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TUESDAY TIDBITS 
Tips from Your Chamber Professional Association
Chamber Executive Spotlight
                          
Ralph C. Staffins, III, CEcD, GCCE
Thomson-McDuffie Chamber 

How long have you been
in the Chamber profession
?
6 years

How long have you been in your current position?
2 years

What do you love most about your job?
I love the people. I love the volunteers and board members. Most of all I enjoy helping get people in my community into meaningful and gainful jobs that help them improve their quality of life. Being involved with both the Development Authority and Chamber allows me to assist small and large businesses as they grow and flourish here in McDuffie County.

Tell us about your most embarrassing Chamber moment.
Well...there are a lot to choose from, but the most embarrassing has to be my very first annual dinner. Everything was going great until the speaker, which was recommended by a board member, got up to speak. He talked for over an hour before I had to finally interrupt him. That had to be the longest annual dinner in the history of any chamber. This is when I decided that we should make our annual dinner into an award night honoring chamber members. And we have not had a speaker since then 
  
 
Which Chamber Executive has had the biggest impact on your career and how
There have been many Chamber Executives that have impacted my career. As a very young chamber executive I found it very helpful to seek guidance from seasoned professionals. Some that come to mind are Ms. Willie Paulk, Ms. Myrna Ballard, Mr. Fred Boscarino, and Ms. Peggy Chapman. These four executives took an interest in a kid and helped me to become an executive. However, the one that really took me under her wing and helped me to connect in GACCE is Kali Boatright. I owe many thanks to every one of these professionals and many more that I couldn't mention.  

 

What is your Chamber's signature event?

Like most Chambers our biggest fundraiser is our annual golf tournament. The reason I feel that this is our biggest event is how we use it to recruit new industries while still having it be our best networking and fundraising event. Every year we make this a whole day event bringing in project managers and consultants to see our industrial property and play a nice round of golf. We just landed a new industry that will bring 220 new jobs to our community, and the project was a direct result of hosting the project manager at this event.  
 
  

What is your favorite Georgia destination outside of the one you represent and why?

My favorite place in Georgia, other than Thomson-McDuffie, has to be the coast. One of my favorite times of the year is the GACCE Annual Conference at Jekyll Island. This is the best of both worlds: it's a great time to spend with the family and my chamber friends. I am so happy that we are going back next year. Time to put our toes in the sand!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a surgeon.  I wanted to do this because they help people.  I am now helping people, but just in a very different way.

 

 

Who will be next in our Chamber Executive Spotlight?  Stay tuned and be on the lookout for your next Tuesday Tidbits coming out on Tuesday, September 9!