The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce met on July 27 for their first meeting of the new fiscal year and discussed a number of topics and issues as they laid out their plan for 2017-2018.

New Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Brad Carr, and new Chamber of Commerce President, Ed Vance, went over a laundry list of items that they wish to see the Chamber enact under their leadership.

One of the first items they discussed was a series of “Lunch-and-Learns”, which are designed to provide valuable information on subjects vital to the success of Effingham businesses.

Along with Lunch-and-Learns, the Chamber will also conduct a series of Business-After-Hours events, the first of which will be held in September.

Hosted by a Chamber member, these networking events will provide members the opportunity to share business leads and learn about other local businesses while giving members the opportunity to discuss ideas and concerns with Chamber board members and staff.

Another item discussed by the Chamber was the continuation of the Effingham Chamber Young Professionals Committee (ECYP).

The Chamber explained the ECYP as the following: “The idea for the committee originated from a project presentation by the recent graduates of the Chamber’s Leadership Effingham Program.  The purpose of the committee is to foster the growth and development of future leaders in the Chamber and business community, and to bring young professionals from the Chamber membership together through the hosting of networking and developmental opportunities. The ECYP also will provide the Chamber with another direct link to the talents and ideas of an additional component of the Chamber membership through both the committee and the direct Board involvement of its chairperson.  This will be in addition to the valuable member perspectives gained through the Small Business, Ambassadors, Tourism, Events and Programs, and other Chamber working committees.”

These are just the first of many positive things the Chamber has in store for the future.

“These series of events along with the new Effingham Chamber Young Professionals Committee are just the beginning of our plan to engage and empower our membership,” Effingham Chamber Board President Ed Vance said. “We want to ensure that the Chamber is a valuable channel for connecting our members with resources, an incubator for leadership development, a proactive business partner with our members, and a catalyst for job and business growth in the County.”