As the incoming chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Abidan Shah has decided on the theme “Heritage.” Given that 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country, that’s a pretty appropriate theme.
Shah and H-V Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson said they are approaching the year with enthusiasm as the Chamber takes a look back in history while propelling the community into the future. In fact, this year’s banquet – set for Thursday, Mar. 19 – has taken the Chamber’s overall theme and taken it to the next level. The banquet theme is “Heritage: Where History Meets Opportunity.”
Shah, pastor at Clearview Church in Henderson, said he wants to instill and rekindle community pride in highlighting the role Vance County and Henderson had in the country’s first 250 years of existence.
“We want to highlight that and encourage pride,” Shah said on Monday’s TownTalk. Too often the positive is overshadowed by the negative, he said. “This is a great opportunity – it’s going to be a year full of positivity.”
At a recent Chamber-sponsored Small Business Roundtable, Wilkerson said several key city officials joined the roughly 40 participants to talk. City Manager Paylor Spruill, Assistant City Manager Christy Lipscomb, Downtown Development Coordinator Tracy Madigan and Mayor pro tem Tami Walker made themselves available to listen to concerns and comments.
Everybody was on the same page, with no negativity, Wilkerson said. “The city officials took that time to just talk to these people. We were so grateful – everybody, after that meeting, said ‘This was so good,’” she continued.
“They felt like they had a voice, she said of the participants. “Sometimes, they just want to be heard.”
The Small Business Roundtable is just one example of how the Chamber creates opportunities for the community to come together to network and strengthen community ties.
“It’s not about the Chamber having all the answers, it’s about putting people in the room that can make decisions that are better for the community,” Wilkerson said.
A lot of people will be in the room at the upcoming annual meeting and banquet, scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 19.
Attendees will get a sneak peek at a portion of a video project due for release closer to the July 4 holiday, Shah said, which is in development now.
A retrospective of sorts, he said they’re making use of AI technology “to bring some of those old photos and drawings” to show the history of this area “and get people to say “hmmm, we’re not as bad as we think we are.”
The concept may have been influenced by Shah’s recent participation in Leadership Vance. He said although he has lived in the area for 28 years, the class often provided him surprises – especially on History Day – of things he didn’t know.
The banquet also is the time when the 2025 Citizen of the Year and 2025 Small Business of the Year will be announced.
Deadline for nominations is Thursday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.
Contact the Chamber office at 252.438.8414 to learn more about nomination forms and nomination criteria.
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