Come Home to Barrow County!

The Barrow County Chamber of Commerce is honored to welcome you to our County! Whether you are a small business, corporation or new resident, the Chamber looks forward to serving you and welcoming you to Barrow County.

******************

The 4th Annual State of the County Address is just around the corner.  Join us as Chairman of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners gives us an update on Barrow County!  Set for Wednesday, April 16 at 11:30 am at the Barrow County Leisure Services Building, this event will sell out quickly.  Click here for a registration form!  Registration is required and the deadline to register is April 11, 2008. 

******************

Business of the Month:  Congratulations to:

Barrow County Sheriffs Department
Sheriff Joe Robinson
30 N. Broad Street
Winder, GA 30680
770-307-3080

******************

Ambassador of the Quarter:  Congratulations to:

Christine Willis, Community Bank & Trust
259 North Broad Street
Winder, GA 30680
770-867-2485
FAX 770-867-8289

Christine was selected to be ambassador of the quarter based on her active involvement with the Chamber ambassador committee.  From ribbon cuttings to breakfasts to recruiting new members, Christine has been a driving force in the ambassador group.    Congratulations Christine!

******************

Breakfast Information

(All Good Morning Barrow County Membership Meetings will be held at the Barrow County Leisure Services Building - 175 Second Street, Winder - unless otherwise noted)

• May:  May 6, 2008 (7:45 am)
  Topic/Speaker:  Economic Development VP Linda Moore will provide a yearly update on Economic Development in Barrow County
  Sponsor:  TBA

• June:  June 3, 2008
  Topic/Speaker:  Frank Norton, The Norton Agency
  Sponsor:  TBA

• July:  No Meeting

• August:  August 5, 2008
  Topic/Speaker: Jim Dawson - Prospecting for Results
  Sponsor:  The Peoples Bank

• September:  September 9, 2008
  Topic/Speaker:  Mary Ellen McClanahan, Post Entrepreneur Friendly Director, State of Georgia - What does Barrow County's Entrepreneur Friendly Designation Mean to Me?
  Sponsor: Costco

Calendar of Events:

Regular Membership Meetings
Good Morning Barrow County Membership Meeting - 1st Tuesday of each month (no meeting in January or July)

Regular Committee Meetings
  Women in Business - 2nd Monday 11:45 am - call 770-867-9444 for location
  Work-force Development - 3rd Tuesday at 8:30 am  - Teacher Recruitment Center
  Membership Committee - 2nd Wednesday at 8:00 am - Chamber Office (beginning in October)
  Ambassador Committee - 3rd Wed. at noon - call 770-867-9444 for location
   Chamber Events Committee - 3rd Thursday at noon - Locos Grill & Pub
  Board Meeting - 4th Wednesday 12:00 noon - Magnolia Place (across the street from Chamber Office)

 

Weekly Events
  Network Barrow - Barrow's Premier Networking Event - Every Friday
       10:45 am Chamber Office

******************

Chamber News:

The Barrow County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Linda Moore as our new Vice President of Economic Development.  Linda brings 18 years of experience as an Economic Developer and Chamber of Commerce Executive.  She is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional and is continuing her studies to reach Certified Economic Developer status. 

Linda officially joined the staff at the Chamber on May 1st, 2007.  You may contact her by emailing lmoore@barrowchamber.com.

*****************

The Chamber is also happy to announce that Barrow County is Georgia's newest "Entrepreneur Friendly" community!  On April 26th, Barrow became the 44th community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). 

 To earn the designation, the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce completed the Entrepreneur-Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Ryan Thornton.  Program steps involved analyzing the current entrepreneurial and small business development environment and strategizing options for fostering small business and entrepreneurs.  Barrow County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of GDEcD staff and representatives from the Small Business Development Center.

Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Barrow County are now eligible for customized market data, such as demographic and business information, to give them a competitive edge.

******************

Keep it in the Chamberhood - Member to Member Program
The Barrow County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the "Member to Member" program.  This exciting membership benefit is offered exclusively to Barrow County Chamber members (business or individual) in good standing.  As a valued member of the Chamber, you and your employees can enjoy savings with our participating members simply by presenting your membership card!  To order cards for this program, please contact us!

Network Barrow
Need more networking opportunities? Now is your chance! The Barrow County Chamber of Commerce proudly presents "Network Barrow" - a weekly networking event held every Friday at the Lanier Technical College at 10:45 am.  All you need to bring is $5, a business card, and be prepared to stand and give a short (20 second) "commercial" for your business...what your business is, what you can do for other members, and what type of leads you need.  Don't miss out - Contact Debi at the Chamber if you have any questions (770-867-9444).