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Even with the growth of social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, face-to-face interaction is still the best way for business professionals to connect with potential customers.The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce is providing the chance for small to large businesses to network during its annual PrimeTime Business Expo from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, Oct 4, at the Rainwater Conference Center in Valdosta. The event is open to the public, and there is no charge for admission.
With corporate sponsorship provided by Mediacom Business and FilmStory, the expo will include more than 100 vendors representing a variety of local businesses and organizations. “The expo represents the largest networking event in the area,” said Jeanette Stensgaard, membership director at the Chamber. “Making positive connections and developing new partnerships is an important part of growing a business. The expo allows business people to promote their products and services. It is also a great way to support our local businesses.” With something for everyone, Stensgaard said this year’s expo will feature a Children’s Business Fair sponsored by Cook’s Pest Control. “The Children’s Business Fair provides our community’s youngest entrepreneurs with a chance to showcase their businesses,” Stensgaard said. “It is an important part of the Chamber’s mission to foster entrepreneurship.” Stensgaard said many of the vendors look forward to the expo all year and consider it a vital part of their overall marketing efforts. “We have vendors who have been participating in the expo since it started,” she said. “They put a lot of effort in creating a booth that is both informative and engaging with the visitors.” From small local businesses to larger companies, the expo features a range of products and services available in the region. Pete Layne, store manager with the Home Depot in Valdosta, said he considers the expo an important networking event. “The expo perfectly highlights our Chamber’s mission,” Layne said. “This mission, in part, is to build, connect, and promote. I think the expo achieves these goals at the highest level. The Home Depot is proud to be an active member of the Chamber, and we are looking forward to connecting with other participants at this year’s expo.” Vendor space is still available. Businesses and organizations wanting to reserve booth space should contact Jeanette Stensgaard at jstensgaard@valdostachamber.com or call 229-247-8100 ext. 231.
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The Chamber Ambassadors honored Southern Pediatric Clinic as the Leading Business of the Week for Sept.10, 2018
The Southern Pediatric Clinic was established in 2005 by Dr. Charlene Blache with a mission to promote healthy lifestyles for infants, children, and teenagers, and to offer high-quality management of acute and chronic illnesses in a caring, friendly, and professional environment. “We continue to develop and improve our practice in ways that allow our patients to get what they need, in a friendly, caring, and compassionate environment,” Blache said. To expand services, Southern Pediatric Clinic plans to offer yoga classes to patients at a low cost to help children with physical and mental development. The Leading Business of the Week program is designed to recognize members who have partnered with the Chamber for at least five years. Colson Business Systems proudly sponsors the 2018 Leading Business of the Week program. For more information, visit www.ValdostaChamber.com/Leading-Business-of-the-Week. The Chamber Ambassadors recently honored Cottonwood Market Boutique with a ribbon cutting in recognition of its one year anniversary.
Cottonwood Market Boutique features a unique blend of local artisan market vendors and boutique home décor, gifts, clothing, and accessories. The mission for Cottonwood Market Boutique is to provide the community with an authentic shopping experience while supporting local artists along with adding fun and flair to downtown Valdosta. In addition to the shopping experience that Cottonwood Market Boutique provides. Cottonwood houses an arts and crafts studio where they host painting and craft parties and the studio is available to rent for private events. “I love what we do because we help make peoples’ homes, events and occasions very special since we offer one of a kind finds,” said Samantha Schreiber, owner of Cottonwood Market Boutique. Schreiber is a native of Valdosta and wanted to start a business in downtown Valdosta to be part of the revitalization efforts. Many of Cottonwoods items are exclusive and are made by locals in the Valdosta area. In upcoming months, Cottonwood is planning to continue growing its arts and craft studio and provide more opportunities for the community to interact. Schreiber said the Chamber has “provided us with an affordable and efficient media and networking outlet.” Having a successful holiday retail season starts with some advanced planning.
Sally Sutton, owner of Anchored Media Marketing, will present practical marketing steps that both online and brick and mortar businesses can implement to boost sales for the upcoming holiday season. “Many local businesses that prepare for holiday sales in advance, tend to have a better sales season,” Sutton said. “It is important for them to prepare early.” The two-hour class, Preparing Retailers for a Successful Holiday Season, will cover a variety of retail-specific marketing topics including the best ways to use Google, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms to achieve higher sales results. “We will cover the basics of email marketing and local marketing tactics,” said Sutton, who has specialized in online marketing and website development for more than ten years. “The course will also provide steps for retailers to develop an overall marketing strategy specifically for the holiday season.” The course is part of a series of presentations hosted each year by the SEEDS Business Resource Center, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Valdosta Community Development Department, and the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center located at Valdosta State University. “The purpose of this event is to promote a no-cost educational opportunity to business owners and entrepreneurs,” said Betty Morgan, vice president of Business Development at the Chamber and director of the SEEDS Business Resource Center. “By providing this workshop, business owners can get insight on the cutting edge of utilizing products such as Google, LinkedIn, Constant Contact, and Vistaprint to make the most out of the last quarter of the year.” Morgan said the Chamber provides business-related workshops throughout the year to help ensure that local businesses are thriving. “The classes are part of the mission of the SEEDS Business Resource Center,” Morgan said. “SEEDS is an acronym for Sowing Entrepreneur and Economic Development Success. We encourage local entrepreneurs to take these free classes and utilize all the services of the SEEDS Business Resource Center, which are available regardless of a Chamber membership.” The class is offered free of charge from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Willis L. Miller Library, located at 2906 Julia Drive, Valdosta. The class is limited to 30 participants, and advanced registration is required. Registration is available online at www.valdostachamber.com or SEEDSbusinessresourcecenter.com. For more information, contact Betty Morgan at 229-247-8100, ext. 234 or email at bmorgan@valdostachamber.com Four Star Freightliner is the Southeast region’s leading heavy and medium duty truck dealer that offers a complimentary line of Freightliner, FUSO, and Western Star brand trucks for both highway and vocational use.
Four Star Freightliner takes prides in offering customers “world class” truck products along with a full spectrum of services. “Our highly trained technicians on staff are able to take care of any problems that might arise with the truck,” said Jerry Kocan, dealer principal of Four Star Freightliner. Four Star Freightliner views their business as one of the most comprehensive dealerships and service centers in the Southeast region. They offer customers a guaranteed review within a time window. “We provide a guarantee that a customer’s truck will be reviewed and diagnosed, and will be provided a completion time and cost estimate within 120 minutes,” said Kocan. “We also provide pick-up and delivery for service customers for their commercial trucks.” Four Star Freightliner has grown substantially in the past 20 years. The company began with less than 50 employees and two dealerships and has expanded to six dealerships and three state operations with more than 180 employees. “We feel people make the biggest impact and so we invest in our people development and retention,” said Kocan, “and we run well above the industry standard when it comes to employee retention after one plus years of service.” As a proud member of the Chamber, Kocan states, “The Chamber has given us introduction, exposure and access to all the outstanding businesses and people that are located in our area.” On Sept 6, Four Star Freightliner held a ribbon cutting celebration to officially open its new facility and honor all the hard work of all of the people who have helped the company reach this point. For more information, call Four Star Freightliner at 1-800-239-8785. The Chamber Ambassadors honored Jacuzzi Luxury Bath as the Leading Business of the Week for August 27, 2018.
As the inventor of the whirlpool bathtub, Jacuzzi Luxury Bath has become the most recognized brand in the market of hydrotherapy bathing. Jacuzzi Luxury Bath aims to be the leader in the product design and innovation in the bathing industry and to provide a quality product at a fair market value. “We are fortunate to have a fantastic team of individuals that are dedicated, hard-working and talented in their craft, said Rich Baehr, director of operations. “The manufacturing business is sometimes tough, and our folks step up to the challenge every day.” Jacuzzi Luxury Bath will be converting the space located at 511 Highland Drive into a new office building. The new building will include a showroom for Jacuzzi bathtubs and faucets. Jacuzzi Luxury Bath is constantly designing new innovative bathing products. “The Chamber has always been supportive of our business, and they have always been willing to help in most anyway,” said Baehr. “The Chamber hosts many events in our community and every business has an opportunity to be involved and participate in various activities.” The Leading Business of the Week program is designed to recognize members who have partnered with the Chamber for at least five years. Colson Business Systems proudly sponsors the 2018 Leading Business of the Week program. For more information, visit www.ValdostaChamber.com/Leading-Business-of-the-Week. The Chamber Ambassadors honored the Hahira Veterinary Clinic as the Leading Business of the Week for August 20, 2018.
Dr. Doug Ruff said the goal of owning a business is to allow God to work through the clinic and its employees so that they can use their talents to help people and their pets enhance the human-animal bond. Dr. Ruff, along with associate veterinarian Dr. Kelly Barrett, and the staff at Hahira Veterinary Clinic are passionate about providing excellent patient care and helping clients understand how to achieve optimum health for their pets. “I have worked at the Hahira Veterinary Clinic since we opened in 2007 as the receptionist and office manager. I enjoy working with a boss that cares for his employees and patients, but most of all that puts God first,” said Brandi Wadsworth. “My position at the clinic allows me to interact with the clients and their pet. Being able to help clients understand what is important for their pet makes my job fulfilling.” Hahira Veterinary Clinic is an active and proud member of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber has helped our clinic grow to where we are now, by referring clients to us,” said Wadsworth. “The Chamber is always willing to make it a priority to help businesses grow in the community.” The Hahira Veterinary Clinic is in the process of designing a new and larger boarding facility. The new facility will consist of 62 kennels with multiple runs outside. The clinic is scheduled to start construction soon. The Leading Business of the Week program is designed to recognize members who have partnered with the Chamber for at least five years. Colson Business Systems proudly sponsors the 2018 Leading Business of the Week program. For more information, visit www.ValdostaChamber.com/Leading-Business-of-the-Week. The Chamber and Renasant Bank presented Ella’s Top Corral with the August Small Business of the Month award.
Established in 1976, Ella’s Top Corral is described as a “fast casual” restaurant specializing in fresh, never frozen 100 percent ground beef burgers. Ella’s Top Corral enjoys offering fresh ingredients, friendly service and a family atmosphere that keeps customers coming back again and again. Ella’s Top Corral takes pride in knowing their regular customers by name and can recite their orders from memory. Ella McGhee, the owner of Ella’s Top Corral, began working for Top Corral, as it was formerly known, in 1977 and held many positions during her 36 years with the restaurant. McGhee’s dream of owning a restaurant became a reality in 2013 when she purchased the restaurant and changed the name to Ella’s Top Corral. Nicholas Perry, McGhee’s grandson and general manager of the restaurant, started working at Ella’s Top Corral in 2008. Perry’s goals include rebranding the restaurant and preparing for future expansion. This year, Ella’s Top Corral received recognition as having the “best hamburger” in the Valdosta Daily Times Best of South Georgia competition. With a passion for giving back to the community, Ella’s Top Corral donated more than 150 meals to the Valdosta High School football team during this year’s spring training. The restaurant is also scheduled to provide meals to the Lowndes High School and Valdosta High School football teams during this year’s season. For more information about Ella’s Top Corral, call 229-241-0322 or visit them at 1007 S. Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31601. The Chamber Ambassadors recently honored Winnersville Fitness with a ribbon cutting on August 10, 2018.
“Lowndes County is our home and helping the people of our community is a top priority,” said Melissa Eikenberry, owner of Winnersville Fitness. “Being prior military it is nice to give back where my roots are located.” A proud member of the Chamber, Eikenberry said, “The Chamber has helped me market my business and get known in Valdosta.” Located at 1711 Norman Drive, Valdosta, Winnersville Fitness held its ribbon cutting in celebration of its new ownership. For more information, call 229-469-4292. The Chamber Ambassadors recently honored Winnersville Elite Cheer and Dance with a ribbon cutting.
Winnersville Elite Cheer and Dance offers a wide variety of classes for all levels of tumbling, styles of dance, and several other classes for aspiring cheerleaders and dancers. The Little Explorers Program, which is for ages 2 to 5 years old, was recently started to focus specifically on developing gross motor skills, while incorporating the fun of other classes, according to Susan Colson, owner of Winnersville Elite Cheer and Dance. “If we are able to make a difference in the life of one child, we have done our jobs,” Colson said. Within its 10 years of business, Winnersville Elite has collected several national titles in cheer and dance. Winnersville Elite Cheer and Dance cheerleaders have won several titles including Cheersport Nationals, All-Star Challenge, and most recently a championship title at the Athletic Grand Championship, as well as becoming division champs. The competition dance team won the championship title at Fusion Nationals, making it the fifth title for the dance program in the past few years. A proud member of the Chamber, Colson states, “Partnering with the Chamber has allowed us to receive many resources that are otherwise more difficult for a small business, and we have also made so many great connections through the Chamber.” Winnersville Elite is the only facility in Valdosta that offers a full tumbling and cheerleading program, as well as a full dance program. “Our facility is unique in that no other business in the area offers both programs under one roof with a fully air-conditioned cheerleading facility and a full dance studio in our second building,” said Colson. “Offering both recreational and competition programs allow us to train cheerleaders and dancers at all levels. In addition, Winnersville Elite is the only studio in Valdosta to offer a competitive dance program.” Winnersville Elite Cheer and Dance held its ribbon cutting in celebration of its 10th anniversary in business. An open house is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, at 1874 Commerce Place, Valdosta. For more information, email Winnersville Elite at administrator@winnersvilleelite.com. |
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