Andrews – It was of the virtual variety, but the Andrews Chamber of Commerce still managed to have an annual membership meeting via Facebook Live on June 30.
The commerce is required to have an annual meeting with the entire membership, which is usually a dinner meeting in April but was delayed until June in an effort to still meet in person.
However, when the board of directors determined that a dinner meeting was not possible due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus, the chamber switched to an online meeting so everyone could still take part, while remaining safe at the same time.
Tim Radford of WKRK recorded the meeting and shared it online. David Brown, vice president of the chamber and publisher/editor of the Cherokee Scout, served as master of ceremonies.
The overall theme of the meeting was “making the Andrews Valley a destination.” The highlight was the chamber’s annual awards ceremony, with three local businesses and residents honored for their good work in 2019.
- Business of the Year: Monte Alban Mexican Restaurante, owned by Jesus Jimemey, who runs three of the most popular restaurants in the Valley. The successful business owner has more than 60 employees in Cherokee County.
- Beautification Project of the Year: FernCrest Winery, owned by Jan and Kurt Olson, finished renovations of their historic building on Main Street downtown, making it a showcase for the community.
- Joe El Khouri Volunteer of the Year: Erla Jones has been a volunteer for many years, reading to classes at all three Andrews schools as well as landscaping the campuses. She has also worked with the Andrews Garden Club and Valleytown Cultural Arts Center on many projects.
Before the awards were handed out, four different speakers shared information on important subjects of interest to chamber members:
- Dr. Debbie Reese, a partnership specialist with the Western North Carolina/Atlanta Regional Census Center of the U.S. Census Bureau, talked about census participation improving in Cherokee County.
- Chamber board member Nola Cooper of Nola Cooper Designs talked about all the ways members can market themselves through the chamber’s improved website, visitandrewsnc.com, which is averaging 55,110 visits per month.
- Executive Director Jan Olson, who is also a board member, talked about the benefits of chamber membership and the new tiers to promote local businesses.
- David Huskins, managing director of operations for Smoky Mountains Host, talked about different ways to better market the region and draw in more visitors.
“We know this has been a challenging time for everyone who owns or operates a local business. I wish we could simply say the word and give you a sign that everything was soon going to return to some sense of normalcy,” Brown said in the benediction.
“While we can’t tell you that, we can say that the Andrews Valley has survived pandemics before. We’ve gone through economic recessions before. And we will make it through this – together.
“Good things are on the horizon, and we invite you to be a part of it.”
The Andrews Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for 2020-21 is:
- Gayle Horton, president.
- David Brown, vice president.
- Jan Olson, treasurer.
- Dawn Ogilvie; secretary;
- Tobin Brogunier, who hosted the meeting at his U-Space office.
- Nola Cooper.
- Margo Locust.
- Emily Malin.
- Scott Ramler.
- Duron Smith.
For details, visit the chamber’s website, the chamber office at 955 Main St. downtown or call 321-3584. The board meets on the third Tuesday of each month.
Note: Photos of winners coming soon.