Weekly Update/BBQ BASH, Legislative Survey, Hayden Bracknell, 7-7-7 & More!

WEEKLY UPDATE Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Greetings!

The time has come for us to develop our 2012 Legislative Agenda. Input from our members is critical to making this important planning tool relevant for Upstate businesses.
Please click here to take the 2012 Legislative Survey.

Why Celebrate Manufacturers?
Manufacturing accounts for more than 15% of the total Gross State Product in South Carolina! Join us at our Annual Manufacturers Celebration next Thursday, October 6 at Hartness Estate! Learn more and register here.

Congratulations to our Ambassador of the Month: Hayden Bracknell!

Hayden was raised in Greenville and graduated from Greenville High and Marshall University.

She is the Externship Coordinator for Brown Mackie College and works with the Business, IT, Accounting, Office Management, Criminal Justice, Paralegal and Legal Studies programs. She enjoys her job because it is a great balance of working with students and the community together.

Nominate a Small Business of the Month!
Have you been impressed by a small business lately? Click here to nominate them for our Charter Business Small Business of the Month Award!

SAVE THE DATE FOR 7 EXPERTS-7 TIPS-7 MINUTES: OCTOBER 13TH! OPPORTUNITIES & EXPERIENCES FOR FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS
Our October 13th 7-7-7 will feature tips for financing your small business. Each of these experts will have seven minutes to offer an actionable tip to help save you money, time or anxiety. Partnership: Jim Alexander, Special Services Corporation Michelin Small Business Loan Program: Robin Bylenga, Pedal Chic Friends/Family Sources: Bill Davis, Thomas Creek Brewery SBA Loans: Jason Holeman, Greenville Refrigeration Bootstrapping: Zac Painter, Loggerhead Apparel Upstate Carolina Angel Network (UCAN): Evan Solida, Cerevellum Traditional Bank Lending: Jim Twining, Southern Tide, LLC Matthew Cotner, Certus Bank will moderate. Click here to learn more and register.

QUARTERLY PUBLIC POLICY LUNCHEON WITH U.S. SENATOR GRAHAM
Senator Graham will provide area business leaders with updates from Washington and take questions from attendees. Tuesday, October 25 Poinsett Club (Poinsett Room) 11:30 am: Registration/Networking 12 noon: Lunch/Program Cost per person is $25, includes lunch. Seating is limited. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21st

Upcoming Events!
TODAY: September 28: PULSE Leadership Luncheon NEXT WEEK: October 2: PULSE Sports Field Day October 4: Small Business Council on Growth w/ Upstate Alliance CEO Hal Johnson October 4: Non-Profit Alliance featuring Madeleine McGee of SCANPO October 5: BWIA Lunch & Learn/Communications Techniques to Get Your Message Heard October 6: 2011 BBQ Bash Manufacturers Celebration MORE UPCOMING EVENTS October 11: Business Before Hours October 18: Business After Hours at Brown Mackie College SAVE THESE DATES: October 20: NationJob Partnership - As a Greenville Chamber member, you are eligible to participate at low or no-cost in a very effective program for recruiting the talent you need to be competitive. NationJob CEO Ralph Hejlik will host a lunch at the Chamber to discuss new offerings available to the manufacturing community. NationJob is an excellent addition for your current talent attraction toolkit. For information, contact Hank Hyatt at hhyatt@greenvillechamber.org. October 28: Sales Workshop on the Social Media Sales Revolution/SELLING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA - The New Rules of Business Development presented by Landy Chase, Author of The Social Media Sales Revolution and Competitive Selling. Register here. October 31: Preparing for Snap Union Elections - While "Card Check" may be dead in Congress, efforts by the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor are underway to accomplish the same goal of snap union elections, with little room for employer resistance. To help better prepare your manufacturing, distribution center or related facility, the Greenville Chamber, in partnership with Positive Management Leadership, is pleased to invite you to a first-ever SlimDog Pet Food™ Union Simulation training session in Greenville on Monday, October 31 at the Chamber. This 3.5-hour training is designed to help your team realize and ultimately avoid costly chaos, confusion, poor communications and bad decisions. Space is limited. Cost per person for Chamber members is $400 ($600 for Non-members). Register here. November 17: Business Women In Action Luncheon to celebrate previous Athena Award Winners featuring keynote speaker Angela Webb, Sr. Executive VP, Certus Bank. Register here. View our calendars for more: Chamber Events / Member Events Calendar

Are You Saving Your Company Money with SmartBuys?
We've selected the best discount offerings for health insurance, office supplies, and telecommunications that we could find. Our SmartBuys partners are BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Office Depot, and Windstream Communications. Start saving with SmartBuys today! As a participating member of the Office Depot Program, you can save your business up to 50-75% on professional copy and print services. 2.5¢ for Black & White single sided copies, 24 lb. paper (10¢ without discount) 29¢ for Color single sided copies, 24 lb. paper (59¢ without discount) Do you prefer to do your own in-office printing? You will save your business 15% on lowest Retail prices when you purchase select store brand and national paper and toner. To take advantage of these savings, contact Max Pierce at 888-213-8948, ext. 4604 or max.pierce@officedepot.com.

Is your company hiring? Post Local Jobs for FREE at NationJob!
Greenville Chamber Members can post local job listings for FREE at NationJob! Take advantage of this valuable benefit by E-mailing the job description to njlistings@nationjob.com and note that you are a Greenville Chamber member, or call 888-256-0919 for further details.

Connect with the Chamber on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn!

Building one of the premier business communities in the world!