RIBBON CUTTING
 Join us for the grand opening and
ribbon cutting of ORNL Federal Credit Union's new Maryville branch (2441 U.S. Hwy. 411 South, Maryville) on August 13 at 9 a.m. Refreshments will be provided. Come out and support this new community member.
TASTE OF BLOUNT TICKETS ON SALE
 Tickets are on sale for the 18th annual
Taste of Blount, a collection of savory food favorites from restaurants, caterers, food trucks and gourmet grocers, at the Theater in the Park in Maryville on Sept. 5 from 6-8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $25 for Blount County Chamber members, $30 for the public and $15 for students 17 and under or those with a college or student ID, are available at the Chamber office (201 S. Washington St., Maryville, Tenn.), by phone 865.983.2241 or
online. Tickets are available at the door the night of the event on a cash-only basis. Student tickets are available at the Chamber office only prior to the event date.
THE DIALOGUE
Check out the 141st edition of The Dialogue in this email where we visit new Blount County Chamber member Rodney D. Murphy, President/CEO of
Murphy's Bobcat, Inc.
SIGN UP FOR SUPERVISOR'S TRAINING
 Join us for an HRCI-approved Supervisor's Training workshop on Sept 4 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The cost is $30 per person for Chamber members and $50 per person for non-members.
REGISTER HERE.
Sponsored by Wimberly Lawson, topics covered are:
FMLA: Identification of recent legal updates in the FMLA as well as proper administration of FMLA leaves of absences for an extended period of time and FMLA leaves of absences that are intermittent.
Manager's Survival Guide: Discrimination, harassment, and Alphabet Soup (ADA, FMLA, FLSA): Learn to prevent and recognize issues with respect to discrimination, harassment, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act and Fair Labor Standards Act.
Marijuana in the Workplace: Can you test for marijuana, can you discipline employees who test positive, and what are the ADA ramifications?
NETWORKING 101
 You're invited to join presenter Betsy Cunningham on August 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville), as she'll guide down the path on how to better network. Be honest, we can all use a little refresher.
Participants will focus on how to connect, create and cultivate relationships whether in a group or one-on-one setting. You will learn how to introduce yourself in a meaningful way, be goal focused about networking and gain strategies and systems to network effectively.
RSVP ONLINE.
MAXIMIZE YOUR MEMBERSHIP
 If you're new to the Chamber or just want to
know more about your membership, then join us August 15 from 3-4 p.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) as Tammi Ford will explain your benefits and the many opportunities that go along with membership.
Your membership is a corporate membership, so encourage co-workers to get involved, educated and promote your company.
SOCIAL MEDIA BLITZ
Epic Nine (
419 Ellis Ave, Maryville) is hosting a Social Media Blitz on August 21 for $89.
Limited one-hour appointments available. Dive deep & bring your social media plan to the next level. Visit our
sign up link to schedule your appointment for one-on-one optimization of your social media profiles.
We will research your business and industry and assess your current social media presence before we meet with you and then spend an hour with you planning a strategy to reach your goals. Some of the things we can help you do: Determine which social media networks are best for you; Learn how to efficiently manage a social media calendar; Set up effective ad campaigns with measurable results; Engage with your audience; Integrate your social media marketing with a larger marketing plan.
FREE DIY MARKETING WORKSHOP
 Join Epic Nine at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) on August 28 at 9 a.m. for a FREE DIY Marketing Workshop.
A marketing plan is the compass of your business's marketing efforts. Without one, you risk getting lost in the forest of boosting Facebook posts, or stranded on the mountain of inefficient Yelp ads. At the end of the day, you will have a marketing plan that will help you reach your best customers, stay focused, create goals, and measure results.
RSVP HERE.
CONGRESSMAN BURCHETT VISIT
Congressman Tim Burchett is scheduled to visit the Blount Chamber membership on August 29 from 2-2:50 p.m. at the 510 Center, 2950 Airfield Services Drive, Alcoa.
This event is limited to 80 people, so please RSVP
alawson@blountpartnership.com to secure your spot.
SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST SOFT SKILLS CLASS
 It's Your Career! That's the focus of a free soft skills session offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.
Registrations are currently being accepted online at
www.blountchamber.com for a class entitled Communicating and Listening Effectively on August 30. All participants will earn .5 CEUs per session for participating. They will also receive an email survey two months after workshop participation to assess application of new ideas.
All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. A complete class description is located on the registration site. All classes run from 8-10 a.m. with networking beginning at 7:30 a.m.
YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DEALS
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
GOT AN EVENT OR NEWS? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT
Is your organization hosting an event in the community? Submit it
here on our community calendar. If it's a tourism event or any good news about your business, please
send it to us. We'd love to share it with the community.
REMEMBER WHEN
Topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week in 1961 was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis. It was named the number-one single on the Billboard chart for 1961, after spending seven consecutive weeks at the top. It was featured on the soundtrack for the 1978 film Animal House.
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