Happy Thursday, Greater Dalton! It's hard to believe we are in mid-summer and school supplies are already out at the stores. We are still soaking up every bit of sun and hope you are, too!

Check out our updates and celebrations below in my first newsletter as Acting President of the Greater Dalton Chamber.

Business Expo registration is live now! Get your booths today at daltonchamber.org.

Register now for our State of Education event on August 20th. More on this event below.

Mark your calendar for all of our September networking opportunities, from Member Mixer to Women's Coffee, and more! Visit the full events calendar.

Leadership transitions naturally bring questions. I want to personally share where we are, introduce myself to those who may not know me, and reassure you that the Chamber remains focused on serving our members and strengthening our business community.

My name is Dr. Stephani Womack, and I am serving as the Acting President. Since joining the Chamber in 2018, I have had the privilege of leading workforce and education initiatives, facilitating Leadership Dalton-Whitfield and the Emerging Leaders Institute, supporting community events such as Gratefull, and most recently serving as the Chief Operating Officer.

Twelve years ago, I moved to Dalton for a position at Dalton State College knowing no one. What I found was a community that welcomed me, introduced me to my husband, and became the place we chose to raise our family. What I once thought would be a temporary stop has become the home I love and the community I am honored to serve.

I am fortunate to work alongside an exceptional team. Between Charleigh, Rosa, Harrison, and myself, we bring expertise in marketing and communications, member engagement, events, finance, and operations. While each of us has a different role, we share one common purpose: serving our members and strengthening the business community.

In addition to our chamber team, we are home to Believe Greater Dalton. Believe is an initiative of the Chamber and our community’s strategic plan. This work and the work of the Flooring Capital Development Corporation is led by Anna Adamson and Bayley Gable. Through Believe, we are able to connect our member-facing work to long-term community development efforts that strengthen the overall business environment. 

Finally, in close partnership with us, we have the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority. The JDA is the economic development arm for our community. This work is led by Carl Campbell and Ali Harp with the support of Amber Contreras.

As we move forward, I want you to know that our mission remains the same. We remain committed to connecting businesses, developing talent, and advocating for a stronger business climate for Greater Dalton.

While my title has changed, my commitment has not. For nearly eight years, I have had the privilege of serving this Chamber and this community, and I am honored to continue that work alongside an exceptional team dedicated to our members.

Thank you for your continued support of our organization,

Stephani

State of Education & Workforce: Higher Education

Join us on August 20th for this update from our local post-secondary institutions.

Mark your calendars to be present for our upcoming State of Education event, taking place August 20th at the Dalton Convention Center. Kicking off at 8:30 AM, this breakfast event is the perfect place to hear a quality update on the initiatives and futures of our local colleges.

We'll hear from Dr. John Fuchko, President of Dalton State College, and Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Georgia Northwestern Technical College. This event is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the ways in which you or your business can get more involved in shaping the future workforce being developed at these two higher education institutions.

Tickets are on sale now at an early bird rate. Grab yours today before prices increase on July 31st!

Thank you to our IGNITE Total Resource Campaign sponsors who made this event possible:

State of Education Presenting Sponsor: Engineered Floors

Gold Sponsor: Mohawk Industries

Make the MOST of Your Chamber Membership this Fall!

Our team may have taken the month of July off from events, but it in no way means we've slowed down. In fact, we're just about to kick off our busiest season yet.

Early Bird Registration for Business Expo: Red, White & Business Opens TODAY!

If you've never joined us at Business Expo, today is the best time to secure your booth and mark your calendars to be there. This year's theme is all about celebrating 250 years of America being open for business! We want to see booths decked out in red, white, and blue, and most importantly, YOU!

So, mark your calendars to join us on September 24th for our biggest event of the year, and grab your booth now while prices are at their lowest. Click here to register.

Not sure if Business Expo is right for you? Join us on August 4th for our Business Expo 101 class. There is no cost to attend this brief informational session! RSVP here.

In addition to our 24th Annual Business Expo this September, we have some other great programming you need to know about:

• Our Fully You Women's Summit is coming to you on October 27th. You can still snag early bird pricing, but only until July 17th. Hurry and grab your ticket today while it's at the lowest price! Click here.
• We have SEVEN (7!!) ribbon-cuttings in August. These are open to the community to attend, so we hope you make a point to join us in welcoming these new members and celebrating our newest businesses in Greater Dalton.
• Know a Small Business owner who deserves all the recognition? We invite you to start thinking about who you would like to nominate for our upcoming Small Business Awards. Nominations open on August 3rd.

Plus, we have plenty more networking events remaining through the rest of the year. Did you know most of our networking events have no cost to attend? This is thanks to the businesses that sponsor our programming through our IGNITE Total Resource Campaign, which will kick off its third year this October.

After July is over, we're picking up exactly where we left off: being the connectors for our community and providing all the resources you need to never have to do business alone.

In the meantime, for any questions regarding membership benefits or how to get involved in our programming, our building is still open, and our team is ready to serve you.

So, where will we see you this fall?

News Worth Noting

⭐Fifty years of local history: Time capsule from 1976 opened during America’s 250th celebration

⭐July 17th is Chamber night at the Friday night Off the Rails series! We hope to see you there!

⭐️Every Dalton Public School campus to have full-time school resource officer next year

⭐️CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Chamber member, Grace Hair Co., for winning a $10,000 grant from the TVFCU Idea Leap Grant! Help congratulate her at her ribbon-cutting on August 3rd.

With big changes like leadership transitions, there may be some uncertainty about the future. That's why I welcome the opportunity to sit down with you should you have questions or concerns during this time. Once again, thank you for your continued support of the Chamber!

Until the next edition,

Did you find this email interesting and helpful? Please forward to a friend!

Did you receive this email as a forward and want to get on our list? Click here to subscribe!

The President's Newsletter is a product of the Greater Dalton Chamber's IGNITE Total Resource Campaign. Interested in learning more about IGNITE? Email kirby@daltonchamber.org today.