– On Tuesday, May 13, a group of Chamber Ambassadors, along with Membership Development Director Stacey Ripley, will make surprise visits all day long to 10-15 businesses throughout Burke County to say a special thanks for all they do to support the community and the Chamber. There will be sweet treats and more for the businesses on the itinerary.
Great advertising po
sitions are still available in the next Chamber Directory, including the highly coveted inside front cover. 5,000 copies will be printed. Every advertiser will be provided with a supply of copies, and the Chamber will provide copies directly to persons and businesses looking to relocate to Burke County or find service providers. By the way, advertising rates for the 2014 publication are the same as this year. Contact Project Sales Director Nick Yankosky to order your ad. Nick may be reached at nyankosky@southcomm.com or call him on his cell at 513-257-3684.
The countdown is on to revealing who will win a 2014 Cornerstone Award. Sixteen companies are on this year’s A-list, nominated by other area businesses in three Cornerstone Award Categories. You’ll want to be among the in-crowd on Tuesday, May 20, at the Community House in Morganton from 530-7 pm when nominees and award-winners are celebrated. Besides the excitement of the award presentations, the menu will include heavy hors d oeuvres, great networking and socializing. Local wines and craft brews will be also available at the cash bar. Even though these are the hottest tickets in town, the price has been reduced this year to $30 from $40 to encourage everyone to join in the fun and honor our award recipients. Call the Chamber by Monday, May 19, at 5 pm to reserve your tickets as we celebrate success in business.
AccuForce Staffing Agency will be having a job fair on Tuesday, May 6th at the Morganton location (104 Fiddler’s Run Blvd. ) from 8:00 – 5:00 pm. For more information contact AccuForce at (828) 432-2950.
Businesses and organizations that advertised in the 2014 Chamber Directory know a good thing when they see it. They are renewing their ads for the 2015 Directory that is now in the planning stage and is set for December delivery. Most of the 5,000 copies of the 66-page full color, glossy magazine will be placed directly in the hands of persons and businesses looking to relocate to Burke County. “That said, we will also hold copies in reserve for Chamber members to use as part of their own marketing, recruiting and public relations plans,” said Jerry Davis, the Chamber’s Interim President & CEO. Advertising rates for the 2015 publication are the same as this year. Nick Yankosky is the Project Sales Director contacting Chamber members about advertising opportunities for the next directory.
A panel of judges from the community will soon begin deliberating applications from 16 Burke County businesses and organizations that were nominated for this year’s Cornerstone Awards. Award winners will be announced at special ceremonies on May 20 at the Community House in Morganton (look for details soon). The nominees – all Chamber members – are vying in three Cornerstone Award categories: Foundation Awards (small, mid-size and large business of the year); the Diversity Award (minority-owned and operated business of the year) and the Impact Award (community-minded business of the year).
Belk of Morganton will be holding a private ticketed event with proceeds from ticket sales supporting non-profit organizations and schools in Burke County. Charity Sale Tickets are only $5 and will give ticket holders access to special discounts of up to 70% on rarely discounted brands from 6-10 am on Saturday, May 3, at the new Morganton Heights store. (You’ll need to show your ticket to the sales clerk to claim the special discounts.)The Chamber has a limited quantity of the tickets, so stop by or call our office to purchase yours any time Monday through Friday from 8 am-5 pm. Tickets will also be on sale at the May 1 Business After Hours at Phifer Wellness Center. Last year, Belk raised more than $10 million for education, women’s health and community organizations through the ticket sales.
Following his presentation, David will participate in a panel of leaders from several Burke County businesses who will share some of their tactics for building excellence, dependable service, customer loyalty and high quality in their products and services. Copies of The Excellent Experience will be available for purchase and inscription by the author following the program
The event will be held from 8-930 am in the Ervin Community Room at Grace Ridge Retirement Community, the 2014 sponsor for the quarterly Business for Breakfasts. A large crowd is expected, so early reservations are encouraged. The event is free for Chamber members but reservations are required, so please e-mail djolly@burkecounty.org or call the Chamber at 437-3021.
The Excellent Experience provides a model for creating excellence that resembles building a house. There are four main sections – the raw materials, the foundation, the structure and the roof. The raw materials include effective leadership, the right people on the team and a strategy for execution. The foundation of the “house” includes a mission, a vision, principles and standards of behavior. The structure depicts five pillars of performance that guide strategic planning and provide balanced clarity of focus: quality, service, people, growth and finance. The roof represents three levels of performance that must be measured – individual, team and organization. When these elements are effectively assembled and deployed, the excellent experience emerges.
Originally from Morganton, NC, David currently works with Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, IL, as a senior consultant helping organizations around the world create environments of excellence.
