Success Showcases: Where Chamber members spotlight their products and services

We had a new format for our annual Small Business Showcase and Awards Celebration held last Thursday, August 27, at The Newnan Centre. Presented by SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, this event is the Chamber’s annual celebration of Coweta’s small businesses and their many contributions to Coweta’s economic prosperity. The celebration kicked off at 3 p.m. with our Success Showcases in the Exhibit Hall, where Chamber members had booths with information about their goods and services. Crezent Managed Marketing, above, was the first booth visitors saw! Below are some of our other exhibitors, and we'll be sharing many more photos this week both here and on our Facebook page, so please be sure to check them all out and support your fellow Chamber members!

NuLink

Three Rivers Regional Commission

The Centre for Performing and Visual Arts

CowetaTV.com

Piedmont Newnan CEO Mike Robertson headlines NuLink Early Bird Forum

Healthcare—and Coweta’s growing prominence as a medical powerhouse—was the main topic of discussion as Mike Robertson, CEO of Piedmont Newnan Hospital, discussed the challenges and promise of Coweta’s healthcare at the August 25, 2015 NuLink Early Bird Forum.

The event was held at The Newnan Centre, and a packed house was on hand for Robertson's remarks. He began with a brief overview of the Piedmont Healthcare system, which includes “five and soon to be six” hospitals in the metro Atlanta region.

He said there are currently 16 Piedmont Healthcare facilities in Coweta County. Those facilities, ranging from the hospital to physicians’ offices to imaging centers and a fitness center, employ 59 doctors and have created a  total of 1,400 jobs in Coweta County.

Robertson listed his areas of focus as Piedmont CEO. These include:

●      Quality, safety and service

●      Access and care

●      Becoming the hospital of choice

●      Becoming financially self-sufficient

●      Becoming known as one of the best small hospitals in the country

●      Increasing his community involvement on the boards of University of West Georgia Newnan and West Georgia Technical College

Robertson said that part of becoming the hospital of choice was aimed at physicians as much as facilities.

“You have to remember that hospitals don’t have patients, doctors have patients,” he said. “We want to be the first place they think of to send their patients. We want to make sure we appeal to the doctors.”

“We’re getting there,” he said. “And we love what we do.”

Today is registration deadline for next Women of Prosperity Luncheon!

Carol B. Tomé of The Home Depot will be the speaker for our next Women of Prosperity Luncheon on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at the Newnan Country Club. Sponsored by LifePlan Financial Advisors, Inc., the luncheon begins at 11:45am, and admission is $35 for Chamber members and guests, $50 for general admission. Networking begins at 11:15am.

Carol has served as chief financial officer since May 2001 and was named executive vice president of corporate services at The Home Depot in January 2007. She provides leadership in the areas of real estate, store construction, financial services, strategic business development and growth initiatives. Her corporate finance duties include financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, financial operations, divisional finance, internal audit, investor relations, treasury and tax.

Carol joined The Home Depot in 1995. Prior to that, she was vice president and treasurer of Riverwood International Corporation. Carol began her career as a commercial lender with United Bank of Denver (now Wells Fargo) and then spent several years as director of banking for the Johns-Manville Corporation.

In 2003, Carol joined the UPS board of directors and currently serves as chair of the audit committee. From January 2008 through December 2013, Carol served as a board member for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, in both a board chair and board vice-chair capacity. In 2012, she chaired the board of The Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the second woman chair in the organization’s 150-year history.

Carol is also an active volunteer, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Denver.

Click here to register for the luncheon through ChamberMaster, or for more information email julia@newnancowetachamber.org or call 770.253.2270.

Which company will be our Small Business of the Year?

Our chamber was recently named the number one Chamber in the country in our category by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Celebrating that big win are Steve Mader of SouthTowne Motors, seated at front, and the finalists for Small Business of the Year, the award sponsored by SouthTowne and UBS Financial Services that will be presented in ceremonies at The Newnan Centre this Thursday, August 27. Front row, from left, are Joanna Harvey of Bubbles & Brushes, Monica Millians of Prime Time Eventz, Carol Moore of The Newnan Centre and Gwen Garrison of LifePlan Financial Advisors. At back are Phil Aaron of Prime Time Eventz, Noel Harvey of Bubbles & Brushes, Craig Ruby of Prime Time Eventz, Levi Robinson of Advanced Technology Logistics, Nick Lakha of Paramount Hospitality Management, Nick Garrison of LifePlan Financial Advisors and Lee Whetstone of FutureStaff. Not pictured are representatives from the other three finalists for the award, Crezent Managed Marketing, Headley Construction, and Georgia Pain and Spine Care.

The results are in, and we have named our Top 10 Finalists and four Honorable Mention Award Winners for the 2015 Small Business of the Year Awards presented by SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, Inc. The judges graded each applicant in six categories: Revenue Growth, Growth Strategy, Uniqueness, Industry Longevity, Community Involvement and Chamber Involvement.

The Top 10 Finalists are Advanced Technology Logistics, Bubbles & Brushes Art Studio, Crezent Managed Marketing, FutureStaff, Georgia Pain and Spine Care, Headley Construction, LifePlan Financial Advisors, Paramount Hospitality Management, Prime Time Eventz, and The Newnan Centre.

The 2015 Honorable Mention Award Winners are 92.5 The Bear, Atlanta Range & Ordnance, Leaf and Bean Newnan, and Reese Services.

The Top Ten Finalists were interviewed by the judges on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at the Newnan-Coweta Chamber. Adding the interview scores to the application scores, the judges then determined three category winners: The Entrepreneur Category (1-5 Employees), The Growth Category (6-19 Employees), the Employer Category (20-99 Employees) and the SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, Inc. Small Business of the Year Award Overall Winner.  

Results will be announced at our Small Business of the Year Awards on August 27, 2015, at 5pm during an awards ceremony with a celebration reception to follow at the Newnan Centre, 1515 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan. Tickets are $20 for members, $50 for non-members, and Chamber members may register through ChamberMaster by clicking here or by calling 770.253.2270.

The Small Business of the Year Awards presented by SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, Inc. are part of a full afternoon of activities including a Success Showcase at 3pm, a Portraits of Prosperity Panel at 4pm, the announcement of the awards with special guest U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland at 5pm, and a Celebration Reception at 6pm. The Celebration Reception is sponsored by 2012 Employer Category Small Business of the Year Winner Contemporary Catering.  Additionally, Showcase Sponsors for the event include:  Aflac, Amazing Smiles, PC, Batteries Plus Bulbs, CowetaTV.com, Crezent Managed Marketing, Hammond Services, Inc., Heritage Automotive, Homestead Hospice, K A Oldham Design, Inc., Nissan of Newnan, Newnan Utilities, NuLink, Piedmont Healthcare, and West Georgia Roofing.

Small Business Showcase and Awards Celebration are one week from tomorrow!

Who will win the Small Business of the Year Award? We’ll find out one week from tomorrow when we host the Small Business Showcase and Awards Celebration at The Newnan Centre!

Sponsored by SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, this year’s event will be Thursday, August 27, 2015 at The Newnan Centre at 1515 Lower Fayetteville Rd. in Newnan. Presented by SouthTowne and UBS Financial Services, this event is the Chamber’s annual celebration of Coweta’s small businesses and their many contributions to Coweta’s economic prosperity. Guest presenter this year will be U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. The celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. with the Success Showcases in the Exhibit Hall, where Chamber members will have booths with information about their goods and services. A new feature we're especially excited about is the Portraits of Prosperity Panel beginning at 4 p.m., which will feature past winners of the Small Business of the Year Awards, so this is a great new opportunity for you to come and learn from the experts! At 5 p.m., the Small Business of the Year Awards will be announced, a time for honoring all the 2015 nominees and winners. Finally, a Celebration Reception at 6 p.m. concludes the day of honoring Coweta County’s small businesses.

Admission is $20 for Chamber members, and you can register now through ChamberMaster by clicking here. The registration fee covers attendance to the Showcase, Portraits of Prosperity Panel, Awards Ceremony and Celebration Reception. Registration deadline is August 25, 2015. For more information, call 770-253-2270 or email info@newnancowetachamber.org.

Chamber of the Year a rigorous, competitive process

By now you've all heard the great news, that our Newnan-Coweta Chamber has been named the 2015 Chamber of the Year, the most prestigious and competitive annual award presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). President and CEO Candace Boothby accepted the award August 12 at ACCE’s Annual Convention in Montreal, Canada. 

According to ACCE, "Chamber of the Year is the nation’s only award recognizing the dual role chambers have in leading businesses and communities. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, business development and quality of life."

Qualifying for Chamber of the Year is a rigorous process. Chambers compete based on meeting key performance criteria on the ACCE Annual Operations Survey. Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from among finalists based on an in-person interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.

This year's competition drew 33 entries from chambers throughout the U.S. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into five categories based on annual revenue, membership, area population, and several other factors. Our Chamber competed in Category 1, and ACCE has provided us with the Chamber of the Year logo above which you'll be seeing throughout the year as we promote the success of all the great businesses that make up our Newnan-Coweta Chamber!

Piedmont CEO Mike Robertson to speak at NuLink Early Bird Forum on August 25!

Piedmont Newnan Hospital CEO Mike Robertson is going to be our guest speaker at the August 25, 2015 NuLink Early Bird Forum at The Newnan Centre, 1515 Lower Fayetteville Rd., Newnan. Admission is $20 for Chamber members, $50 general admission, and RSVP deadline is August 21, 2015.

Robertson leads our community's state-of-the-art 362,000-square-foot, 136-bed hospital and is eager to share with Chamber members the most recent developments which continue to position Coweta as a healthcare destination.

The NuLink Early Bird Forum runs from 7:30-9am. Registration for the breakfast is now open, and you can register through ChamberMaster by clicking here, or email info@newnancowetachamber.org or call 770-253-2270.

Come and learn from the experts at this year's Small Business Awards!

Registration is now open for our annual Small Business Showcase and Awards Celebration! This year’s event will be Thursday, August 27, 2015 at The Newnan Centre at 1515 Lower Fayetteville Rd. in Newnan. Presented by SouthTowne and UBS Financial Services, this event is the Chamber’s annual celebration of Coweta’s small businesses and their many contributions to Coweta’s economic prosperity. Guest presenter this year will be U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland.

The celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. with the Success Showcases in the Exhibit Hall, where Chamber members will have booths with information about their goods and services.

A new feature we're especially excited about is the Portraits of Prosperity Panel beginning at 4 p.m., which will feature past winners of the Small Business of the Year Awards, so this is a great new opportunity for you to come and learn from the experts!

At 5 p.m., the Small Business of the Year Awards will be announced, a time for honoring all the 2015 nominees and winners.

Finally, a Celebration Reception at 6 p.m. concludes the day of honoring Coweta County’s small businesses.

Admission is $20 for Chamber members, and you can register now through ChamberMaster by clicking here. The registration fee covers attendance to the Showcase, Portraits of Prosperity Panel, Awards Ceremony and Celebration Reception. Registration deadline is August 25, 2015. For more information, call 770-253-2270 or email info@newnancowetachamber.org.

There's a new format for this year's Small Business Awards Celebration!

Registration is now open for our annual Small Business Showcase and Awards Celebration! This year’s event will be Thursday, August 27, 2015 at The Newnan Centre at 1515 Lower Fayetteville Rd. in Newnan. Presented by SouthTowne and UBS, this event is the Chamber’s annual celebration of Coweta’s small businesses and their many contributions to Coweta’s economic prosperity. Guest presenter this year will be U.S. Congressman Lynn Westmoreland.

The celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. with the Success Showcases in the Exhibit Hall, where Chamber members will have booths with information about their goods and services.

A Portraits of Prosperity Panel begins at 4 p.m. and will feature past winners of the Small Business of the Year Awards.

At 5 p.m., the Small Business of the Year Awards will be announced, a time for honoring all the 2015 nominees and winners.

Finally, a Celebration Reception at 6 p.m. concludes the day of honoring Coweta County’s small businesses.

Admission is $20 for Chamber members, and you can register now through ChamberMaster by clicking here. The registration fee covers attendance to the Showcase, Portraits of Prosperity Panel, Awards Ceremony and Celebration Reception. Registration deadline is August 25, 2015. For more information, call 770-253-2270 or email info@newnancowetachamber.org.

Our next Coffee Call is tomorrow at the Chamber!