Chris Chung Delivers Chamber’s Keynote Address

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Christopher Chung, the Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, was the keynote speaker of the 2016 Henderson-Vance Chamber on Commerce banquet held on Thursday, February 4th. Chung is a graduate of The Ohio State University, and previously served as the President and CEO of the Missouri Partnership from late 2007 until 2014.

Chung opened by saying, “The organization that we represent does a number of things that are important for any state when it comes to economic development. I have been in economic development for a number of years now, and by my count now, it’s almost two decades. I have dedicated my entire professional life to the field of economic development. First, in Ohio where I’m from, and then for seven years in Missouri, and as of January of last year, here in North Carolina.”

It was easy to tell that Chung has the experience to help the State of North Carolina grow in the coming years.

Chung went on to say that there are five items that the State of North Carolina has in action when it comes to bringing in outside money to push the economy forward. “The most high profile job that we do is business recruitment,” said Chung. Chung also went on to say, “We are trying to position North Carolina as the ideal location for a growing, expanding or relocating business decides to go next. It’s that straight forward.”

New business recruitment is vital, however, Chung and the rest of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina understand that they must also take care of current businesses in the state.

Chung addressed the subject, “These are the companies that have already chosen to create jobs here. These are the companies that have already chosen to make an investment in North Carolina.”

Chung went on to talk about international trade, small business counseling, and travel and tourism.

Chung ended his address with a call to action, and told the banquet attendees, “We can only do so much at the state level. The State of North Carolina, and the hundred counties that make it up, that’s the product that we’re out there marketing and selling on a daily basis, and we can get companies or tourists or customers from overseas markets interested in North Carolina as a place to do business or a place to visit, but we ultimately depend on strong partnerships with the local communities that we team up with. As interested as a company can get in North Carolina, ultimately if they’re going to come here they have to drill down to a specific county, they have to drill down to a specific community. So we absolutely rely on strong partnerships with those local communities that we work with everyday.”

If you would like to contact Christopher Chung you can call his office in Cary at 919-447-7788. You can also email him at christopher.chung@edpnc.com.

News 02/05/16

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Citizen of the Year Marion Perry

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Thursday night at the 78th annual Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce banquet, local volunteer Marion Perry was presented the Citizen of the Year Award.

Perry said volunteering with Vance County Schools is one of the highlights of her life.  She said, “I pray that this County will continue to go forward.  I will do my best to do all that I can to influence the children to be examples that we can be proud of.”

Each year nominations are made and an anonymous selection committee chooses the recipient.  Last year’s 2014 Citizen of the Year, Danny Wright, introduced Perry.

Wright said Perry makes our community a better place to live, work, worship and play.  “The Citizen of the Year Award is an honor earned by an individual who has made significant contributions and demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of Henderson and Vance County,” he said.

This year’s award winner has been a positive influence for more than 20 years, with a special focus on support of public schools and young people.  “In a letter of praise, one of the many ardent supporters of our nominee writes that our recipient, who is adored by children and adults alike, inspires a delight in and love for learning, ” Wright said.

Perry said she was grateful.  “My passion is and always will be children.  I love them very much, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to help as many as I can.  I teach love, I show love, and I try my best to be a friend to mankind,” she said.

Perry also volunteers in local nursing homes and for such organizations as the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library, Area Christians Together in Service and The Arts Council.  Wright said a letter of recommendation described Perry as “a friendly, dedicated, trustworthy, caring, compassionate and kind person with a great sense of humor (and that) the nominee loves and respects others and is highly respected in the same manner.”

Perry has previously been chosen twice as the Vance County Schools Volunteer of the Year and presently serves as the  director on the Vance County Public Schools Foundation.

Perry said of the youngsters she helps, “They may not remember me, but they will remember what I did for them; there was a person who cared, who said, ‘I believe in you.'”

Perry founded and sponsors the Tokens of Love Program at Carver Elementary School, which covers a reading program for children, student and teacher incentives as well as the awarding of scholarships to several area high school students during class night.

Town Talk 02/04/16

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News 02/04/16

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Corbitt Museum and Meeting

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The first Corbitt Preservation Association meeting of 2016 will take place Sunday, Feb. 7, at 2 P.M.  Kenneth Stegall, association treasurer, informed WIZS News that folks interested in the group are invited to attend the meeting at the Bennett H. Perry, Jr. Museum (the Corbitt Museum) located at 180 Church St., Henderson, NC.  There will be good fellowship, and it will be a great opportunity to see in the museum if you have not done so already.

Corbitt (Masthead)

In the following written statement, Stegall says the museum is in need of volunteers.

“The Corbitt Preservation Association would like to thank all the citizens of Henderson, NC and the surrounding area for their support. We opened the Bennett H. Perry Jr. Museum back in October of 2015 which is the home of the Corbitt Museum as well as a museum of the City of Henderson. We are having trouble finding citizens willing to volunteer to help us keep it open on the weekends. We are in need of volunteers for 3-hr shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. The hours for Saturday are from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. We are in need of volunteers to work 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. and 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. on Saturdays and 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. on Sundays. We will assist in the training of the volunteers as to what needs to be done. We are also open by appointment for groups and individual showings. We encourage other groups to have meetings at the Museum. Please feel free to contact any Corbitt Preservation member or Ken Stegall, Charles Powell or Curtis Paul. The Corbitt Preservation Association is on facebook and our website is www.corbitttrucks.com ; we can be emailed at info@corbitttrucks.com. We look forward to hearing from anyone willing to help. We have a nice Museum, but we need our community’s help in keeping it open.”

Home and Garden Show 02/02/16

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78th Annual H-V Chamber Banquet

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2016 Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce 78th Annual Membership Banquet

The Chamber recently emailed the following information to member businesses:

“The 78th Henderson -Vance Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership banquet will be held on Thursday, February 4th at the Vance Granville Community College Civic Center in Henderson.

“A keynote address will delivered by the Mr. Chris Chung, Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina who will provide an informative analysis about economic development in Vance County and North Carolina.

“Seating for dinner will be promptly at 6:30 pm.

“Tickets are available for $35 each or a table of 10 for $320.

“Please contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce office at 252-438-8414 for ticket purchases or details on how your business can give-back to your community while also receiving exceptional brand recognition through our outstanding sponsorship investment opportunities.

“If you have purchased tickets and have not let us know who will be attending, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!”

The Chamber also wished to thank its banquet sponsors.

“Thank you to our sponsors! 

“Duke Energy will again serve as the Presenting Sponsor.
“Carolina Country Snacks, CenturyLink, Maria Parham Medical Center and MARS Petcare are Gold sponsors.
“Silver sponsors include BB&T, Envirolink, Wake Electric Membership Corporation, and Walmart DC #6091.
“Express Employment Professionals and J.M. White Funeral Service are our Bronze sponsors.”

News 02/03/16

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