News Highlights

Chamber Increases Efforts to Go Green
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce is stepping up its efforts to go green. Because the Chamber represents the interests of a diverse array of businesses in our membership, we feel that setting an example of better environmental responsibility should be a priority.

As a result of those efforts, the Chamber began offering the Focus newsletter to its members in electronic form last year. Over 115 members have opted to receive the electronic version instead of the mailed version allowing us to save printing costs, save postage and save real-time labor costs. The Chamber’s marketing committee has set a goal of August 2010 to convert as many members as possible to only the electronic version of the Focus newsletter. In order to receive a mailed copy of the newsletter, businesses must notify the Chamber no later than August 1 either by phone at 252-438-8414 or by e-mail to info@hendersonvance.org

In addition, invitations to Business After Hours sponsored by our members will be sent in most cases via e-mail only. This will allow us to offer this service to sponsoring members for free vs. charging a $350 optional fee per event if the sponsor desires a mailing.
Because of these and other changes to come, it is extremely important that all of your member information, including e-mail addresses, is current and up-to-date. Please make the Chamber a priority when updating any changes in contact information for your company. Our website continues to increase in the number of hits to our online membership directory so failure to notify us of your new information could result in a loss of business for you.
To update your information or with questions for the Chamber, contact us at info@hendersonvance.org or at 252-438-8414.
 

2010 BANQUET HELD JANUARY 21 - JAMES EDWARDS NAMED CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce celebrated 72 years at its Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet on Thursday, January 21. The event was held at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.
 

Keynote speaker for the evening was North Carolina Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dale B. Carroll. Prior to joining the N.C. Department of Commerce, Carroll served for 12 years as the chief executive officer of AdvantageWest, an economic development partnership that serves 23 counties in the western part of the state. Before that, he worked for 18 years with Carolina Power & Light (now Progress Energy) in roles that ranged from energy services engineer to manager of economic development. He is a past president of the N.C. Economic Developers Association and has served on the state’s Economic Development Board and the N.C. Biotechnology Center’s Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Western North Carolina.
 

Deputy Secretary Carroll addressed the four priorities Governor Beverly Perdue has set for the state. Those priorities include: 1)Keeping our communities safe by addressing the way the state manages parole and probation and safety in our schools, 2)Setting government straight by tightening its financial belt, 3)Emphasizing jobs and the economy and jobs in the midst of the worldwide recession and 4)Reducing the student dropout rates. Carroll emphasized the fact that Governor Perdue is the first governor to have actual classroom teaching experience and that the experience gives her a unique ability to identify with local teachers. Carroll said that the evening’s events had given him a shot in the arm and thanked the audience for their commitment to helping the local community.
 

The 2008 Citizen of the Year, Bennett H. Perry, Jr. presented the 2009 Citizen of the Year Award to Daily Dispatch publisher James Edwards. Edwards is a Henderson and Vance County native who is deeply involved with numerous non-profit organizations in the community. Perry said of the 2009 winner, “A very humble person, this person does not believe he has done anything out of the ordinary. He is simply a citizen trying to be a good neighbor and friend.”
 

When accepting his award, Edwards said, “I love Henderson, I love Vance County and I do what I do because of that love.” Edwards added, “I feel that we all have the responsibility of making, at least playing, some small role in making our place better. And so to get an award for that is – wow, wonderful.”
 

Additionally, Vance County Schools presented the eighth Shining Moment in Education Award to First Baptist Church of Henderson for its support of E.M. Rollins Elementary School as well as Vance County Schools in general. Also recognized was Vance County Schools’ Teacher of the Year Tessa Webb-Lewis, an eighth-grade math teacher at Henderson Middle School and Vance County Schools’ Principal of the Year Anne Garrison, Principal of Zeb Vance Elementary School.
Also recognized at the event were the following teachers who have received national board certification: Cora Boyd of Henderson Middle School, Karen Rowland of E.M. Rollins Elementary School, Tameka Glass of Aycock Elementary School and Valerie Hairston of Zeb Vance Elementary School.
 

The 2010 Chamber of Commerce Chairman Vanessa Jones and Chamber President Bill Edwards presented the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce Annual Report and Program of Work highlighting the previous year’s accomplishments and identifying goals for the upcoming year.
 

Sponsors for the event were as follows: Presenting Sponsor – Progress Energy; Gold Sponsors – Maria Parham Medical Center and Walmart Distribution Center #6091; Silver Sponsors – BB&T, P&G Pet Care, Supply Line Country Market and Time Warner Cable; Bronze Sponsors – Carolina Sunrock, CenturyLink, Daily Dispatch, Franklin Brothers Nursery & Greenhouses, J.M. White Funeral Service, M.R. Williams, Inc., NCOL.NET and PSNC Energy. Contributing sponsors were AAA Gas & Appliances, Chase Development, East Carolina Tire, Gould’s Ice Cream & Subs, H.G. Reynolds Company, Inc., Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, Schewel Furniture Company, Inc., Servpro of Franklin, Vance & Granville Counties, Southern Chainsaw & Mower Parts, Wake Electric Membership Corporation and W.W. Properties.