April activities moved as fast as the tree budded.
The Patrick County Magazines Spring 2024 are here! I hope that you have been able to pick up a copy, although many of our locations we are having to restock regularly. Once again, the group effort of the Chamber, Patrick County Tourism and SilverLining Design has created a great magazine that spotlights our community. Articles in this issue include a history of the Wood Brothers Racing team and how they are still a family run team, the 2023 Virginia State Patrick County Cougar Baseball team, the Star Theatre shining bright again, as well as other hidden gems and information from our county. This magazine would not be possible without the businesses and organizations that advertise in it. Please take time to thank them.
The chamber attended the Patrick County Tourism Summit organized by Patrick County Tourism. Again, this was a great event connecting our local partners with state and regional ones on how tourism is an economic driver for our county. I also attended the CTE advisory meeting at Patrick County High School. The county should be proud of this program, it has the ability to offer 42 classes and many students are able to graduate with an industry accredited certification. As our state educational system focuses more on work-based learning, our CTE program is ready to meet and exceed that demand. If you are a business, I hope that you will reach out to work with our high school in order to help them and in return possibly find new employees.
The middle of the month was reserved for almost a week-long training session in Alabama. I had the privilege of being part of the group from Patrick County that was selected to attend the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Gateway Communities Initiative. This training helped our group define steps we can take to leverage the availability and usage of public lands for economic development and community growth. We are excited to continue the work at home. Don’t worry, we shared with everyone at the conference a copy of the Patrick County Magazine.
The chamber hosted the informal seminar “How to Start a Business in Patrick County.” We had several interested parties come out and start the conversations of what types of businesses they would like to start. We hope that we can continue to encourage them along their journey, and we gain more businesses for our community.
The chamber assisted the Reynolds Homestead in starting the conversation related to Work-Based Learning. This event brought employers and service providers to the table to discuss how we can encourage more students to take advantage of opportunities that exist here and let them know what types of experiences are available in Patrick County. We are home to some amazing businesses that manufacture goods that are shipped across the country, from candy from Nancy’s Candy Company to motor parts at Worley Machines and everything in between.
As we begin May, the chamber will be working on events and programming for the Fall. We will be working to duplicate our Economic Summit to focus our information for small businesses in the county. We will also be starting the process of advertisements and article selection for the Fall 2024 Patrick County Magazine. Winners from our April Pick-Up Patrick Campaign will be announced. Thank you to all the groups and individuals who got out and picked up litter in your area. If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out to the Chamber.
Welcome new Chamber Members: Jamie’s Recycling Center, LLC, The Estate & Elder Law of Southwest Virginia, Ridge Crest Retirement Community, Blue Ridge Airport Authority.
(Adcock is the director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce)
