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RIBBON CUTTING WEEK
 We've got three chances to get out and welcome new businesses to Blount County with a trio of ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies.
The first is August 8 from 2-3 p.m. at
CBD Plus USA Maryville (2636 HWY 411 South, Maryville).
The second is August 8 from 4-8 p.m. at
The Dwight Price Group (537 W. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Maryville). The ribbon cutting is set for 6 p.m.
The third is August 9 from noon-1 p.m. at
Lamon Jewelers (715 Watkins Rd., Maryville).
Please attend if you can and show support for these small businesses.
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET
 When you roll out the red carpet for your customers, they run out and tell everyone they know. In today's marketplace, customers have more choices and louder voices than ever before. That's why focusing on excellent customer service is the new marketing! Your customers can be your best source of advertising - if you engage your team to up their game in terms of the experience they create!
During this 1/2 day, interactive workshop we will discuss what it takes to build a culture of service where your team members are excited and ready to roll out the red carpet for your customers. Walk away with actionable ideas for:
- Taking your customer experience up to the next great level.
- Improving the 3 areas of the customer experience, including the WOW Factor
- Enhance customer and team member interactions
- Use 5 steps to building a culture of service excellence
So, join presenter Donna Cutting of Red Carpet Learning Systems on August 7 from 8 a.m.-noon at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). The fee is $40 for Chamber members (book included) and $50 for non-members (book included).
REGISTER ONLINE.
BLOUNT COUNTY BRIEFING
Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell will be giving an update on Blount County on Friday, August 9 from 8-9 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) boardroom. He will discuss priorities, budget challenges and their vision for the future for our community. The briefings provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen and build new partnerships between members of the business community and local government officials.
RSVP ONLINE.
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 Wemberly 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 2:30 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.
RSVP HERE.
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 1978 was "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood insist that "Miss You" wasn't conceived as a disco song, while Richards said, "...'Miss You' was a damn good disco record."
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Blount Chamber members can now post their own
