Chamber hosts Regional Job Fair
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Daily News-Record, is hosting its Regional Job Fair on Thursday, March 17, noon to 6 p.m. at the Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene, 1871 Boyers Road in Harrisonburg. This event is brought to you by the Shenandoah Valley Energy Partnership and the Workforce Investment Board.
The Chamber invites local businesses that are planning to hire in 2011 to exhibit at the event. Employers will have the opportunity to recruit from a large pool of qualified applicants.
“Attendance at the fair has grown every year,” says Frank Tamberrino, Chamber President and CEO. “With the unemployment rate holding steady at 6.7% in Harrisonburg and 5.4% in Rockingham County, we anticipate the trend will continue this year. In 2010, more than 1000 jobseekers took advantage of the Regional Job Fair.
The Chamber will offer a new service to attendees at the event this year. Career coaches will be available to provide guidance that will help jobseekers make a great personal impression and job connection. A free shuttle service, sponsored by The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and National College will also be available, making it even more convenient for jobseekers to attend. Stops will include the National College and the Virginia Employment Commission.
Booth space at the Job Fair includes an 8″ x 10″ space, one table, and two chairs. The cost to exhibit is $100 for non-members and $50 for Chamber members. Admission to this event is free and open to the public. For more information or to register as an exhibitor, visit the Chamber’s website at www.hrchamber.org or call 540.434.3862.
H-R Chamber presents Economic Forecast
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce will host its Annual Economic Forecast on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the Grace Street Building, fourth floor conference room, at the former RMH campus, Harrisonburg.
The Chamber’s Economic Forecast is becoming one of most comprehensive economic outlook events in the region. Consumers, businesses, and economists are all debating the same question – when will the economy bounce back? Presenters at the event will offer insight into our economy, including local, regional, state, and southeast U.S. economic trends, along with predictions for the coming year.
Ann Battle Macheras, the regional research vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, will kick off the event with a state and southeast economic analysis. Macheras oversees a professional staff engaged in research and analysis of regional economic conditions, and advises internal Bank leadership in this area as well. In addition to tracking the regional economy, her research interests include regional industry specialization and determinants of growth at the regional level.
The Economic Forecast is a popular event each year, given the interest in local trends. “This year, we are looking at the bigger economic picture, and the Federal Reserve Bank is a leading and credible source of economic information and analysis,” says Frank Tamberrino, president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. “We are fortunate to have Ann Macheras with us in February”.
Billy Vaughn, Rockingham County director of economic development and Brian Shull, Harrisonburg’s economic development director will also deliver an assessment of local economic indicators, including employment, real estate market trends, housing, and more.
The Chamber hosts this event each year in hopes of broadening our members’ understanding of the local, regional and state economies and the trends that impact our community. The Chamber’s Annual Economic Forecast is open to the public; however, registration is required. Admission includes breakfast, and is $20 for the general public and $10 for Chamber members.
For more information and to register, visit www.hrchamber.org.
Harrisonburg Chamber honors community business leaders
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual membership meeting and awards ceremony Thursday at the JMU Festival Conference & Student Center. During the ceremony, the Chamber honored two restaurateurs, and a local farm family that is dedicated to sustainable farming practices.
2010 Entrepreneur of the Year
Aaron Ludwig, owner of Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint, was the recipient of the Chamber’s 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year award. Jack Brown’s opened in downtown Harrisonburg in April 2009 and has become one of Harrisonburg’s most popular hotspots.
Ludwig has a great understanding and appreciation for his customer base, and he reaches out to them through social media. “His unique approach to marketing has helped Aaron create a fun and vibrant dining destination downtown,” said Josh Hale, 2011 Chair of the HR Chamber of Commerce. “Urged by his customers to expand, Aaron will open a new eatery downtown called Billy Jack’s Wing & Draft Shack.” It is scheduled to open in April 2011.
2010 Business Person of the Year
“The Chamber honored Dave Miller, owner of Dave’s Downtown Taverna for his efforts to promote downtown Harrisonburg as a dining destination,” said Tom Mendez, Past Chair of the Chamber of Commerce. Miller is the first person in the history of the Chamber to receive this award after previously receiving the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2004.
The Business Person of the Year is someone who has grown his or her company and also given back to the community. Dave has been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. He has built a locally recognized and appreciated brand. Yet, he strives for even more – success for his business partners, neighboring eateries, and for the opportunity to put downtown Harrisonburg on the map.
2010 Farm Family Stewardship Award
Agriculture is the number one industry in Rockingham based on gross sales. The Chamber recognizes the role that agriculture plays in our community by honoring a family that is dedicated to taking care of their farm and the environment.
This year’s winner of the Farm Family Stewardship award is the Witmer Family of Grazeland Dairy. “Their unique farming methods combined with environmental stewardship has enabled Grazeland Dairy to be a viable family business,” said Scot Lilly, representative of Farm Credit of the Virginias.
Grazeland Dairy, located in Ottobine, has been in the Witmer family for more than 40 years. In 2008, the farm became a certified organic dairy. “We use rotational grazing, which allows the cattle to harvest their own feed rather than using equipment and additional labor,” said Philip Witmer, owner of the farm. “What led us to consider organic production was the understanding that consumers are seeking organic products,” he continued.
The Witmer family is currently in Colombia on a two-year church mission trip. Duane Witmer, farm manager of Grazeland Dairy, accepted the award on the family’s behalf.
In addition to these awards, the Chamber also awarded Janice “Bonnie” Moyers an honorary lifetime membership in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. Bonnie has been involved in the Chamber for more than 30 years. She has served on various committees, sub-committees and task forces throughout the years, and most recently served as the Chamber’s 2009 Chair of its Board of Directors.
“Bonnie has more than demonstrated her commitment to the Chamber of Commerce and the greater community through her professional and personal actions,” said Frank Tamberrino, president of the HR Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud to have her as a lifetime member that we can learn and grow from.”
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Harrisonburg Chamber encourages local spending
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of a new Member-2-Member (M2M) program. The program encourages Chamber members to save money and help support our local economy by choosing Chamber members for their business and personal needs.
Since the beginning of August, the Member-2-Member campaign has attracted more than 30 businesses that are offering valuable discounts to Chamber members, from local restaurants and accommodations to attractions and services.
“The Member-2-Member program encourages residents and businesses to support our local business community through their consumer habits,” said Steve Turner, vice chair of member services at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
The program is an effort to get Chamber members and the local community thinking about where they spend their dollars and the fact that it does make a difference.
“Money spent at local businesses is reinvested in our community,” said Frank Tamberrino, president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. An upward mark of a few percentage points in how much is spent locally can make a big difference in the economy.
Although the program reminds everyone to shop local, the discounts are designed exclusively for Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce members and their employees. The M2M Program has its own branded look, making it easy for businesses and consumers to recognize. At the launch of the program, Chamber members and their employees were given an M2M card that must be presented at the time of purchase in order to receive the discounts. Chamber members also display a small plaque in their business location to identify their participation in the program.
For more information about the Member-2-Member program, including a list of participating businesses, visit the Chamber’s website at http://hrchamber.org/v.php?pg=120.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber leads community visioning effort
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce is challenging community members to envision an ideal place where they want to live, work, and play.
Over the past 13 months, a diverse group of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents have been working together to imagine and describe the community that we aspire to become by the year 2020. Although the Chamber of Commerce provided the leadership to begin what has been labeled Vision2020, the initiative has evolved into a community-wide process that includes representatives from agriculture, transportation, education, health care, nonprofit services and business sectors.
“The goal of Vision2020 has been to create a unified and shared vision for our community – one that will encourage collaboration in the planning and use of public and private resources,” said Frank Tamberrino, president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout the visioning process, the Chamber hosted events for attendees to learn from industry leaders about the current and future challenges and opportunities facing our community. Additionally, round table discussions enabled community leaders to gain a better understanding of the values we share as neighbors. As a result of these discussions, we’ve drafted a Vision Statement that communicates the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County of the future.
The Vision Statement emphasizes a community where natural beauty, friendly interdependent relationships and diverse cultural, economic and educational opportunities create an unparalleled quality of life.
“This is a really powerful statement about what our values are, and it’s representative of the community and the aspirations we have for ourselves,” said Tom Mendez, chair of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.
The next step in the process will be an extensive outreach to the public.
“In an effort to create a vision that is comprehensive and embraced by our families, neighbors, businesses, governing leaders, students and the community as a whole, the Chamber is seeking the community’s feedback,” said Mendez.
The Chamber invites everyone with a vested interest in our community to complete a brief, four-question survey online that will allow participants to comment on the Vision2020 working document and share their vision for our community. A complete draft of the Vision Statement, including the survey, can be found online at www.hrchamber.org.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Chamber looks for leaders
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce is taking applications for its 2010 Community Leadership Program through Aug. 13.
The program is designed as an avenue for the development of tomorrow’s community leaders. Since its inception in 1979, the program has graduated more than 800 community leaders.
Each year, individuals from all business sectors, identified as having outstanding potential for community leadership development, are selected by sponsoring companies and organizations and offered a dynamic leadership experience. The leadership program is an excellent opportunity for a new employee, or one who is moving up the company ladder, to make valuable contacts while building lifelong relationships with other business people in the community.
“The Chamber Community Leadership Program is a great way to get connected and involved,” said Cory Davies of Rockingham Memorial Hospital, a member of last year’s CLP Class. “My experience in the program has helped me build a much deeper understanding of the many organizations, industries, and services that come together to form our great community.”
The leadership program brings together participants once a month, beginning in August 2010 through May 2011 for half-day sessions. Participants typically come from diverse backgrounds and varying perspectives to learn more about themselves and the opportunities and challenges facing our community and the surrounding areas. In the Leadership Program, people share their ideas and experiences with each other, gain new skills and knowledge that can be applied in their personal and professional lives, and develop plans and for implementing a community betterment project.
The Chamber’s Community Leadership Program includes ten engaging sessions that provide everyone who participates with a foundation of basic leadership skills and knowledge fine-tuned to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s needs. The curriculum includes:
1. Teambuilding – (September)
2. Workplace Communication – (September)
3. Public Safety – (October)
4. Education – (November)
5. Local Non-Profits – (December)
6. Community Sustainability – (January)
7. Community Development – (February)
8. Local Government & Legislative Affairs – (March)
9. Arts – (April)
10. Group Project – Project Management (ongoing)
“The Chamber’s Community Leadership Program is designed to cultivate new local leaders for the benefit of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s future,” said Frank Tamberrino, President of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. “We invite businesses to invest in your community and in your employees’ professional success by signing them up for the Chamber’s Community Leadership Program.”
The class size is limited to encourage interaction and leadership skills development so register early. Applications are reviewed upon submission.
For more information or to apply, visit www.hrchamber.org. The application deadline for the Community Leadership Program is Monday Aug. 13.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
VOP to picket Cuccinelli Harrisonburg event
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s visit to Harrisonburg on Thursday will be met with a peaceful protest from local members of the Virginia Organizing Project. Read more
