwy. 18 N), McDonald’s (U.S. Hwy. 421), Stephen L. McNeil MD, Connie McNeill, David McNeill, MECI & Associates Inc, Men-aRick Vineyard & Winery, MHS Technologies, Michael’s Jewelry, Mike’s Body Shop Inc., Miller Bee Supply Inc., Miller Funeral Ser-vice Inc., Millers Creek Baptist Church, Millers Creek Pawn & Jewelry, Moravian Falls Fam-ily Campground, Mother Earth Foods & Spirits Inc., Mountain Valley Hospice & Palliative Care, Mountlawn Memorial Park, Myers Tire Service Inc., North Carolina Mountain Investments, Northwest Carolina Women’s Center, Northwestern Fire Pro-tection Inc., Oakwoods Country Club Inc., Oakwoods Grocery, Office Furniture Concepts Inc., On Premise Solutions LLC, Papa John’s Pizza, Charles B. Parker,

Chamber of Commerce 110% investors recognized

See 110% investors, Page 4

4 • Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014

336-667-7129

Tammy R. Sidden

[email protected]

MOBILE (336) 957-1604FAX (336) 667-5129P.O.Box 486N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 BLUE ADVANTAGE

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Peek-A-Boo’s Pet Sitting, Perry Lowe Orchards, Piedmont Federal Savings & Loan, Piedmont Triad Computer Consult-ing Inc., Project Lazarus, Pulliam & Sons LLC, Quality Business Services, Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery LLC, Red Carpet Inn, Reins Co. Inc., Reins-Sturdivant Inc., Rid-A-Bug, Riverview Animal Hospital PLLC, Roaring River Vineyards, Rose Glen Vil-lage, S&J Septic Pumping & Rent-A-Jon, Salem Foot Care PA, Samaritan’s Purse-North American Projects, Scenic Memo-rial Gardens Inc., Scott & Stringfellow LLC, Second to Nature, Sherwin-Williams Company, Bradford C. Shinaman DDS PA, Shumate Appraiser Service, Char-lie Sink-Real Estate Appraiser, Sixth & Main Restaurant, Charles H. Smithey, Jim Smoak, SouthEast Commercial Real Estate Group, Specialty Car Company Inc., Terrie Stackhouse-Realtor, State Farm Insurance-Burns, Larry and Diane Stone, Stroud-Miller Insurance Service Inc., Suncrest Farms Country Hams Inc., SunTrust Bank, Susan Whittington CLU CHFC, Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt, Tar Heel Oil Inc., Terminx, The 50’s, The Mill at Traphill, The Salvation Army, Thomp-son Gas-Smokies LLC, Tilley’s Auto Sales LLC, Tim Harrold’s Empire Chrysler Dodge Jeep, Town of Wilkesboro, Trac-tor Supply Co., Treat Hardwood Lumber

LLC, Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Wilkes-boro Food Service, Ultimate Carwash Hwy. 421, United Hospice, Universe of Science Inc., Valley Radiology Associates PA, Vannoy, Colvard, Triplett, & Vannoy PLLC, VFW Post 1142 Campground, Vil-lages of Wilkes Skilled Care, Villages of Wilkes Traditional Living, W.A. Lankford Company Inc., The Walker Center, Wake Forest Baptist Health-Internal Medicine, Bill Warden, Stephen J. Wessels DMD PLLC, Westwood Hills Nursing & Rehab Center, Whippoorwill Village, White Oak Stables, Window World Inc., Window World Foothills, Wilcox Marketing Inc., Wilkes Art Gallery, Wilkes Communica-tions, WCC-Basic Skills, Wilkes Commu-nity Foundation, Wilkes County Board of Education, Wilkes County Crime Stop-pers, Wilkes Family YMCA, Wilkes Flying Club Inc., Wilkes Farm & Garden Center, Wilkes Garage Doors, Wilkes Hardware Co., Wilkes Job Link, Wilkes Optomet-ric Eye Care Center, Wilkes Pediatric Clinic, Wilkes Regional Medical Center, Wilkes Steel Inc., Wilkes Transportation Authority, Wilkes Veterinary Hospital, Wilkes Vocational Services, Wilkes YMCA Express, Wilkesboro Mini Golf & Games, Willardson & Lipscomb LLP, William F. Brooks Attorney, Williams Motel, Wood-field Oaks Apartments LLC, Worldwide Protective Products, WWWC Radio (1240 AM), Yadkin River Greenway Council, Yadkin Valley Gymnastics Academy and Yadtel Publishing.

110% investorscontinued from Page 3

s o n g w r i t e r ( “ B r a v e h e a r t ,” “Secretariat”);

• Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP;• Laura Schroff, former ad sale

executive and best-selling author of An Invisible Thread;

• Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psy-chologist and leadership consultant;

• Simon Sinek, best-selling author of “Start with Why” and leadership expert;

• Laura Bush, first lady of the United States (2001-2009), via exclu-sive video interview.

Last year, over 100,000 leaders from 14 countries attended Leadercast. Now, in its 15th year, this full day, experiential conference is on track to reach its largest audience to date.

Randy Brooks, president of Gardner Glass Products, states, “Leadercast is one of the best days of the year for my management team. The exposure to so many of today’s greatest lead-ers and more importantly thinkers in today’s business world can’t be found anywhere else. We will continue to attend as long as the quality of the speakers remains at such high levels. It’s great for recharging your batteries and team building as well.”

“Leadership quality has become one of the most critical needs to organizational and community suc-cess in today’s world,” said Patricia Hatley, CenturyLink market develop-ment manager, leadership author and founder of Patricia Hatley Inc. (coach-ing for results in a digital world). “Leadercast gives attendees leader-ship best practices from some of the world’s most acclaimed leadership gurus. Nowhere else can you get as much training at this price point and from these caliber of presenters. At the end of the day, you will leave ener-gized and ready to conquer the world.”

Leadercast exists to positively change the way the world thinks about leadership. This year’s theme—Beyond You—challenges leaders to focus outward rather than inward. Experience Leadercast live on May 9 and discover what it means to be a leader worth following.

For more information about Lead-ercast, visit www.leadercast.com. For local ticketing information, call 336-838-8662 or visit www.wilkesnc.org and click on “Leadercast”. We hope you will join us for this full day of motivation and inspiration. Let “Beyond You” be the encouraging change for you and your management team in 2014.

Leadercastcontinued from Page 1

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336-838-89881920 WEST PARK DRIVE, NORTH WILKESBORO, NC

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MAIN STREET TAVERN of Wilkesboro cele-brated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting

on Dec. 12. Located on East Main Street in Wilkesboro, it serves wings, ribs and sand-

wiches with five TVs to watch sports. It also features local music. For more information,

call 990-0118.

DR. MICHAEL MAYHEW AND DR. STACY CONN celebrated the opening of their North Wilkesboro dental practice with a ribbon cut-ting on Jan. 24. The practice, formerly Dr. Tom Musson’s practice, is at 120 Wilkesboro Avenue in North Wilkesboro. Musson recently retired. They specialize in orthodontics and pediatric dentistry. For more information, call 667-4114 or go to www.opsmiles.com.

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce is the entity partnering with the North Carolina Division of Tourism to promote travel and tourism for the County of Wilkes.

Chamber staff enters data on commu-nity tourism events, attractions, accom-modations, restaurants, wineries, group facilities and sporting events into the NC Tourism Division’s extranet database accessible at www.VisitNC.com.

All information and updates regarding your location and events should be for-warded to Lynn Dyer, [email protected] , for entry. Photos of your attraction, location, event, etc. can also be submit-ted along with your data information, so please forward these as well.

If we do not receive your updated infor-mation, it will not be featured on the Vis-

itNC website nor published in the North Carolina Travel Guide. Help us promote and market Wilkes County Travel and Tourism. Send your dates, locations, con-tact information, photos today!

Also, Wilkes Chamber would like to fea-ture additional video on the www.Explore-Wilkes.com chamber visitor website and on the Chamber’s Facebook. We can also share these with our tourism partners: Blue Ridge Parkway Association, High Country Host Marketing, GoYadkinValley, Take-A-Break from the Interstate—Travel Highway 21 and Yadkin Valley Living.

If you have photos, video, etc. that you would like to include, please contact Wendy Scott, [email protected], at the chamber. Or call us at 838-8662 for more details.

Promoting Wilkes County tourism on VISITNC.com and ExploreWilkes.com

MOUNTAIN BIKING is one of the many recreational activities available in Wilkes.

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014 • 7

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• VOSCA Wine and Cheese Celebration @ Raffaldini, March 1 and 2.

• Wilkes Humane Society @ Wilkes Coun-ty Library, March 4, 6 p.m.

• Preschool Storytime at the Library-11 a.m.

• Tourism Committee Meeting, March 4, noon, register online

•Downtown Running Club. Corner of Main & 9th, North Wilkesboro Wednesdays @ 5:30 p.m.

• Wine Education 103: Wine & Chocolate Pairing @ Raffaldini, March 9

• Wilkes Wedding Expo 2013 @ Walker Center, March 9, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Register online

• Brushy Mountain Shag Club Dance @ Elks Lodge, March 15, 8 p.m.

• Executive & Full Board Committee Meeting, March 19, 3:30 p.m.

• Business After Hours @ Holiday Inn Express, March 20, 5:30 p.m.

• Barrel Tasting with the Winemaker - Wine Club Members Only @ Raffaldini, March 22, 1 p.m. • Second Annual “Spring in the Blues” @ MenaRick Vineyard, March 22, 4 p.m. • App State Road Cycling Race @ Down-town North Wilkesboro, March 23, 9 a.m. • Informational Tour @ YMCA Camp Har-rison, March 23, 1 p.m. • Wilkes Acoustic Folk Society-Monthly Meeting-Wilkes Heritage Museum, March 24, 7 p.m.

• Walker Center Season Show - Etta May and the Southern Fried Chicks, March 28, 7 p.m. • Leatherwood Mountains Ultra Run, March 29, 7 a.m.

• Using Google Analytics to Develop Your Business Platform-WCC Lowes Hall, March 31, 6 p.m.

March Calendar of Events

8 • Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014

“EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS AWARD” is presented to Duke Energy. Jimmy Flythe, right, director, West Region Government and Community Relations for Duke Energy Carolinas, receives the award from Randy Brooks, 2013 chairman of the Wilkes Cham-ber Board of Directors.

“SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD” is pre-sented to A & J Rental Inc. Dale Younger, right representing A & J Rental, receives the award from Randy Brooks, 2013 chairman of the Wilkes Chamber Board of Directors. This award is decided through the votes received from the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce membership.

“AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR AWARD” is presented to Laura Hubbard, right, of Gentiva Home Health. Linda Cheek, President of Wilkes Chamber, presents the award. Ambassadors earn points throughout the year for their participation and support of chamber membership retention, recruiting and events.

“CHAIRMAN’S AWARD” is presented to the Town of Wilkesboro for its accomplishments over the past year. Randy Brooks, chairman for 2013, selected and presented the award at the 68th annual meeting. Receiving the award are Mayor Mike Inscore, Town Councilmen Jimmy Hayes and Andy Soots and Town Manager Ken Noland.

“DUKE ENERGY CITIZENSHIP AWARD” is given to Phil Stevens of Specialty Car Co. for his years of community involvement. Stevens couldn’t attend because he was out of town. Accepting for him are his daughters, Daphne Petrey and Meghan Rous-seau. Presenting the award is Jimmy Flythe of Duke Energy.

The Wilkes Chamber of Com-merce Ambassadors for 2014 are Ter-rian Carter, Addison Properties Inc.; Avis Miller, N.C. Division of Voca-tional Rehabilitation Services; April Nichols, Barium Springs Home for Children; Laura Hubbard, Gentiva Home Health Care; Carla Souther-

Hauser, Carla Souther-Hauser Financial Services; Cynthia Staley, LifeStore Insurance & Mortgage; Shana Williams, Sharp Business Systems; Charlie Silva, Blue Skies Hypnosis Center; Austin Balf, Farm Bureau Insurance-Wilkesboro; Brett Yates, Wilkes Communications Inc.;

Jean Clayborn, Villages of Wilkes Skilled Care; Barbara Faw, Colo-nial Life; Justin Shockley, Avante at Wilkesboro Inc.; Pam White, United Hospice; Ruth Warden, Communi-tyOne Bank-Wilkesboro; Chad Mar-tin, Charter Business; and Bryan Osborne, Print-Wise.

Chamber Ambassadors recognized

Awards given at Wilkes Chamber Annual Meeting

The following businesss recently joined the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce.

Main Street TavernAmanda Peyatt, 102 East Main St.,Wilkesboro, 336-990-0118

Best Price Metal RoofingJoe Greene, Industrial Park Drive,Boone, 828-264-6198

Kerley “Virtual”Consulting & BookkeepingDebbie Kerley, Ridge Lane,

Wilkesboro. 336-466-2495

Print-WiseBryan Osborne, Cherry Street,North Wilkesboro, 336-466-0494

OrthoCarolina-WilkesVictoria Segretto, Park Road, Charlotte,828-264-1100

Benton Hall Center for ArtsCollee Riddle, Wilkes Playmakers,D Street, North Wilkesboro, 336-973-4696

New Chamber members

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014 • 9

The following renewed their Wilkes Chamber memberships as of Nov. 25-Feb. 14 2014.

A & J Rental, A-1 Self Storage, Addison Properties Inc., Alarmsouth, Michael J. Andreski DDS PA, Animal Hospital of Wil-kes PA, Antaeus Consulting LLC, Appala-chian Lumber Company Inc., Applefield Realtors, Architect for Life PC, Atlantic Auction Service LLC, Ball & Ball Enter-prises Inc., Basic Finance Inc., BB&T, Belk Inc., Better Homes Furniture Co., Blossom Salon Butterfly Boutique, Blue Ridge Tractor, Botanics Trading LLC, Brame Huie Pharmacy Inc., Brand Jew-elry, Brewer Brewer & Sorel PLLC, Bridal Traditions, BROC-Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission, Brushy Mountain Farm & Orchard, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse & Creamery, Burger King-North Wilkes-boro, Camp Harrison at Herring Ridge, Captain Video & Tanning Salon, Carter Bank & Trust, Casey & Company Forestry PLLC, City Florist, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Colonial Life, CommunityOne Bank-Millers Creek, CommunityOne Bank-Wilkesboro, Cook’s Inc., C.S. Forester Benefits Group, Cubic Inc., Customized Storage, Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape, Dan Huffman & Associates General Contractors, David’s Care Care Center Inc., Day Properties LLC, Dazzle Dog Pet Grooming LLC, DHHS Voca-tional Rehabilitation Services, Dr. Robert Rickets DDS, Eckerd Youth Alternatives Inc., Elkin Creek Vineyard LLC, Employ-ment Staffing/Employment Control, Faw Insurance Agency Inc., First Citizens Bank, Frontier Natural Gas, Gloria Sews, Great State Bank, H&R Block, High Country Council of Governments, Holistic Medi-cal Clinic of the Carolinas, Imedia, Insur-ance Service & Credit Corp., Ivy Ridge Traditions, Johnny Huffman Plumbing Company Inc., Flossie Johnson, Johnston Casuals Furniture Inc., Journal Commu-nications, Key City Condo Homeowners Association, Law Offices of Timothy D. Welborn, La-Z-Boy Distribution Center, Leading to Change Inc., Learning Pathway of NWNC, Dan Little, Lowe’s Technical Services, LP-Louisiana Pacific, Stephen L. McNeil MD, Meadows Mills Inc., MECI & Associates Inc., Steven Melton, Mill-ers Creek Pawn & Jewelry, Mother Earth Foods & Spirits Inc., North Wilkesboro Rotary Club, Northwest Carolinas Women’s Center, Northwest Food Service, North-western Fire Protection Inc., Piedmont Triad Computer Consulting Inc., Pixels on Paper Inc., Quality Control Inc., Rainbow Child Care Center, Reins-Sturdivant Inc.,

Roaring River Vineyards, The Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse-North Ameri-can Projects, Scenic Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Screen Printers Unlimited LLC, Sharp Business Systems, Shephard’s Heat-ing & Air Conditioning Inc., Bradford C. Shinaman DDS PA, Shumate Appraiser Ser-vice, Charlie Sink-Real Estate Appraiser, Jim Smoak, Terrie Stackhouse-Realtor, Subway of Wilkesboro, Susan Whittington CLU, CHFC, Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt, Tar Heel Oil Inc., Team Nurse, Teresa Tedder-Overcash, Realtor, The 50’s, The Sterling Group, Richard C. Thornton, Toby Outdoor LLC, Tonya’s Academy of Dance, Town of North Wilkesboro, Town of Wilkesboro, Treat Hardwood Lumber LLC, Tumbling Shoals Farm, Tyson Foods Inc., United Country-Johnson Realty, United Way of Wilkes County Inc., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USA Wheel & Tire, Vannoy & Lankford Plumbing Co. Inc., Venture Properties, Vulcan Materials Company, W.A. Lankford Company Inc., Bill Warden, WATCO Cleaning Inc., WCC-Basic Skills Center, Stephen J. Wessels DMD PLLC, Westwood Hills Nursing & Rehab Center, Western Carolina Electric Supply Co., Wil-kes Community College, Wilkes County Board of Education, Wilkes Farm & Garden Center, Wilkes Hardware Company, Wilkes Hourglass Cleaners Inc., Wilkes Journal- Patriot, Wilkes Nissan, Wilkes Optometric Eye Care, Wilkes Regional Medical Center, Wilkes Transportation Authority, Wilkes Veterinary Hospital PLLC, Wilkes Voca-tional Services Inc, Wilkes YMCA Express, Wilkesboro Tourism Development Author-ity, Yadkin Bank-North Wilkesboro, Yadkin Bank-Wilkesboro, Yadkin Valley Motor Co. Inc. and Yadtel Publishing.

Memberships renewed

Social Media StatsDecember - February

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

Page likes 847New likes 32Total post reach 14,114Engaged people 1,530

Explore WilkesPage likes 167Total post reach 123Engaged people 71

TwitterTweets 5,023Following 885Followers 731

PinterestFollowing 246Followers 143

that executes the mission and vision of the Chamber. As a membership organiza-

to serve our member needs.Wilkes Chamber of Commerce plays

a supportive role in economic growth.The chamber serves as a partner in the marketing of the county and in the recruit-ment for new industry and businesses as the chamber promotes the products and services of existing Wilkes commerce. The chamber has and will continue to serve as an advocate and a voice for industry and business through their involvement in local, state and national governmen-tal bodies and business lobbying efforts supported by organizations such as U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Cham-ber of Commerce, and the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

Wilkes Chamber will publish “Livability Wilkes County, North Carolina” again in 2014, marketing the many qualities of our county globally. The magazines will be distributed at all N.C. welcome centers and multiple visitor centers and chambers across North Carolina. An electronic ver-sion will be on the Chamber websites.

Education is the key to the economic vitality of Wilkes County and the State of North Carolina. The chamber in 2014 will continue to communicate to the pub-lic information on education initiatives and area workforce development training opportunities. Wilkes Chamber will advo-cate for the “Career and College Promise,” a program that will enhance the skill levels of our graduating high school and college students. Wilkes Chamber Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization of the cham-ber, will continue to provide funding for four $1,000 New Century Scholarships in 2014, for the facilitation of the Wilkes County Schools youth leadership program (United Teens in Action), and will recog-nize the Teacher and Principal of the Year.

In 2014, Wilkes Chamber of Commerce will facilitate Leadership Wilkes, a pro-gram providing increased overall knowl-edge of Wilkes County. This nine-session leadership development training enables particpants to be involved one-on-one with multiple business, industry, govern-ment, evnironmental, utility, communica-

and tourism related leaders. Class par-ticipants will receive tours of municpal services, local business and industries, educational facilities, and various other locations that will enable them to gain a

greater understanding of their community.Wilkes Chamber of Commerce mem-

bership is represented by over 85 percent small businesses with 20 or fewer employ-ees. To support this large membership sector, Wilkes Chamber will continue the Small Business Assistance meetings held on the first Wednesday of each month. The meetings, often sponsored by small business owners, provide members an opportunity to showcase their products and services. These meetings include edu-cational presentations equipping business owners with tools they can apply. Each attendee is given time to introduce them-selves and share their business cards.

Workforce Development and workforce prepareness are essential to economic growth in Wilkes. Wilkes Chamber will continue to partner with Wilkes JobLink Center and Wilkes Employment Security to offer workforce educational seminars, promote training opportunities, and mar-

-cles in the Chamber Newsletter relative to workforce issues. Quarterly meetings of the Workforce Development Commit-tee will include presentations focused on current employment issues.

One of the fastest growing industries in North Carolina is tourism, creating state and local tax revenues as a result of visitor spending of more than $1.5 billion in 2012. Wilkes Chamber will continue to serve as the county’s visitor center, providing infor-mation to visitors and relocation potentials entering the chamber or rendering requests electronically. The chamber will promote Wilkes travel and tourism and partner with the N.C. Division of Tourism, Blue Ridge Parkway Association, High Country Host Marketing, Yadkin Valley Heritage

the Interstate—Highway 21 to reach the greatest number of potenital visitors.

Each month Wilkes Chamber’s Tourism and Quality of Life Committee will meet to network and share news of upcom-ing events and attractions throughout the county. The chamber will continue to manage the Northwest North Caro-lina Visitor Center located on U.S. 421. The center served over 46,000 visitors in 2013, providing local and regional travel information to each traveler.

Wilkes Chamber will host monthly net-working events through 2014 for mem-bership and their guests. In January, the Chamber Annual Dinner celebrates and recognizes business and industry mem-bers for their accomplishments. In Feb-ruary, the chamber will host Primetime Business Showcase and allow those new

-

bership event to exhibit their products and services. In April, Chamber Night at MerleFest will be held on Thursday night

evening of good food, excellent music, and warm fellowship.

In May, the chamber will hold the Wilkes Chamber Foundation Golf Tournament, a tournament where proceeds will be directed toward educational initiatives sup-ported by the Foundation. Also in May, the chamber will again be a host site for Lead-ercast, a day of leadership motivation and inspiration webcasted live from Atlanta, Ga.

Leadership Wilkes 2014 will begin in August and continue through November with participants gaining greater knowl-edge of Wilkes and becoming leaders for the community.

In October, Wilkes Chamber will par-ticipate in the Brushy Mountain Apple Fes-tival, selling the official festival T-shirts. October is also the time of the year that Wilkes Chamber says thank you to the membership as we, along with the help of Arnold Lakey, host the Business Appre-ciation Breakfast. November is a time of planning for the Chamber as the Board and Executive Committee come together for the annual planning retreat. Wilkes County Christmas Parade is scheduled

for the first Saturday in December, a day for children and adults to celebrate and

Nearly every month the chamber will host a Business after Hours and/or a Business and Breakfast networking event. These chamber networking events are a great time to showcase member facilities and for members to get to know each other. Most people like to do business with people they know and this type of networking helps to build those relationships.

Supporting members, the Chamber will partner with the Wilkes Journal-Patriot to publish six editions of the “Chamber Newsletter” in 2014. This publication is distributed as an insert into their newspa-per. Wilkes Chamber will continue to part-ner with MTN-TV in Boone to complete monthly live broadcasts that are televised throughout northwestern N.C. and into Tennessee. This partnership enables us to share event and attraction schedules to bring in tourism as well as highlight local chamber members.

Wilkes Chamber of Commerce is work-ing for their chamber members. Are you a member of your chamber? If not, contact us at 336-838-8662 or visit our websites, www.wilkesnc.org and www.ExploreWil-kes.com to learn more.

Programcontinued from Page 1

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Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • February 24, 2014 • 11

Amy BlairBroker•ABR•GRI•SFR

Realtor of the Year 2012957-7077Ext. 207

John WardBroker•CRS•ABR•GRI•SFR

Realtor of the Year 2013262-0154 • 667-2945

Ext. 202

Kelly WinglerProperty Manager

667-1719Ext. 221

Debbie ReynoldsOffice Manager

667-1719Ext. 204

Cheryle MillsBroker Assistant/Secretary

667-1719Ext. 220

Jerrell SuddrethBroker

262-3359Ext. 320

Howard MullendoreBroker

262-4788Ext. 222

Beth BerrongBroker

957-1483Ext. 204

Sharon CookeBroker•GRI•e-PRO

927-3412Ext. 209

Linda MooreBroker

262-6838Ext. 211

Todd FeltsBroker

202-1339Ext. 201

Barbara MillerBroker

828-773-9841Ext. 205

Tammie MillsapBroker

984-6400Ext. 210

Carolyn McGradyBroker

981-5739Ext. 208

Jeff AtwellBroker

262-4984Ext. 312

Jamie FosterBroker

902-3721

DeLynda WardBroker•ABR•Property Mgr.468-7974 or 667-2945

Ext. 214

Jodi JarvisBroker

927-3981Ext. 213

Dee CharestBroker

262-0792Ext. 206

Chris JohnsonBroker

981-4245Ext. 212

Tammy FracassiBroker•e-PRO262-3498Ext. 203

Stephen LoweBroker

957-1950Ext. 217