August has come and gone, and we are giving another monthly update on the Chamber of Commerce activities.
We started the month by attending the Friends of Southwest Virginia Tourism Awards in Wytheville and are happy that Patrick County won four awards: Best Accommodation to Primland, Best Print Magazine for our Patrick County Magazine, Volunteer of the Year to Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tourism Leader of the Year to James Houchins. Congratulations to everyone!
The following day we were in Danville at a Region 3 GO VA meeting, receiving updates from the VA Chamber on where the state is in terms of doing business. It was a very informative meeting. These back-to-back events highlighted how Patrick County is always having to travel to group meetings and are never in the same state grouping for agencies.
The following week I attended the Virginia Executive Chamber Retreat in Luray, Virginia. Again, valuable information sessions and ideas for me to see about implementing for Patrick County. The Chamber of Commerce holds a unique spot for our county. While we are no longer the sole tourism entity, we do assist with tourism while also bridging the gap between our businesses and local, state, and federal government. It takes all three entities: the Chamber, Tourism, and EDA working together to keep Patrick County moving forward and on our elected officials’ minds.
In between those traveling days, the Chamber worked on finalizing the Fall Patrick County Magazine and event planning for the remainder of the year. We all know that after the Patrick County Agricultural Fair, things move quickly for community events.
The last week of the month of August was a time of celebration at Mabry Mill, where we joined Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new roof they helped to fund. We look forward to working with them on future enhancements at the Mabry Mill Complex site.
The following day I helped to schedule and host business roundtable discussions with our local businesses and the President of the Richmond Federal Reserve. This was the first time the president had ever visited Patrick County. These roundtable discussions, held in Meadows of Dan, were to allow the bank leaders to learn more about Patrick County. It gives the bank an opportunity to dig deeper into the local economy to learn about economic conditions, concerns, or other topics. Sitting in these meetings, I am always amazed with the diversity of businesses we have here and all the great products that are transported across the United States and the world that are made right here in Patrick County! We all should be proud of our local businesses.
Next up is the fair in September. I hope to see many of you guys there. And enjoy these crisp cool days that we have earned after the hot and humid summer.
We would like to welcome our new members: Hammer and Stain (Lauren Crews), Perry’s Retirement and Insurance Services (Trey Cox), and Bluebird Hill Farms (Ben and Lindsay Johnson).
Stay up to date with all the fall activities at our website www.patrickchamber.com, and if you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the office at 276-694-6012.
