Important Dates Click each title to learn more

Washington DC Issues and Opportunities Trip 2020 - 3/3- 3/5Ribbon Cutting at Walker Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc -3/5 @ noon Ribbon Cutting- Rome Shakespeare Festival - 3/5 @ 5:30 P.M.Economic Briefing - 3/6 @ 8:15 a.m.Small Business Action Council - 3/10 @ 8:30 a.m. Monthly Member Meeting - 3/13 @ 11:00 a.m.Ribbon Cutting - Travel by Jon and Jo'El - 3/17 @ noon

Member of the WeekGeneral Shale Brick

General Shale's mission is to continue as the preferredsolutions provider of building materials in North Americabecause of the enduring quality, energy efficiency andnatural beauty that our products provide. Driven by innovation that is modernand future-oriented, General Shale employees set the standard because of ourshared commitment to safety, the environment, and an intense focus oncreating the ultimate customer experience. https://generalshale.com/

Nonprofit of the WeekHistoric DeSoto Theatre

The Historic DeSoto Theatre Foundation is a non-profit

organizationestablished in 2008 to secure the future of

the iconic 1929 theatre in downtown Rome.

https://www.thedesoto.org/

Small Business of the WeekCoosa Valley Communications

Coosa Valley Communications, located at 10 Bale St. Rome,

Georgia, has been a Motorola Professional and Commercial two-way radio

dealer since 1976. As years have passed Coosa Valley has grown into a premier

Public Safety/Emergency Light Up-fitting provider carrying professional-grade

lines by: Whelen Engineering, Brooking Industries, Feniex Industries, Sho-Me

Able 2, Go Rhino Public Safety and Go Rhino Division, Magnetic Mic, Troy

Products these are brands that we trust to provide years of everyday service.

https://www.coosavalleycommunications.com/

Chamber Advantage Deal

NW Georgia Living - 20% off rate card for first ad only. Some exclusions apply.

Would you like to offer a discount? Email Jeanne Krueger at jkrueger@romega.com for details. For a full list ofChamber Advantage discounts, click here.

Day at the Capitol

We had a productive day at the State Capitol last week. The group from Romeand Floyd County met with Governor Brian Kemp; Chairman Katie Dempsey;Senator Chuck Hufstetler; Representative Eddie Lumsden; RepresentativeMitchell Scoggins; Gretchen Corbin, the Georgia Lottery Corporation; AmyCarter, Department of Economic Development; Tricia Pridemore, PublicService Commissioner; and Joshua Waller, Georgia Department ofTransportation. The trip is an excellent opportunity for leaders in the Rome

and Floyd Community to meet with decision-makers for our state. Thank youto our leaders at the State for giving their time to meet with our group.

Noteworthy:

Wall Street Journal Names Rome as #73 inJob Growth

Read the full article here.

Men's Journal- Best Paddling Towns: Rome,Georgia

Men's Journal: Something beautiful happens when two rivers converge. Theyease into each other, slowly braiding their currents together into a new body ofwater. Separate histories, cultures, economies, industries, landscapes andstories combine into one majestic river reaching for the ocean. For many

religions and cultures, confluences have spiritual significance and are oftendescribed as sacred spaces. They also play important roles for transportation,industry and the economy. Spiritually and geographically, they provide a pathto another world. The city of Rome, GeorgiaOpens in a new Window., locatedat the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers and the headwaters ofthe Coosa River, has been shaped by its location on three rivers: first, aMuskogean town, then a steamboat town, and now a paddling town.

Located only an hour and a half northeast of Atlanta, Rome provides theperfect weekend getaway for paddler enthusiasts, novice paddlers, and familiesalike. Bring your own watercraft or rent a kayak from River RatzOpens in a newWindow. or a standup paddleboard from River Dog Paddle Co.Opens in a newWindow. and choose your own adventure on the Etowah, Oostanaula, or Coosarivers.

"The Oostanaula River is a scenic and diverse river filled with native mussels,"says Joe Cook, Advocacy and Communication Coordinator with the CoosaRiver Basin Initiative, Opens in a new Window.a nonprofit working to build aclean, healthy and economically viable Coosa River Basin. "Every spring,striped bass spawn in downtown Rome. It is one of the few places in thecountry where landlocked striped bass are still able to spawn successfully."The most popular route near Rome is a six-mile stretch of the Etowah River,where you'll paddle by Native American fishing weirs (500 - 1,000 years old),under the Second Avenue bridge (where a float-house brothel once thrived inthe shadows just outside of the city) through downtown Rome and past theMyrtle Hill cemetery (where Woodrow Wilson's wife, Ellen Axen Wilson, andJim Morrison's grandparents are buried), before taking out at Heritage Parkjust south of the confluence. For a full day on the river, paddle 20 miles fromDixon Landing at Grizzard Park to Lock and Dam Park where you can schedulea shuttle (through River Ratz) back to your car.

After a long day on the water, sit back and enjoy a local beer by the river atRiver Dog Paddle Co. That's right, the same company that rents paddleboardsalso boasts a bar and beer garden, a food truck with gourmet grilled cheesecalled the Speakcheesy,Opens in a new Window. and yoga classes (both on andoff the water). Visitors and locals are encouraged to hang out and soak up thegood vibes. Warning: It might be difficult for paddlers to leave this one-stopshop for eating, drinking, and relaxing by the river. Eventually you'll need toforce yourself out the door to explore other gems in Rome, like hiking orbiking, (there are over 70-miles of trails, 40 of which are on Berry College's26,000 acresOpens in a new Window., the largest college campus in thecountry), catching a Rome BravesOpens in a new Window. game (the minorleague affiliate of the Atlanta Braves), or eating and drinking your way throughdowntown at Rome City Brewing CompanyOpens in a new Window. (locallybrewed beer), Harvest Moon CafeOpens in a new Window. (Southern food witha twist), or SeasonsOpens in a new Window. (for a finer dining experience) toreplenish your body after a day of paddling.

If you're in Rome on a weekend in the summer you'll likely catch one of itsmany river-centric eventsOpens in a new Window.. Every year in June theCoosa River Basin Initiative sponsors Rome's Big Float, in which hordes ofpeople tube together down the Etowah River. "We're aspiring to set a GuinnessWorld Record for the longest chain of water inflatables," says Cook. He hopesto make a mile-long chain of inner tubes consisting of about 1,000 people.

Beyond making history in an inner-tube, visitors and locals can partake in theannual Spirit of the Sun festival Opens in a new Window., featuring a kayakfishing tournament, paddleboard and kayak races, and live music on the riversin Rome.

What's next for the city that is already on top of its game for recreation, foodand beer, and, of course, SUP yoga? While there are plenty of places to stay indowntown (the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham RomeOpens in a newWindow. and the Courtyard by Marriott RomeOpens in a new Window. areboth right on the river), there are no official spots along the water trails forpaddlers to camp on the river. According to Cook, the Coosa River Initiative hasbeen working with a government entities and NGOs to build the Etowah RiverWater TrailOpens in a new Window. and the Oostanaula River Water Trail.Last fall, the city adopted a special purpose sales tax for water traildevelopment, which includes the construction of canoe-in only campsites.

Within the next five years, paddlers can expect to see some designated boat-inonly campsites on both of the rivers, expanding the paddling experience fromday trips to multi-day excursions on the water trails in and around the city.In Rome you'll find a convergence of modern comforts and paddlesports; aplace where paddlers of all skill levels can enjoy the scenic beauty of threerivers and the flare of a bustling main street flooded with unique localbusinesses, coming together to create the perfect paddling vacation.

Fairview opens to update community onrestoration progress

Rome News Tribune: Atop a hill not far from downtown Cave Spring's onlystop light sits a mound of black history that began in 1924.

The Fairview School was founded to educate black children of Floyd Countyduring the time of segregation. Community members took a renewed interestin the school almost a decade ago, when remnants of it were found buried inthick kudzu growth.

Joyce Perdue-Smith and Bernice Jackson, who are spearheading therestoration project, opened Fairview's doors on Saturday to inform thecommunity about what's next.

"We have a curator out of Atlanta that's going to help us curate, but we're notquite ready to bring them in just yet," Perdue-Smith said. "We really needbathrooms, and finish out some of the aspect of the grounds."

The group hopes to have a garden in front of the first grade building. They alsohope to form a STEM-based curriculum to educate local school children on thehistory of the school.

"Once we get the curriculum, we're going to try to get students involved wherethey can come down and see the gardens," Perdue-Smith said.Jackson, who is an alumna of E.S. Brown, said the project of restoring thebuildings has been a community effort.

"We had two galas, it was one of our biggest fundraisers at the DeSotoTheater," Jackson said. "We're going to try to have another one. It's been acommunity effort, and an alumni effort, to get to where we are now."Two Alabama residents who were celebrating their anniversary came to CaveSpring and got a glimpse of the history.

"For one thing, the work of these people to preserve this is amazing. I wouldn'tknow how to even start something like this," said Debbie Ridgeway, who camewith her husband, Michael. "There's so much in history that we take forgranted. We just think it's always been here, but we don't know what goes intohaving a school in those days."

The Fairview School will also be open on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. forviewing. It will reopen on March 14 and March 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. aswell.

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