VALDOSTA, GA – The Chamber Ambassadors honored South Georgia Travel as this week’s Leading Business of the Week.
 
Established in 1964, South Georgia Travel is a full service travel agency assisting with individual and group travel to the destination of your choice. Their mission is to provide their clients with their dream vacation while delivering excellent customer service.
 
South Georgia Travel does much more than planning the perfect vacation. They put emphasis on the entire travel experience, which starts with customer service. The staff of South Georgia Travel are professionals with over 35 years of experience. They know exactly how to build relationships and meet the needs of each individual client. “As a service oriented business, we strive to always make our clients feel welcome,” explains Jane Shelton. “Nothing is more rewarding than assisting others,” she adds.
 
Aside from travel assistance, South Georgia Travel takes pride in community involvement. They credit the Chamber and the SEEDS Business Resource Center with much of their achievements, including being named Small Business of the Year in 2006. Giving back to the community is also crucial in their opinion. The agency’s recent Lipsync Battle for operation WARMHEART raising $3,500 was so successful, they plan to make it an annual event.
 
For more information about South Georgia Travel, call (229) 244-2324 or visit them at 1300 Baytree Road in Valdosta.

VALDOSTA, GA- The Chamber Ambassadors honored G&M Plumbing as Leading Business for the week of June 12, 2017.

​G&M Plumbing has been in business for nearly 40 years. With trust and dependability as the backbone of the company, Scott Metts and his late partner, Joe Giddens, have built a powerhouse company, worthy of repeat customers and long-term employees.
 
While G&M Plumbing doesn’t work in the residential field of plumbing, they are very successful in commercial work and have done business with places like Wiregrass Technical College and Valdosta State University. “Although we do contract work with those bigger businesses, we also work closely businesses that only employ 1 or 2, so there really isn’t a commercial job that is too small,” said Scott Metts, owner.
 
G&M Plumbing has been a member of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber for more than 20 years. They know the value of their Chamber membership and acknowledge that the Chamber “encourages new business in to our city/county” which in turn helps G&M Plumbing.
 
If you are interested in learning more about G&M Plumbing, please visit their office at 1724 Dow Street in Valdosta or give them a call at 229-242-4980.
 
For photos from this event, please visit www.valdostachamber.com.

VALDOSTA, GA- The Chamber Ambassadors recently held a ribbon cutting for Southern Scrubs.Southern Scrubs is a medical uniform retail store owned by Southern OB/GYN Associates. Their mission is to provide comfort and style to those on the job all while delivering excellent customer service. They are conveniently located on North Ashley Street, which is in close proximity to South Georgia Medical Center and many other medical offices in Valdosta.
 
In addition to having a storefront, Southern Scrubs is determined to bring their products to the community in all ways possible. “We provide pop-up shops that bring the scrubs to you, providing an easy and convenient experience,” explains manager, Everly Welch. The company is happy to help the community they love being a part of.
 
At the end of the day, the most important factor to Southern Scrubs is customer service. “We go above and beyond to make sure that our customers are happy,” states Welch. They have seen an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the community in their two months in business, which makes their work rewarding. “We have exceeded our sales expectations, but more importantly, our customers have been very satisfied with their experiences.”
 
Contact Southern Scrubs by calling 229-588-4442 or visit them at 2904 North Ashley Street.
 
For pictures and further information about this event, visit ValdostaChamber.com.

Can a community provide too much assistance for people considering a new business start-up?  The Chamber, Small Business Development Center, Georgia Power and the City of Valdosta don’t think so.

“We have had a great partnership since 2005, when the SEEDS Center opened its doors – well, desk drawers -- at the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber,” said Chamber vice president Betty Morgan. “Our partnerships make it possible for potential business owners to learn about ways to build their businesses. It means that high quality low-cost or no-cost entrepreneurial education is right at the fingertips of professionals and start-ups alike.”

Partners with the Chamber also include several other chambers of commerce in the region that promote SEEDS Center workshops and services. “There’s power in numbers,” Morgan said. “We are stronger in South Georgia when we work together.”  

The partnerships make it possible for Morgan to reach out into the community and the region to provide the free services of the SEEDS Center to non-Chamber members who are thinking about starting a business, or need help growing an existing business. “The City of Valdosta is proud to partner with the SEEDS Center because of the benefits it brings not only to Chamber members, but too all aspiring businesses in the community.   This program helps nurture entrepreneurship and helps to incubate small businesses which provide the backbone for our local economy,” said City Manager Larry Hanson. “When we commit resources to programs such as the SEEDS Center, we become partners in the success of local businesses and therefore to the overall success of our community.” 

Sponsored by the City of Valdosta’s Neighborhood Development Division, an Entrepreneurial Success workshop called Steps to Small Business Marketing Success is scheduled for Thursday, June 15 at the Mildred Hunter Community Center. Helpful professionals will share practical and affordable marketing tips for small businesses. “These workshops are very informal and laid-back,” said Morgan. “Our goal is to provide expert advice that even the smallest business owner can actually put into practice the very next day. Our partnerships with the City and with SBDC make it all possible.”
​
Attendance is free, but registration is required, as space is limited. Visit www.valdostachamber.com and click “Register for an Event” on the homepage to reserve your seat. 

VALDOSTA, GA- The Chamber Ambassadors honored Spanish Mission Apartments at Leading Business of the Week for the week of June 5, 2017.“Spanish Mission Apartment Homes is committed to delivering superlative and unrivaled customer service, while providing an active life-style and promoting community involvement,” said Vivian Keeton-Karst, Property Manager and President of South Georgia Apartment Association.
​
The apartment complex is so much more than just that, they are a tight-knit community of residents that turn the standard of apartment living upside down. “We go above and beyond to bring about a sense of community with our weekly community events, such as “Dinner on the Go”, “Game Night”, Salsa Lessons, “Ladies Night”, and holiday themed festivities, just to name a few,” said Keeton-Karst. 
 
With more than 500 residents, many being military and students, Spanish Mission values each and every one and is rewarded by the sense of comfort and community its complex brings.
 
Spanish Mission Apartments has been a member of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber for 20 years this year, and the Chamber is proud to represent them and the work they do daily.   Keeton-Karst says the “Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has provided an opportunity to connect with other industry professionals, as well as local merchants who understand the importance of cross marketing. Our area businesses are a leading source of our marketing, as well as our reputation management.”
 
If you are interested in learning more about Spanish Mission Apartments, please visit their Leasing Office at 422 Connell Road in Valdosta or give them a call at 229-242-7333.
 
For photos from this event, please visit www.valdostachamber.com.

VALDOSTA, GA- The Chamber Ambassadors recently held a ribbon cutting for The Humane Society of Valdosta/Lowndes County in celebration of their new location. The Humane Society “speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.” They strive to help the lives of animals in the community and train owners to provide better homes for their pets. Their mission is to promote responsible pet ownership by teaching compassion, respect and caring treatment for all animals.
 
In hopes to encourage everyone to properly care for their pets, The Humane Society of Valdosta is proud to offer low cost programs for spaying/neutering, pet adoption, trap-neuter-return of feral cats and Moody pet guardian angel, which is a foster program for those deployed. In the future, they plan to start a transport program to get animals into great homes at a faster rate since there are more animals in need than fosters available. “We are always looking for fosters and volunteers to help our organization grow!” expresses Jamie Catikos, HS Board President.
 
The Humane Society is very excited about their recent move and is grateful for the generous donations from the community. Being a non-profit organization, these go a long way. “The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has offered great support to our organization,” says Catikos when discussing their appreciation for their community.
 
Visit the Humane Society today at 1740 West Gordon St. or contact them by calling 229-247-3266.