Welcome to our Chamber Connection Newsletter!

This month's topic focuses on the importance of our Shop Local options including shopping, dining, services, and more. Next month's topic will feature a focus on Education in our region.

While the River Valley Democrat-Gazette name is new, our news team telling stories within the River Valley is not. We have been reporting stories in River Valley communities from Fort Smith to Clarksville for years.

Leland Barclay and our sports team cover River Valley prep sports from pre-season to playoffs with game stories, previews, features, and a video podcast.

Our features department writes about things to do in What’s Up, River Valley, which can be found both in the print and digital replica of the Sunday River Valley Democrat-Gazette. It is also available in many businesses on Garrison and Rogers Avenue. You will find several of our publications such as Ozark Living, our lifestyle magazine powered by real estate agencies and agents; La Prensa Libre devoted to the growing Hispanic community; and Official Kids Mag, which tells the stories of local kid heroes and provides a resource for teachers and parents alike.

We are also expanding our news, sports, and advertising/marketing services in the region. Our office is located on Court Street in Ft. Smith nestled between the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the main downtown branch of First National Bank of Fort Smith. Our objective is to create economic lift and overall promotion of the River Valley while engaging the community in celebrating the places, restaurants, and local businesses that make the River Valley unique. Please support our efforts to provide journalism in, by, and for your community. Sign up for a free newsletter for Breaking News, Morning Updates, Prep Sports, River Valley news, and much more at nwaonline.com/email.

Feel free to email (deliveryservice@nwaonline.com) or call us (479-684-5509) and we will assist you with a new subscription to receive an iPad with our seven-day River Valley Democrat-Gazette replica app and Sunday home-delivered, print newspaper. Our team will continue to do our best to report the news and to promote the River Valley. We appreciate your support!

Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or just someone who wants to improve their visual communication skills, this session is the perfect place to start.

This session will be led by Christina Williams. Christina has 10+ years of strategic marketing experience in B2B, education, and tech is the owner of her own marketing and communications consulting firm in Fort Smith and is the Interim Communications Manager for the City of Fort Smith.

Date and Time:

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT

Location:

Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce

612 Garrison Avenue

Fees/Admission

$25 - Chamber Members

$35 - Non-Members

Business 2 Business is one of the Chamber's premier networking events. This event offers businesses and individuals the opportunity to share their services and products with other individuals over lunch via a speed networking session. Whether your business is new or already established, the exposure is great to create new contacts, name recognition, and a word-of-mouth buzz about your company or organization. Be sure to bring your Business Cards and any other information that you may want to share.

Date and Time:

Thursday, April 13, 2023

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

Location:

Keller Williams Platinum Realty

3300 S 70th St, Fort Smith, AR 72903

Fees/Admission:

$15

You may pay with a credit card through the registration link or at the Door.

Date and Time

Thursday, April 13, 2023

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM CDT

Location:

The Bakery District 70 S 7th St, Fort Smith AR 72901

Fees/Admission:

Fee: No Fee

"Building a Positive Work Environment. Driving Excellent Results. The VIP Way."

Employee retention is key to organizational growth and succession planning. Recruiting and training new employees, while necessary, can be expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, employee turnover can negatively impact productivity and morale. If you could reduce your employee turnover rate, what would the impact be on your company?

Please join us in April for "Building a Positive Work Environment. Driving Excellent Results. The VIP Way."

Date and Time:

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - Thursday, April 27, 2023

3-Day Session

Tuesday, April 25th -

Thursday, April 27th

Time

9:00 AM- 3:30 PM

*each day

Location:

Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce

Board Room

612 Garrison Avenue

Fees/Admission:

$625/person

*includes lunch for all 3 days and take-away materials

For over 60 years, the Fort Smith Regional Chamber and its members have enjoyed celebrating local graduating seniors on their honors received for academic success! The Chamber and program sponsors will have the pleasure of recognizing these students at a celebratory picnic at each of the high schools in April. This is a wonderful opportunity for our members to support the efforts to raise the level of educational achievements in our community.

Northside High School- April 14th

Future School of Fort Smith- April 24th

Southside High School- April 27th

Premier High School- April 28th

Union Christian Academy- Date TBD

First United Methodist Church of Fort Smith: Prom Closet

Date and Time

Saturday, April 1, 2023

8:00 AM - 3:00 PM CDT

Location:

First United Methodist Church of Fort Smith 200 North 15th St Fort Smith, AR 72901

A String Fort Smith Presents: An Evening of Chamber Music

Thursday, April 13, 2023, 6pm/CST

The Bakery District, 70 South 7th Street, Fort Smith

Friday, April 14, 2023, 7pm/CST

St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 2701 Old Greenwood Road, Fort Smith

Hamilton Center for Child Advocacy- Second Annual Hunt the Fort

We are hosting our second annual Hunt the Fort scavenger hunt and would appreciate your sponsorship and team participation. In 2022, our first Hunt was supported by sponsorships, 30 teams, and 96 participants stopping by local businesses while on the hunt. Because of this support and sponsorships, we were able to provide resources to help heal and rebuild the lives of 948 children in 2022. We plan to make this year an even bigger success for children in our community and we would appreciate your help to do this!

Date and Time:

Saturday, April 15, 2023

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM CDT

Location:

Arvest Bank Tower

5000 Rogers Ave

Fort Smith, AR

FSCRM - Mission: Possible Annual Golf Tournament

Date and Time

Friday, April 28, 2023

April 28, 2023

8:00 AM

Location:

Ben Geren Park Golf Course

THE BEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR benefiting the Good Samaritan Clinic.

Date and Time:

Friday, April 28, 2023

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM CDT

Location:

Kay Rodgers Park Expo Center in Fort Smith

Manes & Miracles 5th Annual Raise the Barn 5K, 10K, & Breakfast Event

Date and Time:

Saturday, April 29, 2023

7:00 AM - 10:00 AM CDT

Breakfast 7-10 am

Race Starts at 8 am

FREE breakfast for all

race participants

Location:

FOREFRONT CHURCH

10300 JENNY LIND RD

FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS

Please sign up to have a Shop Local Showcase for your business during our Shop Local Tax Season Campaign. The Shop Local Showcase will include a Facebook Live interview with a business representative led by our Membership Engagement Administrator, Dawn Turner. Dawn will also take pictures of your location/products to create a secondary social media post in addition to Facebook Live. This is a free service for current Fort Smith Chamber members. Please call Dawn Turner at 479-783-3111 with any questions. To Sign up click the link below and select your preferred Shop Local Showcase day and time.