Blount Partnership News and Events

 
DID YOU TAKE OUR MEMBER SURVEY?
Have you taken our 2017 Blount Chamber membership survey? If so, we thank you and want you to know that your responses will be looked at, analyzed and agonized over to give you more for your investment. If not, now's your chance to complete it. SURVEY. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know your opinions.
 
If you or someone you know is looking for a job, please check out www.BlountAreaJobs.com. Additionally, if you need employees, please utilize the job board to advertise your open positions. Click here to get started.
 
Be sure to check out our 77th installment at the bottom of the email where we visit with Jonathan Halley, president of Big Slate Media.
 
STATE LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING

Mark your calendar for April 7 at 8 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) for our next state legislative briefing presented by First Tennessee Bank and Twin City Dealerships with Sen. Doug Overbey and Reps. Art Swann and Bob Ramsey.
 
HR FOCUS GROUP
You don't want to miss our next HR Focus Group which meets next Thursday, April 13 from 8-9 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The topic will be "Building an Accountability Culture" presented by Susanne Dalton Dupes of Dalton Dupes Agency.
 
To be great, teams and managers need to hold themselves and others accountable. Similarly, great companies need to foster a culture of accountability throughout the organization. During this session, we will explore what an accountability culture looks like. Participants will create a common understanding of accountability and look at the fundamentals of an accountability culture. Please RSVP to Amy if you plan to attend.
 
GLENN SHEPARD SEMINAR RETURNS APRIL 19
The Glenn Shepard Seminar, "How to Manage Problem Employees," returns to the Blount Partnership on Wednesday, April 19 from 8 a.m.-noon. In the seminar, he'll show you how to motivate your people, not just manage them. How to get them to follow you because they believe in your goals, your skills as a leader, and they are committed.

He'll also explain why The Millennials require such a different supervisory style than Gen X or Baby Boomers, and how to apply Dr. Ken Blanchard's (author of The One Minute Manager) principles of situational leadership to get all the different generations to work together as a team.

The cost is $129 for Blount Chamber members (When three from a company register, the fourth is FREE). The non-member fee is $149. Register here.
 
FOCUS ON BLOUNT COUNTY WEEKEND AD OPPORTUNITY
WTNZ-TV FOX 43 will be teasing, highlighting and encouraging people to visit Blount County all the through the month of April with the last week (April 24-30) airing every business's custom 30-second commercial all through the week as per the included schedules.

Anyone can get involved. This is a great way to have a business stand out and show community support while the station is highlighting the area.

There are 3 levels of participation outlined in the package. Sign up by Friday April 7 with Samantha Dintsch.

Free Production of :30 commercial (that alone is worth the value of these packages)

Inclusion in elements highlighting the area as well as own creative running the entire week of April 23
 
SIGN UP FOR NEXT SOFT SKILLS CLASS
Registrations are currently being accepted for a free soft skills session set for April 28 entitled "Time Management." You're busy, but how productive are you? Join us to learn effective strategies for managing your time and boosting your effectiveness at work.

All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. Those interested must register online at www.blountchamber.com/community/soft-skills. 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.
 
BLOUNT TOURISM AMBASSADOR CLASS SET
The next Blount Tourism Ambassador Program (BTAP) class is set for Wednesday, April 5 from 1-4 p.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). BTAP is based on a nationwide certification program geared toward those working in the tourism industry. The Blount County program is the first of its kind in Tennessee and the Southeast.
 
The three-hour course gives front-line personnel information about the county and region. They are provided up-to-date information about events, happenings and the "inside story" in order to better serve their customers. There are continuous learning opportunities throughout the year to help satisfy annual certification renewal requirements.
 
More than 200 people have been certified since the program's inception in 2012. Email Deborah if you or your employees are interested in attending.
 
JOIN THE BLOUNT COUNTY JOB FAIR
The Blount County Job Fair sponsored by Cirrus Aircraft and Pellissippi State Community College is coming to the Second Harvest Food Bank on Friday, May 19, 2017, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. If your business is interested in participating to hire new employees, email Claire for more details.
 
MEMBER-TO-MEMBER PROMOTIONS FOR APRIL
April Member-to-Member promotions are in. With over 50 merchants participating, there's something for you. Check out the member-to-member promotions. New offers are being posted almost daily, so check out the Blount County Chamber of Commerce Member-to-Member promotions online. This Member-to-Member Promotional Program offers you and your company the opportunity to market your products and services to the membership.
 
Here's how it works:
1. Submit a PDF of a service, product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.
2. An email with all the promotions will be sent out on the final Monday of every month to our member database.
3. All promotions will be posted on www.BlountChamber.com
 
WRITING AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS BIO
Small businesses are constantly telling others the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of their business. Who do you sell to? What do you sell? When are you open? Where are you located? Why did you open? These are all questions worth answering, as "word-of-mouth" marketing will always be important for small businesses. But, much of the chatter occurs online in this day and age. That means your small business is responsible for providing this general, yet important information to the online world; on your website, and on your Save Local Now digital platform. How? Try writing a business bio. Here are a few ways to make that bio concise and effective: Read more

Learn more about marketing your small business in a digital world, ask questions about social media, and take the time to discuss future campaign ideas. What are you waiting for? It's free with your chamber membership. Schedule your FREE session today.
 
If you have any questions regarding your free digital marketing member benefit ( Save Local Now), your digital platform, or online marketing in general please reach out the Blount Chamber's Rachel Coffman.
 
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
 
Shop small every day that you can. Need milk, eggs, bread, or beer? Go to the local corner store instead -- Say "hey" and get to know the owner who's paying taxes to keep your neighborhood in tip-top shape.
 
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, please email Ashlee so she can post it on www.SmokyMountains.org.
 
Also, please send us any news releases or good news about your business. We'd love to share it with the community.
 
REMEMBER WHEN
"Dizzy," recorded by Tommy Roe completed its four-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week in 1969. It was also No. 1 for one week on the UK Singles Chart in June 1969, and was No. 1 in Canada in March 1969.

Events

 

April 3-9

 

 

April 10-16

 

 

Save the Date

 


You can access the entire calendar here to see other community events and submit your own.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So here we go with our 77th installment visiting with Jonathan Halley, president of Big Slate Media which is an internet marketing strategy group that tackles the unique challenges that come from managing multiple marketing channels and while growing a strategy.
 
What does Big Slate Media do? Big Slate Media started as a small video production studio with the vision to serve our community by creating commercials, how-to videos and short films. Over the years, we've settled into something we're really, really good at: social media content creation. We found many businesses need someone to simply DO the marketing and generate leads. So, we're in business to help our clients grow their sales by generating more leads through internet marketing and content creation. We serve our clients by helping them gain more visitors to their website and convert those visitors into leads. We understand our client's businesses and act as their digital marketing department. We help them tackle the unique challenges that come from managing multiple marketing channels and continuing to grow a strategy.
 
How did you get started? Personally, I began in the digital marketing industry when I was 17 years old. By age 20, I had taught myself how to code websites, edit and shoot national commercials and manage clients. I started BSM in the summer of 2015 with my partners from 2:45Tech in Knoxville.
 
What is your background? This may or may not surprise you... Google. I have had no formal training, simply learned what I know from mentors, searching, and trial and error.
 
Who is your mentor? I think Steven Johnson of Action Bracelet and SJ Group has been a great guide through this industry. He and I have been buddies since we were kids and he certainly has pushed me to learn and adapt with the times.
 
Describe your customers. Digital Marketing Coordinators or the owners of business that does not have anyone responsible for bringing leads to their sales reps.
 
What impacts the environment you work in? I'd say we see the biggest change in our industry when technology or social environments change. Technological changes mean we have to change how we reach our customers (i.e moving away from TV ad spends, to social media ad spends). Social changes typically mean we have to find a new way to identify and reach demographics.
 
Name three things you wish you knew when you started. I wish I had known how much fun it was going to be!! The early years were rough, but so worth it. I wish I had known the importance of business networking. I wish I had known the importance of chamber relationships and involvement.
 
What do you enjoy most about running your business? EVERYTHING. We are really making an impact on the businesses we work for. Not just making them more creative, but effecting their bottom line. I LOVE that. Also, it's something different every day which I personally enjoy. There's always a new challenge, a new video style or a new way of targeting!
 
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