From the President’s Desk (May 2025)

The Value of a Trained Professional Staff

As we preach the value of education in our community, there is also a significant value in continuing education. If is hard to explain to an 8 year old that while they think they are done with “school” when they finish high school, their educational journey is just now beginning.

At the Chamber, we are firm believers of an ever developing staff and our Director of Investor Services, Lauren Seaver has just completed her State of TN Chamber Institute, and now this week, is taking the basic economic development course in Nashville that will expose her to not only chamber activities, but also include
training in tourism, downtown development, industrial development and finance training.

Also, Business Development Specialist Jodi Barnard recently completed the State of TN Certified Economic Developer program through the UT Center for Industrial Services. This multi year program looks at business recruitment, retention, incentives, financing, agriculture, building an organization and multiple other classes.

This focus on continuing education ensures that our chamber is well trained to handle any and all business and industry needs in our community. Ask yourself, are you providing opportunities within your organization for continued education and training that will allow personal and professional growth? You never know, your next CEO may be running a cash register or working on a production line today.