News from Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

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04.16.2012

In This Issue

Chamber Focus
New Members
Leadership 2012 Update
Business After Hours
Article: Telework Turnaround
Luncheon w/Warm Hearth Village
Lewis Gale CRC Clinic Now Open
Events & Happenings
Legislative Insight
2012 Chamber Magazines are here
Contact Us

New Members

Help us WELCOME

our newest Members

Identify Reality

Willie Jester

PO Box 101

Blacksburg, VA 24062

540.999.8053

Website

Velocity Care

Ed Hamilton

Carilion Clinic Strategic Development

711 S. Jefferson Street

Roanoke, VA 24016

540.266.6800

Website

Chamber Focus

CAtheine

Greetings! Our 2012 Chamber Magazine is out and it looks fantastic! Many thanks to Phillip Vaught, Joanne Anderson, Nancy Creed and all who contributed to its content and advertising. This is just one of the ways that we showcase our business community. This magazine goes out to all requests for information about Montgomery County and represents us all well.

Spring is such a wonderful time of year, we all feel that sense of rejuvenation! We are genuinely excited that on April 23rd, Allision Davis will join the Chamber as Member Services Director. Allison is a Blacksburg native who loves Montgomery County and Southwest Virginia. She is very focused on enhancing our members' success and working with the Board and me to ensure that our programs/events/services are meeting your needs.

Many thanks to all of you who attended the April Eggs & Issues with Secretary Cheng. Great turnout! The Holiday Inn also partnered with Scott Sink at Hethwood Market to provide all local foods that were served for breakfast. Compliments were plentiful! Our May 3rd event will be Jeff Mitchell of LeClair Ryan and Nathan Lathka of Lujure speaking on "Beyond the 'Like' " a discussion on social media. Join us!

Catherine

Leadership NRV- Is Healthcare an Issue in Our Community?

The April session of Leadership New River Valley is rapidly approaching on April 19. While each session of Leadership is interesting. This one always proves to be eye opening!

Do you wonder where our citizens who are considered low income go for healthcare or other services? Did you know that roughly 21.8% or more of the residents in Montgomery County live below the poverty level? Did you know that it is estimated that 27% of the residents in Montgomery County do NOT have health insurance? Are you concerned with the future of healthcare and where will we find enough doctors to treat those in rural counties such as ours?

Information on healthcare and other services will be presented by the leaders in our community such as Scott Hill, CEO of Lewis Gale-Montgomery; Ruth Wolford, RN and Director of Virginia Department of Health, New River District; Roz Nelson, Manager of The Free Clinic of the New River Valley; Matt LoJacono, Coordinator of Student Services & Media Relations and Mark Rogers, D.O. of The Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and David Moore, Regional Coordinator of Smart Beginnings NRV. In addition to their expertise in the subject of healthcare, the participants will also gain insights into the leadership styles of our speakers.

Leadership NRV participants will learn what more about the application of change management principles in their community and workplace based upon the concepts presented in Switch. Facilitator Sharon Scott will also work with the participants on maximizing their networking skills in time for the Business After-Hours.

Hearing each expert will enable the participants to see the community in a new light and seek ways to make positive change. Following this session, the class members will soon be making their decision on which non-profit agency they will work with for the next seven months to enhance their capacity building efforts. Watch for an update on their decision.

LEADERSHIP NRV REUNION

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Leadership Alumni Reunion designed to connect and reconnect the graduates of the Leadership New River Valley Program. This initial launch will be held at the Holiday Inn located on Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg on Thursday, May 3 from 5:30-7:30pm. The cost of admission is $10 + 2 non-perishable food items (MCEAP).

What is a Leadership Alumni Association? This is going to be determined by the graduates of the program. A survey will be conducted at the LAA Reunion to determine what the members would like to see in this new program. Some of the areas being considered are: continuing education and advanced leadership training, community involvement opportunities, and additional opportunities for socializing and networking.

This will be such an exciting opportunity for the graduates to reconnect, collaborate, and create positive change in our community. We hope you will join us.

To register, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 540-552-2636.

eggs & Issues logo

Thank you to Secretary of Commerce & Trade Jim Cheng for speaking and Kermit Daniel with BBT for Sponsoring Mays Eggs & Issues Breakfast!

Telework Turnaround

Telecommuting, or teleworking, offers an opportunity for employees to create their most productive work environment. I think the way current technology connects us more than ever before in nearly any location (think smartphones and iPads) has helped shift a perception that you have to be at your desk to be getting your work done.

Virginia offers resources to employers looking to setup a telework program -- policy guidelines, management strategies, employee training -- at http://www.teleworkva.org/.

Synopsis of the article: "It wasn't so long ago that a typical telework story in Federal Computer Week followed a predictable arc: Feds want it, outside groups encourage it, and managers resist it, usually for fuddy-duddy reasons such as a concern that employees will slack off if not watched. In the past year or so, there has been a real change. Managers' resistance seems to be breaking down, and the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 has no doubt gone some way toward easing the transition. Technology improvements that include faster, more secure home networks and the proliferation of cloud services have also helped. Overall, it's fair to say that the tide has turned on telework. The conversation is no longer about whether the government will embrace the concept but how and under what conditions. Moreover, the conversation is shifting to even broader issues of mobility in off-site workers. The term "telework" still connotes an employee tied to a location, such as a home office, but mobility suggests an even greater freedom. Think of someone with an iPad at a coffee shop, reading their work e-mail over a latte and a danish."

Thanks,

Christy Straight

Ride Solutions' NRV Coordinator

New River Valley Planning District Commission

6580 Valley Center Drive, Suite 124

Radford, Virginia 24141

540.639.9313 x209

cstraight@nrvpdc.org

http://www.ridesolutions.org/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roanoke-VA/RIDE-Solutions/13169194555

On YouTube: www.youtube.com/ridesolutions