The Local Skinny! Chamber Of Commerce Looks To 2022

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce continues to work to bind the business community and the community at large together through human resource efforts, economic development efforts and through its own participation.

When an entity like a chamber can boast that only a handful of its board members ever miss meetings, it provides evidence to others outside, who are looking in, that the organization believes in itself.

Upcoming, the H-V Chamber will present its membership meeting and banquet, in person, at Vance-Granville Community College. The latest edition of “Envision Vance” will soon be published. And opportunities continue for businesses and individuals to involve themselves with an evolving, growing and relevant chamber of commerce.

Board Chairman Ronald Bennett told The Local Skinny! broadcast Tuesday at 11 a.m. on WIZS that the theme for the chamber this year is “A Year of Community.” He said, “A community made up of businesses, which is our main focus, but also made up of local city, county government, our educational partners, our healthcare partners, nonprofit organizations, our churches, law enforcement, fire, rescue, EMT, first responders and everyone that makes up our community.”

The priority, he said, is to be relevant to members and to “add value to them to help grow their businesses and organizations and connect with our partners.” The goal is to grow the entire community. He said, “Grow, Connect, Prosper. Three words found in the new Chamber logo that we feel are so important as we move forward.”

Chamber President Michele Burgess praised the board of directors and said she was really proud of the “inclusion and diversity that we share on our Chamber board.” She said, “When our nominating committee gets together, we’re very cognizant of that need, and we want it to reflect our community and our business community … and I am just excited about the degree of leadership that we have.”

Burgess explained how the chamber was growing, especially over the last five years. She said, “We have really built up our chamber, our influence, our leadership, and just our involvement from the board.”

The Chamber will celebrate and have its meeting and banquet at VGCC on January 27. Invitations are out to member businesses by email at this time. The deadline to nominate a citizen for the Citizen of the Year Award has been extended to this Friday, Jan. 7. Call 252.438.8414 or email michele@hendersonvance.org to get a nomination form.

The Chamber will soon celebrate having the latest edition of “Envision Vance” as well. Burgess said, “Our Envision Vance magazine is a tool for recruitment of industry, new business, small business, doctors, lawyers, new teachers.” It also features a business directory and is a great resource.

Bennett pointed out a new feature of the Chamber that Burgess added in 2021 – the human resource council. Bennett said it works with all local businesses. “Everyone has an opportunity to be a part of that and come to the table and talk about what we do to improve our workforce, what we can do through Vance Granville and through our schools to prepare our workforce more as we go into 2022 and beyond. So, you know, the HR council is just a great way to get involved,” Bennett said.

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Vance Charter Prepares for OSHA Vaccine Requirement Deadline

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Businesses and employers of 100 or more people face a quickly approaching vaccine deadline.

The federal mandate which was on, then off, then back on again starts to take effect in a week.

The Vance Charter School board of directors met last Wednesday night in a special meeting. Board Chair Johnny Yount wrote in correspondence with WIZS News, “The Board addressed compliance with the OSHA Vaccination and Testing ETS (Emergency Temporary Standard). Given the recent rapid rise in Covid-19 cases, the Board also voted to re-impose an indoor face covering requirement for students, staff, and visitors.”

Yount said Vance Charter’s plan was to plan ahead, “to be prepared/proactive for whatever comes regarding the OSHA ETS outcome as it relates to employers with over 100 full time/part time employees,” he wrote.

As to the masks, he wrote, “The mask policy itself is voted upon each month and will be discussed and voted upon again at our January 10th meeting as required.”

If not vaccinated, an employee must be tested at least weekly.  Citations for vaccinations are not expected until at least January 10 with testing violation citations not expected for another month on February 9.

The Local Skinny! Henderson Police Could Soon Have A Robot On The Force

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The Henderson Police Department could have a new tool in its complement of resources to help law enforcement officers as they work to keep the community – and themselves – safe. Chief Marcus Barrow said the remote-control robot would be something that other agencies in the region would be able to use, too.

He and the department are always looking for new tools to help mitigate situations, and when he saw a grant opportunity to pay for it, he applied. “So far, everything’s looking good,” he said. If all goes according to plan, Barrow said the robot could be ready for use in early spring 2023.

The grant, from the Governor’s Crime Commission, would cover $24,500 of the $25,500 price tag for the Vantage robot, which has climbing capability, a camera that can live-stream and an arm that can manipulate objects. If the department is awarded the grant, the city would have to find the additional $1,000.

Its most practical use, Barrow said, probably would be in a hazardous materials situation. “We take hazmat courses every year,” he said, “and we’re warned about the stuff that travels up and down I-85 and in our city.” Having a robot that could be sent close a wreck scene, for example, would help keep officers from being exposed to harmful materials.

With any other piece of equipment, the timeline would involve training and getting handlers used to how the robot works. “I would like it to be here and deployable as quickly as possible,” Barrow said, adding that it would be an added benefit to other agencies in the region, not just for the city’s use. He said once multiple people are trained on using it, the robot would be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Technology increasingly plays a role in the work of law enforcement, and Barrow said a recent grant for body-worn cameras was awarded to the department. But it’s a 50 percent match, and now he’ll be looking for that match. It’s a big expenditure, and Barrow said he “didn’t feel our local citizens should foot that bill” for the entire amount. But with matching grant funds identified, he said the body cameras may be something on the horizon for local police officers, and he added that he planned to go before the city council shortly to request those matching funds.

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TownTalk: Kevin Britton is the new Program Specialist at Recreation Dept.

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Young athletes who dream of playing at the college level and beyond should take a page from Kevin Britton’s life playbook – pages filled with plays his mom, grandmother and others drew up for him that involve discipline, leadership, giving back to the community.

And sports. Oh yes, sports.

Britton said he’s been in love with sports since he was 8 years old. Fast-forward a few decades and Britton is bringing that passion to Henderson in his role as program specialist for the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department.

Born and raised in Durham, Britton said he is looking forward to putting in place programming for the whole community – it’s not going to be limited to young people. Or to athletics, for that matter.

“I have been given the opportunity to create programs through recreation and parks to benefit the community,” he told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk.

“I’m talking about the whole community, not just the youth.” He said he was raised by his grandmother, who was fond of saying, “if you don’t use it, you lose it,” Britton said. By helping senior adults in the community, he hopes programs will have a domino effect to the middle-aged and to youth as well.

“I truly believe if we can help the community as a whole, it’s better.”

In addition to his family, it was his participation in the Durham Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs when he was a youngster that opened the world of sports to Britton. “I received a lot of love” at the Boys & Girls Club, he said. “It was very important in the growth of my younger years.”

The foundations and basics he learned early served him well – he played basketball at Durham High School and earned a scholarship to play at N.C. Central University. The 1989 Eagles’ team won the NCAA Division II national championship.

Basketball gave Britton the opportunity to see beyond his community and to claim achievements that otherwise may not have been possible for him to attain. Having a network of support, be it from family members, fellow players or coaches, is key for young people today, he said.

“I feel like recreation is the foundation,” Britton said. Children who start playing at the rec league level can develop that “basketball IQ” that benefits the players – and the programs they play for – later on.

Part of that sports IQ, if you ask Britton, is having a Plan B. The development of the student athlete – student first, athlete second – is something that he stresses.

“If you don’t have the grades, you can’t play. You may be the next Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but if you don’t have the grades, the world won’t see it,” he said.

“One day the air’s going to come out of the ball,” he said. When that happens, he says, “you can fall back on your education and still be a winner.”

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The Local Skinny! Bullock’s Engraving: Going Strong Since 1973

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Michael Lassiter has been working at Bullock’s Engraving for 34 years.  That’s a long time and it’s even more impressive when one considers that Lassister is only 42 years old.  That means he started with the business when he was 8 years old.

Ron and Grace Bullock started the business in 1973 and were located for many years in the Henderson Mall. Lassiter’s dad worked for the mall and that meant the younger Lassiter spent a lot of time there. Additionally, the Bullocks were Michael’s God Parents.  “I was always in the store anyway,” Lassiter said on Monday’s Local Skinny! program. He apprenticed under Ron Bullock for many years learning all he could about engraving and the business.

He now owns the business but Grace Bullock can still frequently be found at the business lending a hand as needed. Lassiter says that all engraving is done on site and includes engravable gifts, awards and more.  If it can be engraved, Lassiter says they can do it.

While there may be other businesses that do engraving work in the area, Lassiter says none have been around as long as Bullock’s. The business has had three locations over its 49 years: The Henderson Mall, Corbitt Hills, which is where B B & T is now located and Corbitt Depot at 1630 Parham Street.

Lassiter says the moves have been the toughest part of his 34 years.  “Most people think you’ve gone out of business,” Lassister said when the store has moved.  They’ve now been at the Corbitt Depot for about 17 years and he plans on keeping the store in its current location for as long as possible.  “Henderson has potential,” Lassiter said.

Bullock’s Engraving has a showroom that is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and at other times by appointment. The phone number is 252-492-7011, and they are on Facebook at facebook.com/BullocksEngraving and the web at www.bullocksengraving.com.

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Court, School, Government and More Affected by Weather

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WIZS LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

COURT –

  • The Vance County Clerk of Superior Court, Henry Gupton, says “the courthouse and clerk’s office will open Tuesday morning at 10 o’clock.  Magistrate court will start at 10:30 a.m. and superior court will resume at 11 a.m.”

SCHOOL –

  • Vance County Schools – asynchronous remote learning day January 4 for all students and school-based instructional staff. All other staff will operate with an optional workday with buildings opening at 10 a.m.
  • Crossroads Christian School – 2 hour delay January 4

GOVERNMENT –

  • Vance County Board of Commissioners’ meeting – rescheduled for Monday, January 10th at 6:00 p.m.

MORE –

  • Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks basketball practices scheduled for Monday, January 3rd – cancelled

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Beekeeping

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

 

January 4 An Asynchronous Remote Learning Day for Vance County Schools

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The Vance County public school system has announced an asynchronous remote learning day for January 4.

Aarika Sandlin, director of communication and marketing, said in an information release the asynchronous remote learning day will be “for all students and school-based instructional staff. All other staff will operate with an optional workday with buildings opening at 10 a.m.”

Otherwise, all Vance County Schools closed early, January 3 “due to inclement weather and safety as the temperature is falling rapidly,” Sandlin said.

Elementary schools dismissed at 1 p.m. and all other schools let out at 1:15 p.m.