North Augusta Chamber of Commerce » Member News

2011 State of the Region Forum

judywhaley — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:48:30 +0000

For the CSRA to not only compete, but thrive in an increasingly global economy, we, as residents of a single region, need to operate with a regional perspective. Our region is comprised of a number of different communities, each with its own strengths and weakness. Each community offers different amenities and different lifestyles.

Its time to come together as a region, and tell our story. We have much to be proud of.

The evening will consist of networking and brief comments from:

Col. Robert A. Barker, Garrison Commander at Fort Gordon
Dean Campbell, Chairman of Edgefield County Council
Deke Copenhaver, Mayor of Augusta
Ron Cross, Chairman of Columbia County Commission
Lark Jones, Mayor of North Augusta
Dr. David Moody, Manger of Operations for DOE -SR
Ronnie Young, Chairman of Aiken County Council

We are fortunate to have Dr. Tony Robinson from Augusta State University serving as our Keynote Speaker.

In addition to being a professor of marketing at ASU, Dr. Robinson is a strategic advisor in Augusta Tomorrow’s regional defining effort. Augusta Tomorrow, Inc. is working to identify the CSRA’s regional assets and how to best capitalize on our strengths as a region. Dr. Robinson will touch a number of regional assets that make our region very unique, and he will talk extensively about the need to collaborate and work together.

To save your seat, please call the North Augusta Chamber Office at (803) 279-2323 or register online by clicking here.

Individual tickets are $35, and Corporate Sponsorships including reserved seating for eight, and recognition on all printed materials are $450.

Its going to be a great night for the CSRA. For us to function as a region, we need one voice and one vision. Please join us as we begin to move our region forward.

Event Hosted By:

Aiken Chamber of Commerce
Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce
Augusta Tomorrow, Inc.
Columbia County Chamber of Commerce
North Augusta Chamber of Commerce

Two Savannah River Site Projects Gain National Recognition

judywhaley — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:23:50 +0000

The folks at Savannah River National Lab.(1 of only 12 National Labs in the Country) are tackling some of the worlds most pressing needs, energy independence & energy security among them, right here in Aiken, SC, and many of them live here in North Augusta.

AIKEN, SC – The Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site has received Environmental Sustainability (EStar) awards from DOE for two projects growing out of technology research, development and application at the Savannah River National Laboratory.

EStar awards recognize excellence in pollution prevention and sustainable environmental stewardship. They are awarded for projects and programs that reduce environmental impacts, enhance site operations, and reduce costs.

One award, for Renewable Technology Development, Deployment and Education in South Carolina, is a collaboration between SRNL and the Economic Development Partnership of South Carolina. Through collaboration, SRNL has shared expertise and knowledge of renewable energy technologies with EDP, which in turn has leveraged existing relationships with industry to identify and evaluate specific opportunities. The results have ranged from emissions reductions (through deployment and staging of hydrogen and wind energy technology) to community education programs.

The second award recognized a project to remediate tritium-contaminated debris in an innovative, cost-effective way. SRNL identified and tested technology to remove tritium from contaminated concrete and soil by using a high heat source called a “thermal detritiation unit.” Each unit is a concrete block structure housing an array of commercially available heating elements, effectively removing the tritium over a period of time. The treated soil and concrete debris can be disposed at an on-site excavation site rather than sent offsite for disposal, reducing transportation, packaging and disposal costs. Over $1.6 million in transportation cost savings and an avoidance of 400,000 truck miles were realized from the deployment.

“These awards are hard to get, and we can all be justifiably proud that SRS has been recognized in this way,” said Dr. David Moody, manager of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River office. “This calls attention to the value of our National Laboratory as a technology engine, and the expertise we have in dealing with challenging cleanup issues. Both of these projects represent valuable contributions not only to the site, but to the region and to other DOE complex sites.”

DOE’s Steve Mackmull is the federal lead for the site’s Pollution Prevention program. John Harley of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is the lead for the contractor organization.

The awards are among 15 granted by DOE out of 186 national entries.
Additional information on the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and the Savannah River Site, can be found at http://www.em.doe.gov or http://www.srs.gov. For more information about the SRS Recovery Act Project, please visit www.srs.gov/recovery.

Leadership North Augusta Breaks Ground on Outdoor Classroom

judywhaley — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:25:53 +0000

The Class of 2011 of Leadership North Augusta, which graduated on June 1, wanted their legacy to be a “project with lasting impact on the community,” said Walker Posey, a member of the class who helped put the project together.
The result has been termed “magic” by School Board member Ray Fleming. Speaking at last week’s official groundbreaking for an outdoor classroom at North Augusta Elementary School, Fleming said, “This is the kind of magic that can take place when members of the community join with the schools – an exciting, relevant learning opportunity.”
“There was a need for an outdoor classroom,” said Posey, who explained the Leadership NA group coordinated getting the materials and the labor. Many of the members will help with the physical labor when all the materials are in place, said Posey.
During last Thursday’s official groundbreaking, Posey said the school’s PTO and the Leadership class began to work on the project, and “everything came together just right.”

For complete article follow this link:

http://www.aikenstandard.com/star_news/News-0616-OUTDOOR-CLASSROOM

Second class of Leadership NA graduates

judywhaley — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:23:31 +0000

The second group of participants in Leadership North Augusta last Wednesday moved into the history books as 13 local members of the business community graduated.
A total of nine men and four women gathered with their guests for a dinner at Lookaway Hall. They shared some thoughts on what they had learned through the eight-month-long experience.
Patrick Zier, a member of the first Leadership North Augusta class and president of the board of directors during this past year, told the group of graduates, “This is just the beginning.” He said North Augusta will benefit from the program as will those who have been a part of it.
He suggested those graduates should go back and thank their employers, who not only put up the money for each one to participate but also gave their employees the time to spend one Wednesday a month out of the business and in Leadership North Augusta.
Zier reminded the gathering that Leadership North Augusta is a growing, changing program. He indicated the board, which will include several from the newly-completed class, is charged with looking at the program and determining what is working, what they would like to see done differently, etc. Shelley Craft, who is the incoming board president, agreed. “We need to keep it changing each year,” she said.
Two members of the class, Karen Denny of Grace United Methodist Church and Alphia Dunbar of the Aiken Center put together a PowerPoint presentation and gave a brief comment on the many facets of their education through Leadership North Augusta.
“I was born and raised here, but I’ve never learned so much in my life,” said Denny,

for complete article follow this link:

http://www.aikenstandard.com/star_leadstory/News-0609-LNA-GRADUATION

Check Out Our New Members for May!

judywhaley — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:02:46 +0000

We have had a very busy month, and have 14 new members to brag about. Each of the businesses below contribute, not only to the local economy, but to our overall character and quality of life.

Please, please please take a minute to welcome each of our newest members, and be sure to support our local businesses.

Please Help Me Welcome:

Girls on the Run of the CSRA

Stephany White

www.girlsontherunofthecsra.org

swhitecbe@yahoo.com
Non-profit

Insite Mediacom

Chris Withers

(706) 830-5300

www.insitemediacom.com

withers4@comcast.net

Billboard Advertising

Sticky Fingers Smokehouse

Jaime Jackson

277 Robert C. Daniel Parkway

Augusta, GA 30909

(706)733-7427

www.stickyfingers.com

jaime.jackson@stickyfingers.com

Restaurant

Impressions of the South

Eva Watkins

508 West Avenue

North Augusta, SC 29841

(803) 426-8298

www.northaugustagiftshop.com

impressionsofthesouth@gmail.com

Retail Gift Shop

CSRA Wellness Consulting

Richard Maddox II

(803) 257-3273

www.csrawellnessconsult.com

richard@csrawellnessconsult.com

Health and Wellness Coaching

God Given Talent Thrift and Consignment

Kathie Ulrich

1635 Georgia Ave.

North Augusta, SC 29841

(803) 426-8695

kathieulrich@yahoo.com

Retail and Consignment

MetLife Bank – Reverse Mortgage Division

John A. Heffley

(803) 341-0812

www.mlbreversemortgage.com/jheffley

jheffley@metlife.com
Financial Services, Specializing in Reverse Mortgages

B & E Heating and Air

Michael Morgensen

(803) 278-1275

mocrew@bellsouth.net

Heating and Air

State Farm Insurance & Financial Services – Bobby Fuller

Bobby Fuller

1740 Georgia Avenue

North Augusta, SC 29841

(803) 279-8383

www.bobbyfullerinsurance.com

bfuller20@yahoo.com

Insurance & Financial Services

State Farm Insurance & Financial Services – Chad Stalvey

Chad Stalvey

616 Edgefield Road

North Augusta, SC 29841

(803) 279-4921

www.NorthAugustaInsurance.com

Chad@NorthAugustaInsurance.com

Insurance & Financial Services

Carolyn Myers

(803) 634-4000

csunmyers@comcast.net

Real Estate

The Kinder Kids Academy

Evelyn Allen

1601 Williston Road

Beech Island, SC 29842

www.kinderkidscsra.com

kinderkidscsra@aol.com

Day Care and Therapy

Veracity Payment Solutions

Brenda Stein

1690 W. Richland Avenue

Aiken, SC 29801

(866) 944-0055

www.veracitypayments.com

brenda.stein@veracitypayments.com

Credit Card Processing

WNRR 1380 AM

Renee’ DeMedicis
445 Carolna Springs Road
North Augusta, SC 29841
(803) 426-8020
www.wnrr1380.com
wnrr.renee@gmail.com

Radio Programming

Financial Incentives offered to area employers to train new or existing employees!

judywhaley — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:16:54 +0000

In partnership with the Lower Savannah Council of Governments (LSCOG), the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce would like to inform its members of services which North Augusta businesses may find beneficial based on their hiring and training needs.

Lower Savannah offers an On-the-Job Training (OJT) Program that includes a 50-75% wage reimbursement for qualified candidates’ wages during training. The purpose of the OJT Program is to provide local employers with quality, pre-screened candidates that meet your minimum hiring requirements in which you will receive a reimbursement of their wages during their training period.

“The Lower Savannah Workforce Development programs provide a wide variety of resources and services to assist individuals and businesses with finding employment and skilled employees,” says Dr. Constance Pritchard, a former Lower Savannah Workforce Development Board member and owner of The Pritchard Group, Inc. “By working with the Lower Savannah Workforce Development agency, businesses can gain access to training resources to build employee skill levels to grow and retain businesses in our region.”

There is also an Incumbent Worker Training(IWT) Program available that provides financial assistance to local businesses to enhance the skills of current workers in order to keep businesses and workers competeiive in today’s global economy. This training can be tailored to fit the needs of local businesses and is not limited to specific industries.

Robyn McCay, Vice President of Human Resources at Aiken Electric Cooperative, Inc., has utilized the IWT Program in the past and recommends the program to any businesses seeking assistance with employee training. “This is an excellent program that allows AEC, as a non-profit company, to provide additional professional training to our employees when we otherwise may be unable to fund such training.”

If you have questions or would like to discuss these services in more detail, please feel free to call me or contact a Lower Savannah Business Services Representative:

Sara Wilson

(803) 508-7096

swilson@lscog.org

-OR-

Josh Catlett

(803) 508-7085

jcatlett@lscog.org

New Members for March

judywhaley — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:38:02 +0000

Take just a second and reach out to out newest members to welcome them aboard.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center

Derek Dugan, Communications Director
1833 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30904
www.krocaugusta.org
(706) 364-4036
Email Derek

Keller Williams Realty

Kathy Larrabee, Team Leader
3633 Wheeler Road, Suite 125
Augusta, GA 30909
http://www.kw.com/kw/
(706) 868-3772
Email Kathy

The Sunshine House

Kim Heath, Center Director
606 Atomic Road
North Augusta, SC 29841
www.sunshinehouse.com
(803) 279-6864
Email Kim
Child Care Center

Sam’s Club

Lavonya Maddox, Director of Membership
596 Bobby Jones Expressway
Augsuta, GA 30907
(706) 860-1787
Email Lavonya

Waterco USA, Inc.

Brad Fox, CEO
1864 Tobacco Road
Augusta, GA 30906
www.waterco.us
(706) 793-7291
Email Brad
Manufacturing of Large Water Filtration Systems

American Audio Visual Services, Inc

John Collins, Owner
114 Commercial Boulevard
Martinez, GA 30907
www.americanaudiovisualservices.com
(706) 868-5977
Email John
Audio Visual Contractor

Papa-N-Son’s

Dino Dakuras, Owner

4446 Washington Road – Looking for North Augusta location

Evans, GA 30809
www.papansons.com
(706) 434-0002
Email Dino

Again, take just a second and welcome our new members, and please consider all of your fellow Chamber members when you or your company are making buying decisions. Always Shop Local First!

Chamber Launches New Member-to-Member Discount Program

judywhaley — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:29:11 +0000

The Member-To-Member Discount Program encourages Chamber members and their employees to prefer other Chamber members when making buying decisions. The program entitles our members many valuable discounts at participating member businesses. The Program is a great way to attract customers, build relationships with customers, save money and strengthen our local economy.con

What type of discounts can be offered?

Any! Some that could be offered include a percentage off the purchase price, such as a 10% off car detailing or 10% off dry cleaning. You could also offer a “Bonus”. For example, if you operate a restaurant, you may want to offer a “Free” dessert with a customer’s meal.

Be creative! You may want to keep in mind that to be effective and popular, the discount or bonus should be substantial enough to attract attention.

The North Augusta Chamber will promote this program and your discount at every opportunity, including monthly membership mailings, email blast, e-newsletter, new- member packets and on our website. The Chamber will issue either Member-To-Member Discount cards or online coupons to all members.

What are the guidelines?

The member must be in good standing with the North Augusta Chamber.
The participant must offer an exclusive discount/promotion to Chamber members, over and above what non-members would receive.
The participant can review and revise their offer for the Member-To-Member Discount Program every six months. The participant agrees to abide by their discount/promotion and fully understands that it is their responsibility to notify the Chamber of any and all changes immediately.
The participant agrees to educate employees about the Member-To-Member Discount Program and agrees to display the Member-To-Member Discount Program decal at their business, indicating their participation in the program.
The participant agrees to contact the Chamber in writing if they wish to terminate their participation in the Member-To-Member Discount Program.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Educate your employees. Utilize the Program description sheet to inform your employees about the North Augusta Chamber Member-To-Member Discount Program. Place this information in a break room or common area that employees share.

Track your results. If possible, record the number of discounts issued per month to measure the business traffic of North Augusta Chamber members. Chamber staff will also utilize this information each month to monitor the success of the program.

Market your business. By using the window decal at your business and at points of sale North Augusta Chamber members will know that you are a participating business in the discount program.

Connect to the collective power of the North Augusta Chamber membership through the Member-To-Member Discount Program. If you would like to participate, you can click here for an application. Please complete the application, and submit to the Chamber Office through email or fax to (803) 279-0003. The North Augusta Chamber staff will take it from there and add your discount to the “Directory of Discounts”.

Please click here to see several pages of examples from another chamber in Akron, Ohio

Clear Path Retreat In Asheville.

judywhaley — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:39:57 +0000

Attention professional women! Join author, coach and consultant Kim Marcille Romaner at the Clear Path Retreat in Asheville, NC on May 6th-8th, an experiential weekend for professional women who are seeking to turn their dreams and goals into reality. Attendees will be guided through the process in Kim’s book, The Science of Making Things Happen, to gain clarity about goals, break through limited thinking, build confidence, and return to their lives with a customized collection of tools and a detailed plan for bringing their possibilities into reality. You can learn more by clicking here , and you can also join a live call with Kim to get even more details next Tuesday at 4 pm EDT by registering here .

12@12 Launched

judywhaley — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:19:17 +0000

The North Augusta Chamber launches our new monthly 12@12 program this week. The basic idea is to bring together 12 random(literally drawn from a hat) members and encourage new relationships that will lead to new business. The monthly luncheon is designed with four objectives in mind:

1. Expand our Members’ Network
2. Trade Best practices
3. Discuss current events
4. Seek feedback that will allow the Chamber to better serve our members

During lunch, we heard from five of our members that their business is growing, in spite of the economy. In the case of Aaron Hensley, Owner of Premier Martial Arts, his business has grown from 50 students to more than 250 students over the last 18 months. David Towles, owner of the Edge Salon, also reported a significant growth in his business. Other present including Monica Key with Bridgestone, Sean Eagan with Orkin, Steve Johnston, owner of Team 1 Advertising reported an increase in business.

The time spent with these members was a reminder of how fortunate we are to live in this community. The CSRA, and especially North Augusta, has weathered the storm of this great recession better than most. If you are interested in participating in this program, and you don’t want to wait for us to pull your name out of the hat, give us a call at the Chamber office (803) 279-2323 or send me an email at brian@northaugustachamber.org