The Patrick County Chamber of Commerce is set to hold its third annual Lunch with Leaders event on Wednesday, November 20 at the Star Theatre. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for a light lunch catered by Food Country USA, and speakers begin their presentations at 12 p.m.
The event is held in partnership with the Reynolds Homestead and sponsored by Food Country USA and Branch Civil.
Chamber Executive Director Rebecca Adcock said tickets for the event are $15, and are available through the Chamber website, Facebook page, newsletters, or at its office.
“I set it (the limit of attendees) at 100, just because the way we will have to set it up. Usually, we have between 75 and 80 people attend in the past years, so we’re hoping for around the same number,” she said.
Less than a dozen speakers are expected to speak at the event.
“We’ve got some past speakers with new updates and then we’ve got new speakers pushing into some new subject areas I feel is relevant and important for Patrick County,” she said.
Adcock said some past speakers will be returning to this event like James Houchins, who is director of the county’s Economic Development and Tourism Department; Stuart Town Manager Bryce Simmons, a representative for STEP Inc., and a representative of Branch Civil.
“Tiffany Underwood with” Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) “will be there in a dual role. She will be discussing P&H community College and a lot of the programs that they do and directly do in Patrick County. We have the heavy equipment operator training classes beginning of 2025, so that’s an exciting new program that’s going to be offered,” she said.
Underwood’s discussion will include the Patrick County Education Foundation, Adcock said, and its initiative for Patrick Promise.
“Which is to raise funding to carry through covering tuition for Patrick County students to attend” P&HCC “for free,” she said.
Adcock said a representative from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will also be speaking at the event because the parkway affects local residents and businesses.
“The foundation is basically the fundraising arm for the park service, and they have been raising funds and are working to do some reroofing of the mill at Mabry Mill and other projects along the parkway, so we wanted to give them space to talk about that, but then also talk about their very strong new thing called Blue Ridge Rising Initiative,” Adcock said.
Primland’s new general manager will give an update on the resort, and the county’s Grants and Communications Manager Beth Morris will speak. Morris “is newish with the county, but also being the grant writer there’s a lot of different subject matter that she can cover,” Adcock said.
After all speakers give their presentation, Adcock said a question-and-answer session will be held for all speakers to answer questions from the public.
While it depends on the speakers, she estimates the event will be finished by 1:30 p.m.
“From past participation of community members, people appreciate it and are interested and want to come out,” Adcock said.
