Blount Partnership News and Events

Check out our 136th installment of The Dialogue in this email where we feature a new Blount County Chamber member. This week we are visiting with Amanda and Glen Morse, owners of Wake Up Rentals, which provides people in East TN with fun water excursion activities.

RIBBON CUTTING TUESDAY

Sitel Tennessee Customer Experience Center (11221 Outlet Drive, Knoxville) is holding its ribbon cutting on Tuesday, June 12 from 3-6 p.m. Please join us for this auspicious occasion.

RIBBON CUTTING FRIDAY

Allevia Technology (1819 E Broadway Ave., Maryville) is holding its ribbon cutting on Friday, June 14 from noon-1 p.m. Petro's Catered Lunch for the first 100 guests at noon. Additional parking is available at Madison Avenue Baptist Church - just up N 6th Street from Allevia.

QPR SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING

Make plans to attend QPR Suicide Prevention Training on Wednesday, June 12 from 9-11 a.m. at Cornerstone of Recovery, 4726 Airport Hwy, Louisville. (Light breakfast snacks will be provided starting at 8:30 a.m). Anne Young, Director of Residential Programs at Cornerstone of Recovery will be doing "QPR suicide prevention training". A certificate in Suicide Prevention will be presented after the training. REGISTER HERE.

CITY BRIEFINGS SET

Do want to know what's going on in the City of Maryville and City of Alcoa? If you answered yes, then make plans to attend an upcoming local legislative briefing on Friday, June 14 at 8 a.m. at the Blount Partnership to hear from Greg McClain, Maryville City Manager and Mark Johnson, Alcoa City Manager They 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. REGISTER ONLINE.

CYBERSECURITY LUNCH AND LEARN

PCS, Inc. (1720 Topside Rd., Louisville) is inviting you to its Cybersecurity Lunch & Learn on Friday, June 14 from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Learn about the anatomy of a breach, how hackers get in, and what to do to protect your organization. In this talk, you will hear an actual story of a TN based company that suffered a breach, how they were compromised, and what the short and long term impact was on their business. Also, learn how to combat techniques hackers use all the time, that you may not even know exist! REGISTER HERE.

POWER CONNECT LUNCH

Join us for a mid-day networking lunch on June 18 at 11:30 a.m., at the Apple Valley Cafe' (7138 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Townsend). Meet, Mingle, Lunch, Connect, Nibble, Engage and Network with other influential professionals.

While you (and the other guests) will have an opportunity to introduce your business, current areas of focus and/or anything you could use help with, all I ask is that everyone shows up with a focus on how they may be able to add value for the other attendees.

Open to ALL Blount County Chamber members, but you must RSVP online. This is a Dutch Treat lunch.

Event chair Tony Saddy of Get Fit Maryville will lead the event.

LEARNING TO LEAD: SURVIVAL FOR SUPERVISORS

Pellissippi State's Learning to Lead supervisory skills course helps new supervisors develop the necessary skills to effectively manage themselves and their teams, including core skills of leadership, communication, coaching, motivation and conflict resolution. Trained and skilled leaders drive productivity, reduce turnover, increase job satisfaction and motivate teams. Invest in your team's growth and success with this program.

All materials and training books are included in the Learning to Lead program, as well as follow-up activities to help turn training into action. Participants receive continuing education units as well as a certificate. Enroll now: Registration is limited to 15 people.

REGISTER HERE: $299 / Pellissippi State Blount County Campus / Thursdays / August 1-22 / 1-6 p.m.

LYNDA AT THE LIBRARY

Businesses need to take advantage of the Blount County Library's subscription to Lynda.com. Using your library card, get access to Lynda.com, a LinkedIn Company, with thousands of courses in software, creative and business skills to develop your staff skills and meet learning needs at your own convenience. Learn More.

YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DEALS

Blount Chamber members can now post their own Member-to-Member deals on this page at no charge. Simply login to your account, Click on the "New Coupon" button, fill out the form and click save. It's that easy.

Click here if you need access to your login information.

Of course, we will be happy to add your coupon. Just email information about the product or discount you'd like to offer to the Chamber membership to jmuir@blountpartnership.com. Be sure to include an expiration date.

View the latest deals.

REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

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 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 1965 was "Help Me, Rhonda" by The Beach Boys. The song was first released as "Help Me, Ronda" in March 1965 on the album The Beach Boys Today!. A second recording with a different arrangement was issued as a single under the spelling "Help Me, Rhonda." The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their second chart-topping single since "I Get Around" in 1964.

The Dialogue

This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 136th installment visiting with Amanda and Glen Morse, owners of Wake Up Rentals which provides people in East TN with fun water excursion activities.

Describe what Wake Up Rentals does. We rent jet skis, tubes, and wake boards by the hour or by the day.

How did you get started? We saw a need for jet ski rentals in this area after we attempted to rent some for a party last summer and were unable to do so.

What is your background? I've got a degree in Science Engineering and my wife has a degree in Education. Together we understand the mechanics of the skis and how to work with the public.

Who is your mentor? Our biggest supporter has been our family. They are always there to support us and cheer us on as we go after our dreams.

Describe your customers. Our customers are fun, adventure seeking, water enthusiasts. They enjoy a thrilling and gorgeous day in the beautiful lakes of East Tennessee.

What environments impact your business? The two areas that mostly affect our business are economic and environmental. Because jet ski rental is purely for entertainment purposes, the local economy must be strong so that our customers have the funds to spend on excursions such as ours. Also, environmental factors from the weather and lake pollution greatly affect our business as well. It's important to us as business owners and residents of Blount County to keep our waterways free of garbage and other pollutants.

Name three things you wish you knew when you started. My wife wishes she knew how to maneuver a trailer full of jet skis before our first rental. I wish I knew of more insurance companies willing to offer coverage for my business at a more reasonable rate.

What do you enjoy about the business? The two most enjoyable aspects of running a jet ski rental business is spending the day out doors on the lake front and the opportunity to meet new people.

View previous Profiles

	Events

	June 10-16 June 10 -- United Way of Blount County Golf Tournament June 10-15 -- Corinne Coley and Bill Saltz at the Townsend Visitors Center June 12 -- QPR Suicide Prevention Training June 12 -- Sitel Tennessee Customer Experience Center Grand Opening June 14 -- City of Maryville and Alcoa Briefing June 14 -- Protecting Your Business Against a Cybersecurity Breach June 14 -- Allevia Technology - Ribbon Cutting June 14-15 -- Asbury Place Beech House Tour June 14 -- Jeremy Johnson at The Townsend Abbey June 15 -- Dads Drinking Bourbon June 15 -- Karen Reynolds at The Townsend Abbey June 16-20 -- Larry Burton at the Townsend Visitors Center June 17-23 June 17-20 -- Larry Burton at the Townsend Visitors Center June 18-- Power Connect Lunch June 21-22 -- Hops in the Hills June 21-22 -- Summer on Broadway & the Big BBQ Bash June 21-27 -- Fred Weiser at the Townsend Visitors Center Save the Date June 27 -- Coffee Club sponsored by Tennessee Vein Center July 11 -- Afternoon Mixer at Quality Financial Concepts July 15 -- Women in Business You can access the Bount County Chamber events calendar here or the community calendar here.

	Premier and Presidential Partners