The Tennessee General Assembly did not convene last week as many lawmakers traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

The General Assembly is slated to resume its regular schedule on February 3, with committees and floor sessions picking up where they left off after this week's special session on January 27.

The special session focuses on these key issues:

Education Freedom Act: Aiming to establish Education Freedom Scholarships, this act includes provisions for teacher bonuses, increased starting pay for new teachers, and enhanced funding for K-12 facilities. It also proposes further investment in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula.

Disaster Relief for Hurricane Helene: In response to the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricane Helene, the session will focus on a comprehensive disaster relief package. Proposals include direct financial assistance to local governments to help offset costs and access federal disaster recovery funds.

Immigration: Legislation will be introduced to address immigration-related challenges, with the stated goal of ensuring the state is prepared to respond to anticipated federal policy changes.

Eight individuals and businesses that gave their time and resources to make Blount County a special place to live, work, and thrive were honored at the Blount Partnership Best of Blount Awards held at the Airport Hilton Friday evening. Amazon, Blount Excavating, DENSO, Gear, ICC International, Joseph Construction, Massey Electric, Smith & Wesson, Above the Rest Balloon Designs, Hilton, AMR, CBBC Bank, Avero Advisors, BCI and First Horizon sponsored the event. 

Additionally, Blount Chamber Lifetime members were announced and pictured to the left: Chris Soro, Kathy Johnson and Randy Massey.

2025 Best of Blount Award Winners

Philanthropist of the Year – Steve Coleman Family

Small Business of the Year – Allevia Technology

Large Business of the Year – Amazon

Bright Future Award – C.C. Marston & Co.

First Responder Award – Deputy Shelby Eggers and Deputy Greg McCowan’s A Step Further 344 Foundation

Community Impact Award – Blount County Community Action Agency

Young Professional of the Year – Brittany Spence

Tourism Impact Award – Oldham Hospitality

Start your day on January 30 with new business connections at coffee club hosted by Anderson Lumber from 7:45 to 9:00 a.m.

These gatherings are designed to help members build relationships and gain exposure for their businesses or organizations in a welcoming "open house" environment.

Anyone affiliated with a Chamber member business is welcome to attend.

On January 28 from 4:30-6 p.m. at teh Blount Partnership, join Dr. Crystal Colter and Dr. Alesia Orren for an engaging workshop where you'll craft your own vision board, either digitally or physically. Using personal photos, inspiring words, and creative materials, you'll bring your future goals to life in a fun and supportive environment. Supplies for physical boards will be provided—just bring your ideas and aspirations.

Join us for the Senior Care Partners (1812 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville) open house and ribbon cutting on January 31 at noon.

Tour the new facility and meet with the providers.

Snacks and refreshments provided. Register for door prizes.

Make plans to attend our next Success in 90 - "Treasures and traps: practical AI for HR generalists" by Dr. Jay Eckles, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Wednesday, February 5 at 8:30 am.

A live demonstration of broadly available generative AI technology, the purpose of which is to provide examples of the capabilities, limitations, and appropriate use cases for gen AI specifically in human resources.

Register Here

On February 4 from 3-4 p.m. at the Blount Partnership, learn more about the Blount Chamber and the many opportunities that go along with being a member.

Please encourage co-workers to get involved, educated, network and promote your company via Blount Chamber events and opportunities.

Register Here

In keeping up Pellissippi State's partnership of promoting your opportunities, it has moved to Handshake as its platform to post jobs, internships, and events for PSCC students and alumni.

If you already have an account, PSCC encourages employers to post jobs and events to the network. If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up for free HERE. (View the Employer FAQ for using Handshake that includes the contact for Handshake's support team in case you experience any issues with the system.)

Make sure you and your staff maximize membership in the Chamber and get connected with potential customers. Connect with others by joining a special interest group, volunteering for special events planning and/or receiving alerts & updates that could potentially impact your business.

Get Involved

If you know a senior high school student in construction classes, work-based learning and other applicable endeavors, please encourage them to apply for the Foundation of Future Building Trades grant. The funding can be used for school or work. The student does not have to know their school or workplace yet, they are just asked to give an estimate of costs depending on the direction they are going.

The Student Scholarship Applications are due February 20 and are available this semester for students graduating from Heritage, William Blount and Maryville High Schools. Future funding cycles may include scholarship opportunities for additional schools. Email the completed form to jobs@blountpartnership.com

The Blount County Chamber of Commerce, working off its mission statement to promote economic growth, is hosting the Blount County Job Fair on March 4 at Foothills Mall in Maryville from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Blount County Chamber of Commerce is launching a new “shop small” program which is a series of two separate shopping passports that encourage consumers to visit local establishments while earning the reward of prize incentives. 

Each visit to a participating retailer qualifies as an entry to win a gift certificate from a local business worth at least $25. Simply sign up at blountchamber.com/passport and get your passport sent directly to your phone - it's the ticket to the very best of Blount County shopping and fabulous prizes.

Do you have questions surrounding your small business? Well, don't fear, the Blount Chamber has created a one-stop small business shop that provides access points to the many aspects of your operation. Take a look here when you're faced with a puzzling issue. Blount4Biz.com