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December Monthly News from
Your Chamber |
Greetings!
The holiday times are upon us and everyone is scurrying about decorating, shopping and planning vacations. Please keep in mind when you are shopping to Keep It In Camden & "KIIC" it!! Our local businesses need you as much as you need them, so support your community and shop local.
The Board and Staff of the Chamber wish each of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and we hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!
Chris, Christi, & Julie  |
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| Important Chamber Dates & Future Events (Save the Date) | |
Wednesday, December 8th - Small Business Committee Meeting at 6:15 pm held at the Chamber
Monday, December 13th - Membership Committee Meeting at Noon held at the Chamber. Bring your lunch!
Wednesday, December 15th - Board of Director's Meeting at 8 am held at the Chamber
Thursday, December 16th - Military Community Affairs Committee Meeting at 8:30 am held at the Chamber
Thursday, December 16th - December Business After Hours from 5-8 pm held at Borrell Creek Landing Restaurant. Co-sponsored by Bennett Suzuki & Borrell Creek
Monday, December 20th - Workforce Development Committee at 1:30 pm held at the Camden County Annex in Kingsland off Gross Road
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year - The Chamber will be closed from December 24 2010 - January 3, 2011.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - Government Community Affairs Committee Meeting at 8 am held at the Chamber
Future Events - Save the Date
Tuesday, January 25th - New Member Welcome Breakfast from 8-9:15 pm held at Citizens State Bank Community Center
Wednesday, January 26th - Modernize Your PC Seminar held at Citizens State Bank Community Center
Friday, January 28th - 2011 Economic Outlook Luncheon held on Jekyll Island (Contact Chamber if you would like to purchase a ticket)
Friday, May 6th - Chick-fil-A Leadercast held at Southeast Community Church (Contact the Chamber to reserve your ticket) |
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Thank You to Our November New & Renewing Members | |
Thank You to Our November New Members
Colby's Bar & Grill - Steve Miller
SEGA Systems, LLC/Dealer Bytes, Inc. - Paul Rushing
AAA Insurance - Dallas Brenneise
Johnson Gas Company - William Smith
The UPS Store #4534 - Mike Speagal
Pet Cremation Services - Mark Fiegl
Century Metals Roofing Supply - Marshall & Abby Gillis
Oakwell Armory - Howard H. Davis, IV
Dirty Monkey Soap Company - Carrie Guevara
Thank You to Our November Renewing Members
Ablaze Academy - Jackie Liotta (5 years)
Cecily Hill - Prudential Magnolia Realty (19 years)
Camden County Joint Development Authority - David Keating (9 years)
Mullis, Crews & Konrad, CPAs - Dena Crews (14 years)
Heritage House Wedding Chapel - Pauline Butler (2 years)
Jones Medical Equipment - Alan Jones (5 years)
Satilla Classic Scholarship Foundation, Inc. - Dr. Jannett Bradford (2 years)
Comfort Suites - Shiv Parbhoo (2 years)
Peppers Mexican Grill & Cantina - Rueben Garcia (2 years)
Christ Episcopal Church - Rick Williams (10 years)
Bennett Chevrolet-Buick, Inc. - Eddie Bennett (20 years)
Coastal Camden Art league, Inc. - Margie Rose (2 years)
Fairfiled Inn & Suites - Wendell Thompson (2 years)
Kings bay Honda - John Bryan (5 years)
Red Roof Inn - Chandrika Desai (7 years)
Terri Keller, M.A., Writing & Marketing Services (3 years)
St. Marys Magazine - Barbara Ryan (5 years)
Brock Landscaping & Irrigation - Chad Brock (2 years)
Classic Cleaners - Jonathon Blount (2 years)
Bran Creek, LLC - Lissette Williams (1 year)
Carlos A. Levy, M.D., P.A. (7 years)
Chesser Heating & Air - Michael Chesser (2 years)
Department of Family & Children Services - Beth Griffis (15 years)
*Highlighted Members 10+ years Membership |
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Thank You to Our November Sponsors
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November Sponsors
Business After Hours
Morale, Welfare & Recreation & Trident Lakes Golf Course
Business of the Month
Chick-fil-A
Tools for Business
TDS Telecom
Door Prizes
Aflac
Amelia Medical Care
Auto Care
Camden County Clinic of Chiropractic
Chick-fil-A
Coastal Oaks Home Inspections
H & R Block
J. Green Jewelers
Restoration Hands of Aloha
Lowe's
Sonny's - Loomis-Bar-B-Que, Inc
Studio S
The Blood Alliance
Trident Lakes Golf Club & Course
United Way of Camden County
Walgreens |
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Ribbon Cuttings | |
Ribbon Cuttings & Ground Breakings during the Month of November
American Red Cross Ribbon Cutting
More Photos |
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Government Community Affairs Committee Continues Making a Difference in the Camden Business Community | |
The Government Community Affairs Committee continues to make a difference in the Camden Business Community. Here is a list of what has taken place over the last month:
- As a follow-up to the Pulse of Camden project, the GCA committee is pursuing conversations with appropriate parties concerning the possibility of an "economic summit/futures" project during 2011 for Camden County.
- We are heavily engaged in "discovery" conversations with city and county leaders concerning our agenda for the D.C. and Atlanta Fly-Ins for 2011.
- The GCA committee scheduled an evening get together for our new Representative, Jason Spencer and our new Senator, William Ligon prior to the new session in January.
- We continue to monitor the U.S. Congress: Tax Reform, 1099 Reform, and Military Funding Issues.
- We continue to monitor the status of Georgia issues: Water Reform, emerging T-Splost, a $1 Billion shortfall in the states revenues for 2011, Education Funding Challenges, and upcoming redistricting in Georgia.
- We also continue to monitor Camden County's unemployment, real estate sales, retail sales volume and the status of local business.
If you would like to get involved and be a part of the the Government Community Affairs Committee, please join us for the monthly meetings scheduled the first Wednesday of each month beginning promptly at 8 am in the Chamber's conference room. Please contact our Committee Chair Charlie Smith at charlie@tcfg-fl.com if you have further questions. |
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Membership Committee Meeting | |
The Membership Committee is busy developing a new membership brochure featuring all the great reasons we belong to our chamber. We are also busy contacting members who have lapsed their memberships -- not to mention creating some great networking ideas for next year. The Membership Committee meets monthly at the Chamber and the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 13th at noon. Bring your lunch and enjoy a great meeting, discuss ways in which the Chamber can provide even more to our members and get connected with a great group of people. If you have questions about the Membership Committee, please contact our Committee Chair Nancy Dervaes at nancy_dervaes@us.aflac.com. See you at our next meeting! |
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You are Invited to the Individual Augmentee (IA) Christmas Party | |
The Camden County Chamber's Military Community Affairs Committee and the St. Marys Kiwanis Club cordially invite you to the Individual Augmentee (IA) Family Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Stewart located at 122 Bryce Ryan Circle, Kingsland from 2-5 pm.
Please RSVP by Monday, December 6th to info@camdenchamber.com or 729-5840.
Please join us and enjoy fabulous holiday refreshments, Model A Rides, Holiday Model Train Display and most importantly "SANTA!"
The Military Community Affairs meeting for December will be Thursday, December 16th at 8:30 am held at the Chamber in the Conference Room. If you are interested in participating on this committee you can contact the co-chairs Allen Eldridge at eldridge1@tds.net or CMC Jimmy Schubert at james.schubert@navy.mil. Look forward to having you join us! |
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Small Business Committee Determines Short Term Goals | |
The Small Business Committee has reorganized and during their initial planning meeting discussion focused on the objectives of the committee for the short and long term goals. For the remainder of the 2010-2011 FY the committee discussed a few short term goals that can be accomplished and help the business community. These include:
- Stronger communication with the local media and getting the word out about what the resources the Chamber has to offer and what the Chamber is accomplishing through the other committees.
- Define what a "small business" is in Camden County so we can properly meet their needs. We know that the definition of a "small business" is different in Kingsland, St. Marys or Woodbine than it is in Atlanta.
- Based on the Pulse of Camden results the committee has a better understanding of what the business community needs in the way of assistance, allowing for more focused seminars, workshops or programs. These programs include:
- Microsoft presentation on "Modernize Your Business PC" - A Presentation by Mark Belcher
- Procurement Procedures for Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
- Marketing / Chamber Networking Circles (CNC)
- Customer Service / Collections
- EMA-Disaster Preparedness Seminar
- Securing Capital Credit
- Working with SCORE
In order to accomplish all these goals, it will take the work of the many. The Small Business Committee is actively recruiting members to participate, get involved, and assist in making a difference in the Camden Business Community.
The Small Business Committee's next meeting is scheduled for December 8th at 6:15 pm to be held at the Chamber. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact the Co-chairs Dr. Jon Shiels at chiro559@tds.net or Alex Blount at councilcat79@yahoo.com. The more business people on this committee the more information we can provide to our membership. Look forward to having you on the committee. |
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Workforce Development Committee | |
The Workforce Development Committee continues to promote the Georgia Work Ready Program to those looking for a job. Testing is done through the Altamaha Technical College in Room 142 at the College of Coastal Georgia, Camden Center on Tuesday evenings from 6 pm -10 pm. Contact Laura Fish at 510-3361 to sign up for testing.
The Hire Work Ready Program assists employers in hiring the right person for the job the first time. This test not only places people in jobs they are qualified and suited for which makes for happier employees, it also improves retention and reduces turnover.
The committee awaits the decision for the Regional Trident Coast Work Ready Grant decision. It is our hope that we will learn that we have been awarded the grant on December 15th.
On December 8th & 9th, Rachel Baldwin, Committee Chair and Chris Daniel, Chamber President will attend the Georgia Work Ready Summit in Atlanta. Rachel and Chris were invited to attend the summit and Rachel was requested to make a presentation on how Camden County increased their high school graduation rate and how Work Ready played a role.
The Chamber's Workforce Development Committee and the Joint Development Authority are working together to establish a rapport with existing industries for input on industry needs.
We invite you, any business or industry, interested in participating on the Workforce Development Committee to attend our monthly meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 20th at 1:30 pm held at the Camden County Annex in Kingsland. If you have questions or would like to participate please contact Rachel Baldwin, Committee Chair at rbaldwin@camden.k12.ga.us. |
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MWR & Trident Lakes Golf Course Sponsor November Business After Hours | |
Special thanks Morale, Welfare, & Recreation and the Trident Lakes Golf Course our sponsors and host of the November 2010 Business After Hours. If you did not attend the BAH in November, you missed a fantastic event. You not only had the opportunity to welcome our new Members, honor our Military Personnel Member of the Month Sgt Robert King, not to mention you would have seen a breathtaking view of their beautiful golf course and hang out networking on under the club house patio. The food was delicious and the beverages refreshing!
 | | Capt. John O'Neill welcomes the group |
 | | A few folks relaxing and enjoying the terrific food |
Photo Gallery
Don't forget about our December Silent Auction Business After Hours on Thursday, December 16th from 5-8 pm (notice the extended hours) sponsored and hosted by Bennett Suzuki and Borrell Creek Landing Restaurant. So join us at Borrell Creek and enjoy outstanding food, festive drinks and must have priceless auction items to fill your Christmas Stockings or placed under your tree that were so generously donated by our fantastic Chamber Members!
Don't forget to bring a lot of business cards so you can network and collect cards from other members so you can refer them to others. We will also hold our 50/50 drawing with a guaranteed minimum payout of $100. Tickets can be purchased at the Chamber prior to the event for $10/13 tickets. Remember you must be present to win, so if you can't attend, send your employees so they can network with other members. Hope to see you on December 16th!! |
Chamber Member Milestones | |
On the Green Salon & Day Spa has been nationally recognized for the third time! They were published in the Nov/Dec issue of the Industry Source magazine and named 3rd place in the Best of the Best Salon & Spa of the year for 2010! The Green Team thanks you for your continued support!
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Congratulations to the following Camden County High School Seniors who received nominations to United States Service Academies. The students were interviewed for consideration into the Class of 2015 by Congressman Kingston and the Military Academy Board. Interviews were conducted at Bethesda Home for Boys in Savannah on October 18, 2010. The nominated students are:
Shawn Harvey of St. Marys, a senior at Camden County High School, received a nomination for the Merchant Marine Academy and the Air Force Academy. Harvey is a part of the varsity tennis team and swim team in addition to his dedication to Science Olympiad and First Robotics. "I am thrilled to have the chance to be able to serve my country in the best way I know how, to join the Air Force and become an officer through the Academy. My dream is to be a Fighter Pilot in the USAF, and I am prepared to overcome any challenges to get there."
Hayden Boudreaux of St. Marys, a senior at Camden County High School, received a nomination for the Merchant Marine Academy and the Naval Academy. Boudreaux is a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club as well as his participation in varsity football. "I look forward to the structural learning environment and challenge that comes with the rigorous curriculum at the Naval Academy. Graduating from the Naval Academy shows that a person is an active leader and strives for greatness athletically and in the classroom, which best describes my personality."
Ian Eversman of Kingsland (photo not available) a senior of Naples American High School in Italy, received a nomination for the Merchant Marine Academy and the Naval Academy. Eversman is member of National Honor Society and is a Student Council Representative to the Student Advisory Committee.
John Zuzich of Kingsland, a senior at Camden County High School, received a principle nomination for the Military Academy. Zuzich was elected as City Councilman for Georgia Boys State and is also an active volunteer for the 2nd Mile Ministries. "My dad has inspired me to seek the military after all of his service he has done for our country. My goal is to not only gain the experience I need to be great leader but I also hope to get a degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering."
Connor O'Neil of St. Marys, a senior at Camden County High School, received a principle nomination for the Naval Academy. O'Neil is a member of both National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society in addition to playing varsity football. "I lived on the Academy grounds for 4 years prior to moving to Georgia and as a result, have an excellent knowledge of what this commitment really means. I fully understand the rigorous work load and physical training that is involved and know that not only will I be able to accomplish this, but in fact excel."
Congratulations to all for a job well done!!
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Congratulations to our Camden County Wildcats Football Team, Band and Cheerleaders for another outstanding year! The dedication and commitment you show each year for your sport, team/band/squad mates, & your talents are an inspiration to the community. It is always with much pride and pleasure to watch each and every one of you representing Camden County with such CLASS! GO CATS!! |
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| December Business of the Month |  | |
Congratulations to
Lil Seabag
the December
Chick-fil-A
Business of the Month |
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Advertise Here and Be Noticed | |
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Feature Your Business Each Month and be noticed by over 1300 people! Call the Chamber for details.
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