Chamber News
August 2020
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Executive Board
Alesha Neal - President
Justin Smith - Vice President
Sharon Miller - Treasurer
Dee Dobbs - Secretary
Board Members
Amy Thomas - Cross Plains
Barry Lauber - Osgood
David Steen - Milan
Lorie Taylor - Versailles
Mary Ann McCoy - Holton
Megan Gray - Osgood
Olivia Welch - Versailles
Phil Hart - Osgood
Rick Pollard - Versailles
Tena Heller - Versailles
Terri Toops - Osgood
Tina Lynch - Versailles
Wanda Burnett - Versailles
Staff
Deborah Tompkins, Executive Director
*Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
*Due to COVID-19, our office is closed to the public.
You can contact the Chamber at
(812) 689-6654 or email ripleycc@ripleycountychamber.org.
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Resiliency is a word that we have been hearing a lot lately. As defined, resiliency is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Over the last several months, we have seen that from our community and have persevered and overcame adversity.
Noted from an article titled, "The 5 Best Ways to Build Resiliency", here are some ways we can improve our mindset towards our every day challenges:
- Pump Up Your Positivity
- Live To Learn
- Open Your Heart
- Take Care of Yourself
- Hang On To Humor
Let's continue to work together and show a united resiliency in our community!
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DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT
I have served as a Director on the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce for almost eight years and as President from 2013 through 2019. It's been very rewarding to witness some wonderful success stories with so many members during that time. I have met so many great new friends throughout the years.
I believe we must constantly strive to improve our communities, our business environment and our networking so we are all reading from the same page. Over the last few decades and with the radical advances in technology, we have witnessed the "competitive advantage" shrink from a couple years, to a couple months and now to simply a couple seconds. We have to be ready to react and respond to these changes and I believe the Chamber of Commerce is ready to help drive that forward.
I grew up in Greensburg, Indiana and graduated from Greensburg Community High School in 1977. A few days later I was in Basic Training in the US Army. I retired from the Army in 1996 and worked in the newspaper industry for several more years. I moved to banking in 2001 with Fifth Third Bank and joined MainSource Bank (now First Financial) in 2003. I moved from banking to the insurance industry with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance in the Osgood office for the next 10 years and I have now started my own agency in Osgood.
I have two married children, Ryan and Lindsay here in Indiana. Both have two children of their own which provides me all the smiles and happiness I could ever deserve. I enjoy time with my family, golf, 4-wheeling and traveling.
One of my most notable thoughts about Ripley County is . . . No matter where you are throughout the County, folks will give you a smile and a warm greeting. And they'll help you if you need help. What a great place to live!
Phil Hart
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Wishing all of the best to the students, parents, teachers, staff and administration as another school year begins! Have a safe and successful school year! |
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Indiana Continues on Stage 4.5
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced that Indiana will remain at Stage 4.5 of its Back On Track reopening plan until August 27th.
Click on Stage 4.5 to review the Back On Track plan.
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20th Annual Ripley County Chamber of Commerce Golf Scramble
The Ripley County Chamber of Commerce's 20th Annual Golf Scramble will be held on August 21st at Kelly's Hidden Acres Golf Course in Milan, Indiana. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and tee time is 9:00 a.m. Please visit Ripley County Chamber of Commerce Golf Scramble for registration and sponsor information.
For questions, call the Chamber at (812) 689-6654 or email ripleycc@ripleycountychamber.org. Teams need to be registered by August 12th. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
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Upcoming Chamber Events
* Golf Tournament – August 21
* Annual Dinner – November 5
* Mini Golf Tournament – Tentatively Scheduled for Fall
* Seminars and Training – We will continue to share and add seminars and trainings throughout the year.
*If event dates are changed or added, the Chamber will send out notification in advance.
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Versailles Pumpkin Show Cancelled
Due to Pandemic
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After much discussion and weighing of their options, the Versailles Lions Club announced that the Versailles Pumpkin Show will be cancelled this year due to COVID-19.
The Club voted unanimously, at their recent meeting, to cancel the Show due to the pandemic. This is only the second time the Versailles Pumpkin Show has been cancelled, the first was back in the 1940’s when it was cancelled during the World
War II years.
The Versailles Lions Club thanks all of their sponsors from last year, and previous years, for their support and urges everyone to support these sponsors. The Versailles Lions Club plans on the Versailles Pumpkin Show being back stronger than ever next year.
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2020 September National Championship Shoot
at the National Muzzleloading Rifle Association Cancelled
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On July 30th, the NMLRA Board of Directors voted to cancel the 2020 National Championships held at the NMLRA grounds in Friendship, Indiana scheduled from September 12th-20th. This includes the NMLRA National Championships Matches, the Commercial Row and Living History camp shopping experiences, and any other activity associated with the NMLRA National Championships.
This was a hard decision to make but was made due to concerns over the age of the membership, the inability to acquire appropriate event insurance covering COVID-19 related claims, as well as the costs associated with complying with state and local requirements.
Plans are being made for additional series of COVID-19 compliant “Small Events” for outdoors, shooting, and having fun! Check out NMLRA Events for a complete list.
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Ripley County
4-H Livestock Auction
The Ripley County Chamber of Commerce joined together with the Friends of 4-H this year for the Livestock Auction. With the total combined contributions, including money donated by the Chamber, 19 animals were purchased.
Congratulations to the participants of the 2020 Ripley County Fair for another successful event!
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Ivy Tech Offering CDL-A Training
Ivy Tech is offering CDL-A training through their partner - Center for Transportation Safety (CTS). The State of Indiana is offering the Workforce Ready Grant to help with the cost of training. The next class is set to start on August 17th and will start another class in September. Funding for this training is available to almost every Indiana Resident through December 20th! (FAFSA is not needed for the CDL training!)
Workforce Ready Grant funding is also available for Ivy Tech Certificate Degrees. You must file a FAFSA before you will be considered for the WRG on “for credit” classes.
(260-433-4132) for more information.
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Duke Energy Offers Extra Assistance To Pay Bills |
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At the start of the pandemic, Duke Energy launched a sweeping series of steps to help, including suspending disconnections for nonpayment and waiving late payment fees as well as fees for credit and debit card payments. They also made changes within their field operations to help ensure the safety for both employees and the communities they serve.
Now, as Duke moves to resume standard billing and payment practices, they remain committed to providing customer assistance to their business and residential customers still experiencing economic hardship due to COVID-19. Duke notified their customers that they will continue to suspend disconnections for nonpayment until after
Sept. 15.
If you, or someone you know, would like additional information on how to seek additional time and assistance with your Duke bill, please click on the links below.
Thank you to Duke Energy for offering this to their customers!
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August Member
of the Month
Laughery Valley Ag
We are excited to announce that Laughery Valley Ag is the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce August Member of the Month!
Laughery Valley Ag was established in 1928 as a full-service retailer. They have been serving farmers, home owners, and commercial businesses for 90 years and counting.
Laughery Valley Ag in Osgood provides customers with a farm store, main office, and Energy Plus Gas Station, along with branches in Dillsboro, Versailles and one between Osgood and Napoleon. They supply Country Mark Co-op fuels, Purina Feed Products, Fertilizer and crop protection products for farmers and home owners. The farm store carries something for everyone from A to Z. Laughery Valley Ag takes pride in carrying an inventory full of supplies for their loyal customers and provides great customer service.
The main office and farm store are located at 336 N Buckeye Street in Osgood. Call them today at (812) 689-4401 or stop and see what all they have to offer or visit their website at Laughery Valley Ag for more information.
Please help us congratulate Laughery Valley Ag for being the Chamber’s August Member of the Month!
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New Member
Armour Fitness
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We are pleased to announce that Armor Fitness, LLC is a new member of the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce!
Armor Fitness, LLC formally opened in June 2020 in Osgood and is owned by Mandy Hughes. Mandy received her Personal Training certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine in 2017. Since receiving her certification, she has since obtained specialties in both Fitness Nutrition and Weight Loss. Armor Fitness offers online challenge groups, group training (either in-house or at your location), as well as private, personal training sessions. It is the mission of Armor Fitness to help women find hope, health, and happiness on their journey to better health.
Please like Armor Fitness, LLC on Facebook and contact Mandy for more information on any of her services offered at 812-756-8968. Be watching for an announcement for a Ribbon Cutting for Armor Fitness!
Help us welcome Mandy and Armor Fitness to the Chamber!
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New Member / Ribbon Cutting
MANE III
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Please help us welcome a new member to the Chamber, MANE III – Hair Skin Nails! MANE III is located at 839 South Adams Street in Versailles and we are excited to have them as a member.
MANE III opened its doors in May 2020 and is co-owned by Taylor Christner and Nicole Cline. Taylor, Nicole and their staff are there for all of your beauty needs, including haircuts, colors, permanents, hair extensions, eyelash extensions, facials, waxing, manicures and pedicures and offer a wide variety of products. Call (812) 655-4657 today to make an appointment with Taylor Christner, Nicole Cline, Jaime Conley and Vicky Pollard.
To celebrate their opening, they had a Ribbon Cutting on Saturday, August 1st and friends and family were in attendance!
Follow MANE III on Facebook for more information.
Congratulations and welcome to the Chamber!
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Grand Re-Opening
The Rusty Buck
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After several months of being closed due to storm damage, the Rusty Buck had their Grand Re-Opening and a Parking Lot Party on August 1st!
The Rusty Buck, located at 821 S Adams Street in Versailles, has a wide variety of products to choose from in their inventory. They have all of your hunting, fishing, camping, outdoor sports and recreation equipment and apparel needs. Stop out today or call them at (812) 609-4064. Follow the Rusty Buck on Facebook for more information.
We are thrilled to have the Rusty Buck back open for business!
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Taylor's Tae Kwon Do Update
Taylor's Tae Kwon Do is on the end of their 19th week of being closed and is happy to announce their re-opening. The Madison and Osgood locations are now open!
Social distancing is still in place and everyone must wear a mask when entering the buildings per the Governor’s mandate, including spectators. Be prepared to wear masks in class and if you are just watching.
There will be no scheduled promotion test for August. Testing will be done for all students that have their required classes in and know their requirements, scheduled a few at a time. The students that tested in March, before closing, will be tested at the next scheduled test in October. The number of students tested at one time will be limited for an undetermined period.
If you have any questions, call the Osgood location at (812) 756-1060, the Madison location at (812) 265-2200 or visit them at Taylor's Tae Kwon Do or on Facebook.
They are very excited about seeing everyone back in class.
Grand Master Taylor
Master Taylor
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On-Site Supervisor / Recruiter
Paramount Staffing is opening a new office in Batesville! They are a great addition to the community and hiring with competitive pay. Please help spread the word that they have local openings for a Recruiter in their new office and On-Site Supervisor at their customer location.
For more information, please contact Christa Morgan at 812-350-8230 or submit resume to christa.morgan@paramountstaffing.com.
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If any member would like to place a free job posting through the Chamber, please send your ad to ripleycc@ripleycountychamber.org. |
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Fette's Auto Body now offers rental cars with pickup and delivery. Call today at (812) 623-4014 to get your car reserved! |
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If any member would like to place a free ad in our monthly newsletter, please send your ad to ripleycc@ripleycountychamber.org. |
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