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

Blount Chamber members can now post their own Member-to-Member deals on this page at no charge. Simply login to your account, Click on the "New Coupon" button, fill out the form and click save. It's that easy.

Click here if you need access to your login information.

Of course, we will be happy to add your coupon. Just email information about the product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.

View the latest deals.

 

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

 

Find what you're looking for in the Chamber Directory.

 

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.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 141st installment visiting with Rodney D. Murphy, President/CEO of Murphy's Bobcat, Inc., which handles commercial grading, excavating, demolition, trucking, hauling, site prep work, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, dirt sales, and topsoil sales.

 

What's your mission? Our goal is to provide unmatched and customer oriented dirt work and excavating for the continued improvement of Blount County. We are a locally owned and operated business that prides itself being from Blount County. Every day we want to do our part in seeing the continuing growth in our community. We truly and literally change the landscape of Blount County, one yard of dirt at a time.

 

How did you get started in this business? I started Murphy's Bobcat, Inc. 20 years ago with myself and a bobcat. With hard work, dedication, and perseverance Murphy's Bobcat has grown to 20 employees and over 20 pieces of heavy equipment such as track excavators, bulldozers, front end track loaders, rubber tired front end loaders, dump trucks, and much more.

 

What is your background? Twenty years ago I seen that Blount County was in need of a high quality excavation contractor that provided superior service at a fair price. So I purchased a skid steer and went to work.

 

Who is your mentor? The Lord has really blessed me throughout my life and he has always provided way more than I deserve. I have been influenced and guided by several good people that always prayed for me and wanted me to succeed. I have to give all glory to the Lord and all those good folks that prayed for me.

 

Describe your customers. We have very loyal, long term, repeat customers. I always tell new customers, "If you give us the opportunity to make you our customer now, you will be our customer forever." A large majority of our customers become lifelong friends to my employees and myself.

 

Name three things you wish you knew when you started. 1. Being a successful business owner is a marathon, not a sprint 2. Do not sell yourself short because there is value in a high quality premium product 3. When you set the standard for your industry then there is no competition What do you enjoy about running or working at the business? This is a difficult business and every day presents a new challenge. I love the challenge and even more so, I enjoy conquering the challenge.

 

What's another interesting fact about you? When I was a kid I used to sleep beside my Dad's bed so that when he woke up he would step on me so I could wake up and go to work with him at Tri-County Concrete. I have loved working since I was a kid. Hard work, punctuality, and doing what you say you will do is what Murphy's Bobcat is built on.

 

View previous Profiles