Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
ChamberNewsletterVolume 73, Issue 3 October 23, 2018
717 Main StreetNorth Wilkesboro, N.C. 28659
(336) 838-8662www.wilkesnc.org
By SHANE GEBAUERWilkes Chamber Chairman
Those who know me know that I am not a Wilkes native. I moved here about 11 years ago, shortly after my first son was born. In fact, he was only three weeks old when I visited to find a house for us. Included as part of the house hunting was looking at the school systems. Like all parents we want-ed to ensure we were in an area for the best possible education. As parents, we always want better for our kids then we had for ourselves. My wife and I were pleased with all the scores, rankings, and other metrics used to compare schools across the state and country.
Fast forward, now we have two boys in elementary school (fifth and third grade). Heather, my wife, and I try very hard to be engaged and involved in their education. As I walked with them to the entrance of the school on the first day, I found myself thinking about how much the teachers and the school do for us and how unfortunately undervalued they are. My boys’ teachers spend more time with them each week than I do. Their teachers are with them nearly sev-en and a half hours on a regular school day. I’m with them an hour or two in the morning and then maybe four hours in the evening. For this reason, I see the schools, the teachers, and the staff as an extension, not a replacement, of our parenting circle. It is a part-nership, much like my wife and I working together to do the best we can to raise our two boys.
I entrust my boys’ teachers to be supportive, encouraging, com-passionate, motivating, and stern when necessary. As the parents, Heather and I must work collab-oratively with those teachers to ensure we are on the same page, reinforce each other and under-stand no one is perfect. We feel we have been very fortunate to have a lot of exceptional teachers in our school.
At the end of day when school is over teachers and staff could call it a day, as they would have worked an eight-hour day which is typi-cal for most jobs. But they don’t. Teachers then begin their involve-ment in extracurricular activities, meetings, and the grading of tests and homework. Both of our boys stay after school to participate in amazing programs that require oversight from teachers and staff. There is something every day, es-pecially when they hit third grade.
If you are a reader, fourth
School system prepares our future leaders
SHANE GEBAUERChamber Chairman
See CHAIRMAN, Page 2
Next to Lowes FoodsWilkesboro
336-667-2257www.brandjewelrync.com
M arketing and advertising are only part of the equa-tion when attracting new clients. Service is perhaps
the single most important aspect of any business. If your business provides good service, but you are still losing clients, it is important to identify the reasons. We have identified some of the problems local businesses encounter when marketing to potential and existing clients.
Many entrepreneurs and small business-es in the service industry have difficulty determining value. Whether you want to be at the top or bottom of the price range, or somewhere in-between, you do need a starting point. Research what other com-panies in similar markets are charging for their services. Setting your price too low at first can make it difficult to retain cli-ents once you have to raise them.
Let’s look at some of the factors that influence client retention.
The importance of appearanceConsider the appearance of the compa-
ny. When marketing your business, do you advertise low prices or a fast turn-around? Are you focused on creating an image of luxury and comfort, or are you targeting teens? Take a hard, realistic look at what your marketing and ads say about the busi-ness, and how this influences a potential
or current customer’s perception.Consider whether your image has
changed recently. For instance, consider a clothing store that has provided family clothing in the past and has now chosen to focus on teens, neglecting their cur-rent customers. This example illustrates an obvious change that may or may not be in the business’s best interest, but is one that will lead to the loss of existing customers. Will these changes bring in enough new customers, and revenue, to replace what is lost?
Is the business “user friendly?” Potential customers are typically courted during the sales process, offered deals, and presented with a can-do attitude. This can create a two-fold problem. First, are you actually able to provide what has been promised once the client is retained? Secondly, are you putting this much effort into retain-ing current clients? Is any effort put into retaining current clients?
Build customer relationshipsCreating a relationship with customers
makes it easier to not only retain them, but to obtain new customers as well. Word of mouth is the best advertising. A satisfied customer will sing your praises, while an unsatisfied customer can wreak havoc on the reputation of your business.
Customer service is a valuable tool that
should be implemented. Take time to fos-ter a relationship with your regular cus-tomers and learn what you can do to in-crease their satisfaction with your prod-ucts or services. You will gain valuable insight that will increase the business’s bottom line.
Marketing consistency and valueIt is important to consistently contact
customers to show them you value their business. Depending on the type of store you own, you might send them a monthly coupon or notice of a special that is oper-ating. Not all contact should be marketing, providing the customer with something of value is important too. A paint store could send out an email showing the five most popular colors for the coming sea-son. A gardening store could send out a monthly what-to-do list, while an HVAC business could send out reminders to change filters.
We recommend taking a hard look at your existing customer base and the image and reputation of your business. There are many ways to increase business by add-ing new customers, but the general rule of thumb has always been that it is less expensive to retain an existing customer than obtaining a new one. Please feel free to stop by the Chamber and learn more about our services.
MarketingYou’ll lose customers
the same way you gain them
By LINDA CHEEKWilkes Chamber of Commerce President
Tourism is defined as travel for pleasure or business. Tourism is a dynamic and competi-
tive industry that requires the ability to adapt constantly to customers’ changing needs and desires. The industry demands customer satisfaction through quality experience, safety and the enjoyment of place. Today, tourism is a major source of in-come for many North Carolina locations and the attraction of tourists affects the economy, in some cases being of vital importance.
Jodi Tonsic, president of the Wilkesboro Tourism De-velopment Authority, recently shared a press release report-ing the 2017 Visitor Impact for Wilkes County. These statistics are provided by the N.C. Divi-sion of Tourism for each coun-ty through the state. Wilkes County experienced growth in 2017 of 4.27 percent over 2016. Here is a copy of the press release for those of you who missed reading it in the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
WILKESBORO, N.C. (August 23, 2018)—Visit North Carolina announced today that domestic visitors to and within Wilkes County spent $78.1 million in 2017, an increase of 4.27 per-cent from 2016.
“Tourism to Wilkesboro and the surrounding areas is an in-
credibly powerful economic en-gine,” states Jodi Tonsic, presi-dent of the Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority. “Tour-ism has effects far beyond just the occupancy taxes collected from guests of Wilkesboro ho-tels. As the Visit North Caro-lina study shows, tourism to our area generates a significant
amount of sales tax revenue for local governments: the town of Wilkesboro, as well as Wilkes County and the town of North Wilkesboro, which allows them to improve the quality of life for local citizens. Tourism pro-vides employment to many lo-cals, and helps to create a sus-tainable local economy.”
Tourism impact highlights for 2017:
• The travel and tourism in-dustry directly employs more than 570 people in Wilkes County.
• Total payroll generated bythe tourism industry in Wilkes
Wilkes Chamber of Commerce supports local tourism industry
GAMBILL ESTATES is a perfect example of tourism in Wilkes County. This beautiful Roaring River facility is utilized by thousands of individuals traveling hundreds of miles to experience the uniqueness of this magnificent event venue.
See TOURISM, Page 2
2 • Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • October 23, 2018
Social media statsWilkes Chamber of Commerce Facebook PagePage Likes ����������������� 2,085New Likes ��������������������� 121Explore Wilkes Facebook PagePage Likes ������������������1,160New Likes ����������������������� 55
TwitterTweets ����������������������� 8,022Followers ������������������� 1,252Following ���������������������� 883PinterestFollowing ���������������������� 233Followers ���������������������� 190
The Ragg Company, Inc.627 Elkin HighwayNorth Wilkesboro, N�C� 28659
Our Story Video Creations, LLCwww�facebook�com/ourstoryvideocreations
Midtown Market + Garden339 Wilkesboro AvenueNorth Wilkesboro, N�C� 28659
Days Inn by Wyndham Wilkesboro1840 U�S� Highway 421Wilkesboro, N�C� 28697
WoodForest National Bank1801 U�S� Highway 421Wilkesboro, N�C� 28697
Johnny Huffman Plumbing Co. Inc.1703 Red Top RoadFerguson, N�C� 28697
Adam Morrison—State Farm Insurance513 Highland StreetWilkesboro, N�C� 28697
Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development www�blueridgercd�com
Curis Transitional Care and Rehabilitation1000 College StreetWilkesboro, N�C� 28697
Building Security Associates LLCwww�buildingsecurityassoci-ates�com
Concorde Mortgage Company717 Main StreetNorth Wilkesboro, N�C� 28659
The Oz Group Realty LLC320 Tenth StreetNorth Wilkesboro, N�C� 28659
Wilkes Recovery Revolution Inc.wilkesrecoveryrevolution�com
River Bottom Farms LLC105 Oakwoods RoadWilkesboro, N�C� 28697
Welcome to our new members
Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Inc.
2018 Board of DirectorsOfficersName Title CompanyShane Gebauer Chair Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Inc.
Jimmy Flythe Chair Elect 2019 Duke Energy
Terrie Stackhouse Past Chair Carolina Realty Inc.
Jack Lynch Treasurer BB&T
Greg Edwards Assistant Treasurer Great State Bank
Chad Treadway VP Ambassadors/Membership Cube Creative Design
Mark Byrd VP Education Wilkes County Board of Education
Landon House VP Leadership Wilkes Carolina West Wireless
Jody Call VP Youth Leadership Wilkes Communications Inc.
Laurie Brintle-Jarvis VP Small Business Assistance Wilkes Community College
Nancy Call VP Wilkes Women in Leadership Lowe’s Companies Inc.
Chris Robinson VP Workforce Development Wilkes Community College
Scotti Stevens Executive Committee at Large Samaritan’s Purse
Dr. Jeff Cox Executive Committee at Large Wilkes Community College
DirectorsNancy Call 2018 Board Member Lowe’s Companies Inc.
Scott Cranston 2018 Board Member LP-Roaring River
Shane Gebauer 2018 Board Member Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Inc.
Jude O’Sullivan 2018 Board Member Carolina West Wireless
Terri Stackhouse 2018 Board Member Carolina Realty Inc.
Chad Treadway 2018 Board Member Cube Creative Design
Gene Faile 2019 Board Member W.F. Baptist Health-Wilkes Medical Center
Laurie Brintle-Jarvis 2019 Board Member Wilkes Community College
Jody Call 2019 Board Member Wilkes Communications Inc.
Gary Daemer 2019 Board Member Infusion Points LLC
Matt Reese 2019 Board Member Rose Glen Village
Brian Bang 2020 Board Member Tyson Foods Inc.
Laura Elmore 2020 Board Member Wake Forest Baptist Care at Home Hospice
Jack Lynch 2020 Board Member BBB&T
Randall Parsons 2020 Board Member Gardner Glass Products
Janice Somers 2020 Board Member Westwood Hills Nursing & Rehab Center
Rich Voisinet 2020 Board Member The Interflex Group
Ex-OfficioVictor Varela Mayor Town of Ronda
Robert Johnson Mayor Town of North Wilkesboro
Mike Inscore Mayor Town of Wilkesboro
Larry South Town Manager Town of North Wilkesboro
Kenneth Noland Town Manager Town of Wilkesboro
John Yates County Manager County of Wilkes
Gary Blevins County Commissioner-Chair County of Wilkes
Dan Little President Wilkes Economic Development
Chamber StaffLinda Cheek President Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Terrian Carter Membership Director Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Rachael Mahaffey Office Manager Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Ashley Barton Marketing, Comm. & Events Dir. Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
NWNC Visitors CenterStacy Dunn Travel Specialist Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Kathy Luck Travel Specialist Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Bill Luck Travel Specialist Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Ella Rhodes Visitor Ctr. Volun. Coordinator Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
William Rhodes Visitor Ctr. Volun. Coordinator Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Donna Wood Travel Specialist Wilkes Chamber of Commerce
Craig LangstonFinancial Advisor
126 Executive DriveSuite 240Wilkesboro, NC 28697Bus. 336-818-1678Cell 336-466-9111 Fax [email protected]
Carla Souther Hauser CFP, ChFC www.raymondjames.com/carlahauser
Financial Advisor CFP•ChFC®
Carla Souther Hauser Financial Services, An Independent Firm
336-667-1500Securities offered through
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.,member FINRA/SIPC
[email protected] 9th • Suite A, PO Box 1021 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
(336) 667-1966Ex. 608Home: (336) 838-4060Mobile: (336) 984-8873email:[email protected]
www.stackhousehomes.com
Terrie Stackhouse, Broker Associate
Town of Historic North Wilkesboro
336-667-7129North-Wilkesboro.com
BESTOF
WILKES
WINNER
Hair, Nail and Skin Care205 Sixth Street
North Wilkesboro, N.C.
(336) 838-4384
WILKES JOURNAL-PATRIOTYour CommunitY newspaper sinCe 1906
P.O. BOx 70 • 711 Main Street nOrth WilkeSBOrO, nC 28659
Contact Advertising Department
336-838-4117 Fax 336-838-9864www.journalpatriot.com
The Wilkes Chamber of Commerce hosted the an-nual Chamber Foundation educational golf tourna-ment Sept. 20. Eighty golf-ers par t icipated in the event to help raise money for Wilkes County Schools programs like Leader in Me, UTA, and teacher/princi-pal of the year gifts. In the past five years, the founda-tion has raised over $70,000 for these programs with the help of our wonderful chamber members.
This year teams represent-ed Carolina West Wireless, Wilkes Communications, Edward Jones, the Town of Wilkesboro, ECMD, The In-
terflex Group, Reins-Stur-divant Funeral Home, LP, Northwest Automotive, Gard-ner Glass, Eckerd Youth Al-ternatives, Window World, Wake Forest Baptist Health-Wilkes Medical Center, Wilkes County Schools and G&B Energy.
This year’s winners were: first place—The Interflex Group: Rich Voisinet, Bart Wright, Adrian Adlay and Chris Payne; second place—Carolina West Wireless: Jack-ie Mallory, Wesley Minton, D. Adams and R. Brown; and third place—Gardner Glass: Ricky Brooks, Randall Par-sons, Ben Garrett and Chris Kennedy.
Chamber Foundation holds annual golf tournament
THE ANNUAL Chamber Foundation golf tournament was held Sept. 20 at Oakwoods Country Club.
and fifth grades can do Elementar y Batt le of the Books (EBOB) pro-gram. Every year there is a list of books which must be read, and then a team competes in a quiz bowl style com-petition. The school li-brarian, with a few oth-er volunteers, coach and train for months a team of students to prepare them for the competi-tion. This year, I think there are 24 students
trying out for the team. For the students musi-cally inclined, 12 Note Music After-school Pro-gram (12 Note MAP) is offered. There is a small fee, or free if needed, and includes a loaned instrument. The goal is to give anyone interest-ed in music an opportu-nity to learn to play. Ulti-mately, they do a school performance and some get to play at music fes-tivals such as MerleFest and Carolina in the Fall. Not only do the kids learn to appreciate music, but their participation helps
them build confidence as they perform in front of an audience. For those who don’t know, “12 Note Map” is a nonprofit chari-table organization which utilizes donations to pur-chase additional instru-ments so they can expand their program.
For the theatrical, there is drama club. What kid doesn’t have a flair for the-atrics? The club learns lines to a play or musical and ultimately performs for the school. They work on costumes, props, and scenery, and again, gain confidence as they per-
form live in front of the school and parents.
My point in this article is not to list things that kids can do as I have just scratched the surface. Rather, I want to high-light and remind us all of the vital role our schools, our teachers, the staff, and volunteers play in the development of our chil-dren. They are helping parents educate, shape and develop our kids. They are forming the fu-ture leaders of our town, county and beyond. We all know this, but some-times the things right in
front of us day after day get taken for granted. Sometimes we need that reminder to express our appreciation. So, I chal-lenge you to send a hand-written note with your
child, type an email, or better yet, express your gratitude in person to the people that are just as in-strumental as the parents in molding kids into the adults they will become.
County was $12.32 million.• State tax revenue generated in
Wilkes County totaled $3.86 mil-lion through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. About $1.9 mil-lion in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced in May that visitors to North Carolina set a record for spending in 2017. The $24 billion in total spending represented an increase of 4.2 per-cent from 2016.
These statistics are from the “Eco-nomic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2017,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Caro-lina by the U.S. Travel Association.
“All eight economic development regions of the state had spending growth of 3 percent or more, and 90 percent of the state’s counties saw direct tourism employment growth from 2016 to 2017,” said Wit Tuttell,
executive director of Visit North Carolina. “Tourism continues to be a major driver of economic develop-ment across North Carolina, which is the sixth most-visited state in the country.”
Statewide highlights include:• Each North Carolina household
saves $515 (on average) in state and local taxes as a direct result of visi-tor spending in the state.
• Visitors spend more than $65million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $5.38 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $3.36 million in state taxes and $2.02 million in local taxes).
• State tax receipts as a result ofvisitor spending rose 3.4 percent to more than $1.2 billion in 2017.
• The travel and tourism industrydirectly employs more than 225,000 North Carolinians.
Wilkes Chamber of Commerce sees the importance of tourism and the numerous benefits and advan-tages it brings to our county. This industry contributes toward com-plete growth and development of the overall region as it brings in numer-ous economic values and benefits. Tourism helps build brand value, image and a positive identity for
our county. The most unique aspect of tour-
ism is that it touches and impacts industries directly and many more indirectly through tourist spend-ing. This makes this industry a bit more unique than other industries as it has a vast value chain. There are multiple tourism industries that directly serve tourists in general. These industries include: accom-modations, food and beverage, pas-senger transport, equipment rental, travel agencies and other reserva-tion services, cultural events, sports and recreation, retail trade, and area specific tourism characteris-tic activities.
The vast value chain is the genera-tor of the additional tax revenue for Wilkes County which totaled $3.86 million in 2017, state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Also, extremely important to remember is the nearly $1.9 million in local taxes that was generated from sales and property tax revenue.
Our challenge—how can we as a community work collaboratively to increase the economic impact of the tourism industry and continue to build on our “brand?”
Chairmancontinued from Page 1
Tourismcontinued from Page 1
Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • October 23, 2018 • 3
Prearranged Funeral PlanningCemetery and MausoleumGrief Recovery Services
MonumentsFloral Arrangements Laminated Obituaries
Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home336-838-3178
270 Armory Road • North Wilkesboro
Scenic Memorial Gardens336-667-6339
545 Moravian Falls Road • Wilkesboro
www.reinssturdivant.com
REINS-STURDIVANTScenic MeMorial GardenS
Changing how you live, not where you live.FREE TRIAL VISIT
You choose the days and hours that best suit your needs!
Mondaythrough
Friday6:00 AM
to6:00 PM
1915 West Park Drive • Suite 200 North Wilkesboro 336-667-2541
www.wilkesadultdaycare.org
Medicaidand VAApproved
Adult Day Care provides a safe environment for adults who can’t safely stay at home by themselves during the day while their family goes to work, runs errands, or simply takes a break.
An affordable alternative to in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home care.
Choose the days and hours that best suit your needs.
C h a d Tr e a d w a y —Cube Creative, Inc. VP of Ambassadors;
Callie Walker—Realtor Re/Max Impact Realty;
Andrew Holland—NC-Works Career Center
Wilkes; Adam Foster—River-
Street Productions;Dawn Penning ton—
Mountain Valley Hos -p i c e a n d P a l l i a t i v e Care.
Wilkes Chamber Ambassadors are listed
Advantage Restaurant Supply, Atlantic Auction Service LLC, B&R Service Inc�, Bayada Home Health Care, Blair Properties LLC, Blue Ridge Energy, Blue Ridge Moun-tain Club, Browse About Book Exchange, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Inc�, Bumgarner Services Inc�, Terry Bumgarner, CAPT—Child Abuse Prevention Team;
Carousel Café, Children’s Hope Alliance, Cornerstone Creations, Creekside Commu-nications Inc�, Cube Creative Inc�, Docu-ment Imaging Solutions Inc�, Double Time
Music—The Kruger Brothers, Dreams and Kitestrings, Empire Chevrolet Buick, EyeC-are Center, Foothills Sanitation & Recycling Inc�, Gardner Glass Products Inc�;
Goodwill Career Connections Center, Green2Go, Interconnect Products & Ser-vices Inc�, James R� Vannoy & Sons Const� Co� Inc�, James River Equipment Company, Jimmie Johnson Air & Heat, The Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home, Keller Elec-tric Co� Inc�, Kestrel Management Corpo-ration, Laurel Ridge Camp, Conference
and Retreat;Lowes Motel, LP—Louisiana Pacific Cor-
poration, MBI Builders Inc�, McLean Floor Coverings, Donna McNeil, Mike McNeil, Mc-Neill Nissan of Wilkesboro, Michael’s Jew-elry, Millers Creek Pharmacy, Mountain Val-ley Hospice and Palliative Care, Mountain View Apartments, NCWorks Career Center Wilkes, New River RHA Health Services;
Northwest Automotive, Piedmont Den-tal Associates, Pruitt Health Hospice, RCD Construction,Inc�, Rose Glen Manor Assist-
ed Living & Memory, Sherwin Williams Co�, Signfactory Direct Inc�, State Employees’ Credit Union, Suncrest Farms Country Ham Inc�, Times Treasured Studios LLC;
Tony Huffman Insurance Inc�, Tyson Wilkesboro Food Service, Ultimate Car-wash, Wake Forest Baptist Health—WMC Auxiliary, The Walker Center, Ward & Ward Properties LLC, Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehab Center, Wilkes Literacy, Wilkes Secu-rity, Window World Foothills, Window World Inc� and Zax LLC D/B/A Zaxby’s�
110% membership investors listed
Advantage Restaurant Supply, American Cancer Society, Atlantic Auction Service LLC, B&R Service Inc�, Blair Properties LLC, Browse About Book Exchange, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse & Creamery, Terry Bumgarner, Callie Walker Realtor, Re/Max Impact Realty, CAPT—Child Abuse Preven-tion Team, Carolina Heritage Cabinetry, Carousel Café, Chatham Memorial Hospi-tal, Communities In Schools of Northwest North, Teana Compeau;
Cornerstone Creations, Cregger Compa-ny Inc�, Document Imaging Solutions Inc�, Double Time Music—The Kruger Brothers, Dreams and Kitestrings, Edward Jones—Sam Morrison, Financial Advisor, Empire
Chevrolet Buick, EyeCare Center, Farm Bureau—North Wilkesboro, Faw & Asso-ciates PLLC;
Foothills Sanitation & Recycling Inc�, Gardner Glass Products Inc�, Goodwill Ca-reer Connections Center, Goodwill Indus-tries of NWNC Inc�, High Country Workforce Dev� Board, Integrity Security Inc�, Intercon-nect Products & Services Inc�, Ivy Ridge Tra-ditions, James River Equipment Company, Jimmie Johnson Air & Heat, Keller Electric Co� Inc�, Kestrel Management Corpora-tion, Laurel Ridge Camp, Conference and Retreat, Lowe’s Companies Inc�;
LP—Louisiana Pacific Corporation, MBI Builders Inc�, McDonald’s (N�C� Hwy� 18),
McDonald’s (N�C� Hwy� 421), McLean Floor Coverings, McNeill Nissan of Wilkesboro, Michael’s Jewelry, Moravian Falls Family Campground & Cabins, Mountain View Apartments, Northwest General Insurance Agency, Patterson School Foundation;
Piedmont Dental Associates, Pipe-dreams, Pruitt Health Hospice, R�H� Bar-ringer Distributing Company Inc�, RCD Construction,Inc�, Ruby Pardue Black-burn Adult Day Care Center, Salem Foot Care, PA, Sharp Business Systems, Sher-win Williams Co�, State Employees’ Credit Union, Steppin’ Out Studio Inc�, Subway of Wilkesboro, Suncrest Farms Country Ham Inc�, Tim Harrold’s Empire Chrysler Dodge
Jeep, Tyson Wilkesboro Food Service, Ul-timate Carwash, U�S� Chemical Storage, The Walker Center, Westwood Hills Nurs-ing and Rehab Center;
WIFM Radio (100�9 FM), Wilkes ADAP Inc�, Wilkes Hourglass Cleaners, Wilkes Income Tax Service Inc�, Window World Foothills, Window World Inc�, WWWC Ra-dio (1240 AM) and Zax LLC D/B/A Zaxby’s�
Chamber of Commerce members renew their memberships
ANDREW HOLLAND is the Chamber Ambassador of the Quarter. He is the Lo-cal Veteran’s Employment Representative for the NC-Works Career Center.
THE WILKES COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS held a Business After Hours Sept. 20 at Oakwoods Country Club following the 21st annual Chamber Foundation golf tournament. It was a fall-themed evening with pumpkins and autumn flowers throughout. Attendees were served wonderful food and beverages. This premier networking event gave each member the opportunity to discuss and share ideas while learning about other local businesses. What a great relation-ship building experience! Wilkes County Association of Realtors strives to promote professionalism throughout our industry and be a voice for real estate in our communities! Check out all the latest listings, open houses, search listings and virtual tour listings at www.wilkescountync.com. On Oct. 26, Wilkes County Association of Realtors will sponsor “Rockin’ Realtors Benefit Concert” from 7-10 p.m. at Dodge City Steakhouse. Tickets are $7 at the door; all pro-ceeds will be donated to Operation Finally Home & S.A.F.E.
ROSE GLEN VILLAGE hosted the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Aug. 16. Staff at Rose Glen entertained a large group of Chamber professionals with a night of networking and door prizes. Rose Glen Village is located at 407 West Main Street in downtown Wilkesboro, home of music, dining, and beautiful mountain views. We take care of the details so you can live life the way you want to and deserve to. That means no more yard work, home maintenance, taxes, or utilities to worry about! You’ll make new friends while staying close to friends and family in the area you already know and love. Our goal is to provide a caring and welcoming environment that makes your life simpler and more reward-ing. Enjoy all our amenities and activities in our relaxing, resort-like apartments at an affordable price without forgoing the quality or freedom of independent living. For more information about Rose Glen Village call 336-667-2952.
THE WILKES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE celebrated with Walmart on their latest upgrade of facility and ser-vices with a grand re-opening of the newly renovated Walmart which was held July 6.
4 • Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • October 23, 2018
THE WILKES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE held an Open House/ Ribbon Cutting on Aug. 24 to officially open the newly renovated community learning center called La Escuelita (Spanish for “The Little School”) to better serve the Hispanic children who live in the Country Square Mobile Home Park in Moravian Falls. Communities In Schools of Northwest North Carolina is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. With the receipt of a Lowe’s Charitable and Edu-cational Foundation grant, CIS came to the rescue with staff, volunteers and community support to do much-needed updates to the modular trailer. The grant covered the cost of the renovations in time for school to start.
AN OFFICIAL Ribbon Cutting for River Bottom Farms LLC was held Oct. 2 at 105 Oakwoods Road in Wilkes-boro. Fall. Family. Fun! River Bottom has a 7-acre corn maze with 1.5 acres of trails featuring lots of twists and turns and towering corn stalks. It’s a wonderful fun experience for kids 2 to 92! The maze takes approxi-mately 20-30 minutes to find your way from maze entry to exit. There are 100 varieties of pumpkins to pick from and super soft, high quality fall T-shirts for sale. Business hours are 9 a.m. until dark Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 21-Oct. 28. Open 9 a.m. until dark on Halloween! Group rates available Monday-Thurs-day by appointment. Call owner Brian Chatham at 803-568-4182 for more information.
HERITAGE SQUARE is the latest addition to a multiphase revitalization of downtown Wilkesboro. The Town of Wilkesboro officially opened the new Heritage Square Splash Pad Aug. 31. The public water play area spon-sored by Carolina West Wireless had a Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting. This event was attend-ed by town and business officials along with Wilkes County friends and families, as well as numerous kids enjoying the fun way to cool off during the hot summer day!
MIDTOWN MARKET + GARDEN celebrated the beginning of fall with a Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting/Fall Open House Sept. 28 at 339 Wilkesboro Avenue in North Wilkesboro. Midtown has pumpkins, mums and all the autumn plants to make your home look like fall. Midtown Market + Garden also has sea-sonal, annual and perennial shrubs, trees, vegetables and herb starters, local and handmade products, home décor, gifts and lots more. If you love to paint, they have “Paint Parties” and will also help you with birthday parties. We encourage you to stop in and shop with Blair and her wonderful staff. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/midtown.garden.3/ and see what’s happening today.
A CUSTOMER APPRECIATION EVENT/Ribbon Cutting celebrating Seasons Inspirations’ one-year anniversa-ry was held Sept. 27. Seasons Inspirations is a home décor and accessories store at 113 West Main Street in downtown Wilkesboro. This locally-owned store features home décor, lamps, furniture and antiques, silk flowers and seasonal décor. Stop in and shop with Dena Bauguess for your home décor needs! Visit www.facebook.com/SeasonsInpirations/ for more details.
WELCOME new Chamber member Concorde Mortgage Company, at 717 Main Street in North Wilkesboro. We celebrated with an official Open House/Ribbon Cutting Oct. 9. Concorde Mortgage Company offers all kinds of residential mortgages from conventional, to FHA, to VA and USDA Rural Development loans with no down payments! If you’re planning on buying a house or just thinking about it, call Margaret Holder 828-265-9314. Margaret and her team will work until they find a loan program that is right for you. Office Hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment. Concorde Mortgage Company—The Future of Lending Today.
