By Rebecca Adcock, Patrick County Chamber of Commerce Director
August flew by in a blur of humidity, but it also brought that familiar feeling of transition as we welcomed a new school year and looked toward the end of harvest and the start of the “ber” months.
At the Chamber, we’ve been busy preparing for the end of the year. We wrapped up editing the Fall Patrick County Magazine, which will be available for distribution in September. We’re also excited to share that the magazine was once again named Magazine of the Year by Friends of Southwest Virginia’s Tourism Awards—our fourth year in a row! This is truly a team effort between the Chamber, Patrick County Tourism and SilverLining Design, and a great example of what can happen when organizations work together.
We also hosted a ribbon cutting for the Disaster Relief Food Ministry and an Employee Handbook & Workforce Laws seminar, in partnership with Longwood University Small Business Development Center and guest attorneys from Woods Rogers PLC of Roanoke, Virginia. Both were great opportunities to support and provide resources to our local business community.
August also included our annual Virginia Association of Chamber Executives retreat, where chamber directors from across the state shared ideas and discussed issues affecting our businesses, including energy, healthcare, and workforce legislation. Members can expect more information from us soon regarding the new workforce laws—another benefit of Chamber membership!
We’re continuing to work on our Patrick County Nonprofit Organization Summit coming up in November. Registration is open, and we’re excited about the speakers and sponsors joining us, including Patrick County Economic Development as our title sponsor.
Finally, following the recent passing of Dolly Parton, I wanted to highlight the impact of the Patrick County Imagination Library. The Chamber, Step Inc., One Family Productions, and the Rotary Club of Stuart work together to make this program available locally. We currently have about 400 children enrolled, and enrollment continues to grow. Thank you to everyone who has donated to help put books into the hands of Patrick County children. If you’d like to support the program, please contact the Chamber or visit our website.
As always, thank you for supporting the Chamber and the work we do to strengthen our local business community!
