​It is no doubt that COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, especially the restaurant industry. While many owners have unfortunately been forced to close, those that stayed open resorted to new and unique ways of operation.
 
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power recognize this hurdle and commend Jessie’s Restaurant and Catering on their safe redirection by naming them a winner of the Industry Innovation Award.
 
“Georgia Power is proud to recognize businesses who have pivoted to find success,” shared Georgia Power’s Joe Brownlee.
 
Jessie’s has been in the Valdosta area for 22 years and is known for its eclectic menu items and laid-back atmosphere. They serve breakfast and lunch every day, Sunday brunch, and provide full-service catering for a variety of events, such as weddings, office parties, proms, and charity events.
 
Originally owned by Kim Newman, the name “Jessie’s” was inspired by her daughter. In 2009, Mikki Wills gained ownership of the restaurant and decided to keep the name. Now, Mikki has brought the restaurant a long way, especially during this past year when COVID hit.
 
Like every other restaurant owner, Mikki panicked and wondered how her business was going to remain open in such unprecedented times.
 
When asked what her initial reaction was, she replied “Fear. Fear that we would have to shut down, fear that everything would go to waste, and fear for mine and my employees’ jobs and lives.”
 
It did not take long for Hudson and her team to turn the fear into innovation.
 
Jessie’s was one of the first restaurants to offer curbside service in the community, and the response was a hit. Customers could expect the same quality of food and service from Jessie’s all delivered to them in the safety of their car.
 
While Jessie’s has been able to reopen with outdoor and socially distant seating in their dining area, patio and new event space, many customers still opt for curbside, take out or delivery.
 
After seeing how well received their changes were with customers, Jessie’s got even more creative and began offering their very own “Party Packs,” which are a fun twist on to-go meals that the whole family can get involved in. Some of their favorites were Taco Tuesday and Build Your Own Pizza.
 
“Parents didn’t want to go to the grocery store, so we made dinner easy,” said Wills.
 
While the safety and convenience of parents were recognized, Wills also thought about the children.
 
Party Packs were not only fun to eat but gave the kids something to look forward to helping create while they were staying at home.
 
“Party Packs have something for everyone,” she stated.
 
Wills realizes how important it is to help others in the community, especially during difficult times as these. “We are all about making the community better and working together with others to help them while they’re down,” she said.
 
Jessie’s has been a positive light to the Valdosta community, and a global pandemic did not stop them from giving to others in time of need. They offered boxed lunches for first responders and brought breakfast to other restaurants in the community who were facing the same difficulties as they were.
 
“We just wanted to share our love for the community of restaurants and businesses. We are all in this together,” Wills said.
 
Wills noted, “This past Easter, we fed over 70 families. We made a drive-through in front of our store and they would just sit in their cars and we would bring their meal to them.”
 
In addition to community service, Wills knows the value of teamwork. “My team is amazing, and they have stuck with me. We have all worked very hard,” she said.
 
Mikki and the entire Jessie’s staff are looking forward to the future and for new opportunities as the holidays approach. Their yearly Thanksgiving meal and Christmas party catering are still in the works, but they are still figuring out the safest way to offer them.
 
Jessie’s is now open for dine-in as well as outdoor dining, and you can always call ahead or place orders online for pick-up or delivery. To place an order or get some more information on catering services, please call (229) 247-4670, or visit them at 205 North Ashley Street or www.jessiesvaldosta.com.

Christie Moore, an experienced and proven non-profit professional, has been selected to serve as the new president and chief executive officer of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s board of directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to name the Georgia native to the position effective January 2021.
 
In December of 2017, current president and chief executive officer Myrna Ballard announced her plans to retire in December 2020. She has been a part of the Valdosta and Lowndes County community since 1995 when she was chosen as the vice president of economic development for the chamber. She assumed the top leadership role in 1997. 
 
“Christie brings the passion and experience the board identified as key traits required to build upon our solid foundation already in place,” according to Lee McArthur, chair of the board and partner with CCB Tech Group. “She is a leader in the chamber profession with proven results to back up her successes. I describe Christie as an innovator, team builder and most importantly a listener.”
 
Ballard also feels that her successor will be an asset to the Chamber team and community.
 
"Christie is a terrific fit for our Chamber," said Ballard. "She brings a great deal of chamber experience to the job. The Chamber staff and I feel that she is an excellent choice and we all look forward to welcoming her to Valdosta and to the Chamber."
 
Moore currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce in Dawsonville, Georgia, a position she has held since 2012. The Dawson County Chamber, under Moore’s leadership, is responsible for business advocacy, tourism marketing and economic development. One of Moore’s most notable successes has been the implementation of research-driven workforce best practices to champion local work-based learning initiatives though collaboration with the local school system, higher education institutions, and local industry leaders. Under Moore’s guidance, the chamber also successfully advocated for the passage of ESPLOST to fund a college and career academy to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable students in Dawson County. A tireless advocate on behalf of small businesses, Moore led the campaign to reduce impact fees on the commercial sector to make it easier for already existing businesses to expand, as well as, to encourage increased entrepreneurial investment in the community. 
 
Prior to Dawson County, Moore served as the leader of the Blakely-Early County Chamber of Commerce in southwest Georgia. She earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from American University, Washington, DC and undergraduate degrees at The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Arts in History. 
 
“I have watched the Valdosta and Lowndes County region grow in terms of business, infrastructure and influence over the past ten years,” Moore said. “I am honored to have been selected for the president’s role and to carry on the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber’s legacy of more than a century of serving local businesses and the community. My first order of business in January will be to listen.  I want to meet with members and non-members of the chamber, community advocates, regional leaders and the internal chamber team to learn what the strengths of the chamber are and what opportunities exist for the chamber to help enable businesses, nonprofits, and citizens to thrive.”
 
Moore is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute of Organization Management and a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive. She is also a graduate of Leadership Georgia, Zell Miller Leadership Institute, Leadership Dawson, and the Georgia Academy of Economic Development.
 
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has continuously received the five-star accreditation by the US Chamber of Commerce. The accreditation program defines standards of excellence in chamber planning and performance and shows chambers how they can reach and maintain these standards. It also helps chambers measure achievement while recognizing and encouraging chamber members and staff who meet high standards of operation and who contribute effectively to the good of their chambers and communities.
 
Moore and her husband Michael will be moving to Valdosta in December. Her first day at the chamber will be Monday, January 4.
 
The Chamber board engaged The Chason Group to lead the executive search process. The firm, which is Georgia based, specializes in executive searches for chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, foundations and other non-profits.  

​The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power commended Kona Ice of Lowndes on their safe practices and redirection by naming them the Industry Innovation Winner.
COVID-19 stopped countless businesses in their tracks. The spread of the virus became a top concern causing cancellations for nearly all events in a group setting, which is where mobile shaved ice truck Kona Ice of Lowndes typically thrives.
Kona Ice of Lowndes graced Valdosta for the first time in 2017 and can be easily spotted traveling or parked with the truck’s bright colors and iconic, larger than life penguin. They deliver the purest, most refreshing shaved ice with over 60 flavors and thousands of flavor combinations. The Kona Ice truck also features a popular “flavor wave,” which is a self-serving flavor option for maximum customization.
With their recent acquisition of an additional truck and a free portable, free standing kiosk, Kona Ice is often found three places at once multiple days a week.
When the pandemic reached our area, Kona Ice owners Brenda and Russell Hassenstab were fearful of the unknown.
“We lost 11 schools we had contacts with in one week,” R Hassenstab shared.
At the time, the best decision seemed to be closing up the truck for two weeks then reevaluating. For the community driven Hassenstabs, this change in pace lasted just three days.
“COVID hit and killed everything,” R Hassenstab said. “It took us three days to realize shutting down was doing a disservice to our community.”
Since residents were rarely leaving their homes with social distancing in mind, the Hassenstabs arranged for Kona Ice to make neighborhood visits bring shaved ice directly to their fans. To create even more of a special yet still safe experience during such unprecedented times, Kona Ice reached out to other local food trucks inviting them to team up on the neighborhood visits.
“We were treated like a ray of sunshine in the neighborhoods,” B Hassenstab recalled. “Parents thanked us for bringing some excitement to their door.”
While boosting community morale, Kona Ice maintained their safe practices while implementing additional health and cleanliness features.
“We never touch the ice we serve,” the Hassenstabs explained. Kona’s shaved ice goes straight from the freezer, to the shaver directly into the cup. All Kona Ice employees also added masks to go with their gloves.
For additional safety, all high contact areas in the trucks and kiosk are treated with Microshield 360. This antibacterial applicant is applied in a two-step process that first removes germs then is followed up with a strong, protective coating.
Kona Ice has no intention of ending their safe, clean regime.
Have you seen Kona Ice of Lowndes in your neighborhood or at your workplace? Book them today for fun, refreshing and safe experience by checking out Kona Ice of Lowndes on Facebook or call them at 229-300-6605.

​COVID-19 has brought gatherings to a halt for months which has certainly affected us all in some way. While this result of the pandemic has cancelled a few plans for the majority, the event industry has had to completely rethink their livelihood.
 
The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Power recognize this hurdle and commend Event Point on their safe redirection by naming them the first-ever Industry Innovation award winner.
 
Event Point is a locally based event production company that “carries the stress for you, during the process of building and running your event,” shared Chris Shelton, Senior Project Manager.
 
“For once, you can sit down and enjoy dinner at the event you planned,” added Josh Taylor, Project Manager.
 
Event Point normally sets up their state-of-the-art equipment at your venue location complete with speakers, lights, podiums and more while running the show behind the scenes. Their expertise ensures there are no awkward moments or technical difficulties.
 
When gatherings sizes steadily decreased, Event Point’s schedule came to a standstill; however, it did not take long for Shelton and Taylor to redirect their energy.
 
“We wanted to create a safe way to still bring the same extraordinary experience to our clients,” shared Shelton.
 
Event Point completely redesigned one room in their office to virtually bring an event to you. The setup is a mock stage featuring curtains draped behind up-lights, framing a podium and microphone. Four large digital monitors, an audio monitor and multiple cameras are across the room only visible to the speaker.
 
“We can pre record presentations or run them live,” Shelton explained. “Viewers would never know the speaker was not standing on a real stage.”
 
Event Point also has the capability to host Zoom interactive conferences as well as hybrid events. While some are beginning to feel comfortable hosting in person events, attendance still can’t be as high as normal, so Shelton and Taylor hope to help bridge this gap.
 
“We can adjust our in-person events to make them suitable to a virtual audience, too,” said Shelton. “While some guests are physically present, we can live stream an event for at home viewers simultaneously.”
 
Guests utilizing the Event Point’s virtual event space have the opportunity to be the only one present in the room ensuring social distancing.
 
For those who feel most comfortable going live from their own office space, Event Point can easily transport their equipment to best suit the client.
 
Shelton encourages anyone who is interested in hosting a professionally produced, virtual event to set up a consultation. For more information and booking, visit their website eventpointhq.com.
 

​The Chamber Ambassadors honored The Tree House Thrift Shop with a ribbon cutting on July 21, 2020 to celebrate the store’s expansion to a new location.
 
Established in 2013, The Tree House Thrift Shop is a high-quality store selling items generously donated by the community.
 
“All donations are filtered, screened, and cleaned (especially during COVID-19) by volunteers who place items on our sales floor,” said Lindsey Rogers, Senior Marketing Specialist. “Items are only displayed for sale if they’re in excellent condition, and many donations are brand new items.”
 
The proceeds collected support a nonprofit hospice organization in the Valdosta area.
 
“We love what we do because our store proceeds benefit patient care for Hospice of South Georgia, the community’s only nonprofit hospice organization,” said Rogers. “Hospice of South Georgia provides compassionate comfort care to anyone facing a chronic illness during curative treatments, as well as when an illness becomes life limiting.”
 
The Tree House is passionate about giving back to those who help keep the community healthy and safe. 
 
“The Tree House offers multiple sales and discounts on a weekly basis including, 20% off total purchases for SGMC employees and military,” said Rogers. “We also like to give back to our community partners.  When we do not sell items on our floor or receive donations that are not in excellent condition, we donate these to shelters and other nonprofit organizations.”
 
The Tree House is a proud member of the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce.
 
“Our chamber has always been at our side to help network with our local business partners through chamber events and educational opportunities,” said Rogers. “They have helped us enhance our outreach and marketing through publications, ribbon cuttings, business of the week, and billboard promotions with collaborating companies. We are grateful to our local chamber for their support!”
 
For more information about The Tree House Thrift Shop call 229-293-9881.

​COVID-19 has changed how businesses of all kinds are directing their efforts. The search for a new normal continues as many gear back up for business. The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber and Georgia Power teamed up to create a three-part webinar series titled “The Power of Energy in a Pandemic” to provide guidance from local community leaders on how to power through times of uncertainty.
 
“There has been a change of pace in many ways,” said Joe Brownlee of Georgia Power. “We hope these topics can help direct us to a new normal.”
 
Numerous brick-and-mortar businesses had no choice but to ask employees to work remotely for at least a limited amount of time. For some, this is may continue. Even with the right resources, this atmospheric change is likely to affect one’s work while learning to adapt.
 
Long time remote worker, Sally Sutton of Anchored Media Marketing, took over the discussion to share her path to productivity while working from home.
 
Sutton understands the potential struggles of working from home that may not pose threats in an office.
 
“Don’t beat yourself up if you do find yourself distracted,” Sutton expressed.
 
She says that a consistent, dedicated workspace with organized time blocks is a good place to start.
 
Georgia Power’s Joe Brownlee served as the series’ moderator and also snowballed off of Sutton’s tips for working at home. He shared proven ways to decrease one’s energy use while spending more time at home than usual.
 
Brownlee welcomed Paris Shields of Valdosta Premier Counseling as day two’s guest focusing on internal energy.
 
While our workload and styles may look different, we all have been affected internally as well. Shields hoped to help viewers “maintain mental and physical wellness going through a pandemic.”
 
“The best thing we can do is focus on the positives,” said Shields. “Instead of focusing our energy on how long this stage will last, we should ask ourselves what we can do with this time that we usually are unable to do.”
 
Our emotional wellness is exceptionally important as we redirect our energy to prepare for businesses reopening. A variety of local businesses have done their part to set safe trends and help others transition back into business in an admirable way.
 
Kara Jones of US Press shared their focus on producing floor decals to promote a social distance. They hope their services will help “promote commerce but also public safety,” Jones shared.
Floor decals is not a new product for US Press, but they have been able to take this previously offered service and make it helpful and relevant.
 
“We have produced floor decals for years, but most of the time they have been used as a branding opportunity. Now, they are a way to promote social distancing amongst patrons,” Jones said.
 
Wilkinson’s, another local industry, has also tapped into another part of their work to better suit the community’s current needs.
 
Wilkinson’s has been “producing home textiles for 50 years,” shared Fred Wilkinson. “The masks fit right into what were doing since we already had the fabric and machines.”
 
When beginning to create the masks, Wilkinson needed a way to protect his own employees and hoped to help others as well.
 
“We have closely followed the CDC’s guidelines through COVID-19. Our masks help our own employees and others,” Wilkinson said.
 
To share more safe practices when reentering the workplace, Amanda Martin of Barnes Drug Store joined the conversation.
 
“First and foremost, we must make sure we are following the CDC’s updates,” Martin expressed. “As an essential business that never fully shut down, we had to make sure we implemented all of their guidelines.”
 
Martin proceeded to share tips for other businesses to remember when reopening their doors.
 
“We started employee temperature check very early on with no contact thermometers,” Martin said. She recommended investing in this product and shared how to obtain them.

​It is hard to keep a group as active as the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber Ambassadors apart. This bunch was thrilled to proceed with their scheduled quarterly awards ceremony… virtually, that is.
The Chamber Ambassadors is a group of 39 individuals who attend nearly all Chamber events including ribbon cuttings, ground breakings and leading business of the week celebrations. They are described as our “Chamber Cheerleaders” and are always happy to welcome new businesses and celebrate the old.
The group is easily spotted in their green blazers which represent prosperity in the business community.
The Chamber Ambassador program is made possible with the help of its sponsor, Biotest Plasma Center.
“Supporting the Chamber Ambassador program is an integral piece of our community engagement strategy,” shared Erik Karpicke, Biotest’s Center Manager.  “Through the Ambassador program we get to welcome our neighbors, ensure they get started on the right foot in the community, and it helps our overall business grow as well, it is a no brainer for us.”
 
To recognize their achievements and volunteered hours in the first quarter of the year, the Ambassadors were able to join together from their respective homes through Zoom, a virtual meeting platform.
The social group was thrilled to be able to interact with one another for the first time in nearly a month.
Lauren Pope, the Chambers Ambassador Program Coordinator virtually presented the awards beginning with recognizing the newest Ambassadors.
To become “official,” one must earn a minimum of 100 points. Points are earned through event attendance, referrals and other deeds. At this landmark, the individual receives their Chamber Ambassador name badge.
Three Ambassadors reached this status in the first quarter of 2020” Joni Berkel (Miss Kate’s Tours & Kate’s Kitchen), Karlee Dixon (Chicken Salad Chick) and Robin Salisbury (Langdale Place).
The three newest members are excited to be a part of such an influential group.
“As an Ambassador, I not only get to meet new people in our community, but I get the chance to support local businesses in new ways,” shared Salisbury. “I am incredibly thankful that my employer supports and encourages my involvement with the Ambassadors,” she added.
Deanna Smith of the Investment Centre was named Ambassador of the Quarter. She earned the most points in the first quarter of 2020 out of the entire group.
Smith has been an Ambassador for nearly 3 years.
My experience as an Ambassador has made me feel so connected to our community,” Smith shared. “From the relationships developed with the other Ambassadors to getting a front row seat celebrating the successes of our local businesses, it continues to be one of the most rewarding things I have done.”
 
You may not physically see the Ambassadors out and about for the time being, but you can trust they are cheering you and your business on from afar!