Tag Archive for: #hendersonbusinessnews

VGCC announces free Small Business Summit with holiday focus

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has scheduled its sixth annual Small Business Summit for Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the Lake Gaston Lions Club in Henrico. Entitled “Making the Holidays Pay Off,” the free event is designed to help local businesses plan ahead for the upcoming holiday season with innovative marketing practices.

CenturyLink is the presenting sponsor for the event. Local partners helping VGCC to organize the summit are the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.

Business representatives and interested members of the community are invited to attend. Registration is now open at tinyurl.com/holiday-summit.

The day starts off with registration and networking with attendees and vendors at 8 a.m. The first hour-long seminar will be “Shop Local — Buy Local — Invest Local to Gain More Business for You and Your Area” at 8:30 a.m. Presenter Martin Brossman will help participants get the most out of a “Shop Local” program, including the use of social media.

“Holiday Event Planning for the Small Business Owner” follows at 9:45 a.m. with Lisa Gingue of Vino Oasi in Stem. Gingue will discuss planning events that attract holiday shoppers.

At 11 a.m., Brossman will present “Take Photos like a Pro to Get More Business with Your Social Media.” This session covers the basics of low-cost photography techniques to attract more customers with social media and web marketing.

The keynote presentation, from noon until 1 p.m., will be “Get Social! Grow Your Business!” with Kristen Baughman and Stacey Price Sprenz, both of Raleigh-based Tabletop Media Group. Baughman, the founder of the agency, and Sprenz, a photographer, will teach attendees how to take their social media to the next level using photos and videos. They will offer a few tips and tricks on how to promote participants’ businesses and unique holiday offerings to media outlets and social influencers in their community. Tabletop Media Group is a boutique agency serving clients in the food, beverage, agriculture and lifestyle industries.

Lunch will be provided free of charge to the first 100 registered participants by CenturyLink. For more information, contact VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

VGCC offers Business Accelerator course for entrepreneurs

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering a new six-part course, “From Idea to Open: The Business Accelerator,” on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., starting Sept. 9, in Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

The instructor for the course will be Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown has over 15 years of experience in business coaching, community outreach, and social media insight. She holds a master’s of business administration (MBA) degree and has served as president of the Piedmont Triad Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. She helps to reassess strategic priorities and develop a clear plan of action contributes to leadership effectiveness and improved performance for executives and CEOs of businesses.

“Opening a business takes a lot of energy and planning,” Pennix-Brown said. “For those that have a great idea and want to turn it into a business to make money with immediate results, they need a program that is geared to go from ‘Idea to Open’ in a short amount of time.” Pennix-Brown said that the Business Accelerator is a specially-designed, “boot camp-style” course for serious entrepreneurs.

Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive a Business Accelerator Certification and “can expect to have a completed strategic, financial, marketing, and business plan,” she added. “This program is unique as attendees will have one-on-one access with professionals in the legal, accounting, insurance, financial, graphic design, and marketing industries to complete their business vision.”

Classes are scheduled for Sept. 9, Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Oct. 21, Nov. 4 and Nov. 18.

The cost of the course is $70.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center. The deadline to register is Aug. 29.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

–VGCC–

Fred’s Towing and Transport begins New Venture

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Henderson businesses take note:  The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting on July 11th for Outside the Box Promotions & Apparel. Fred and Karrie Fogg recently started Outside the Box Promotions & Apparel, also known as OTB. OTB is a screen printing, vinyl printing, and embroidery shop. They offer many apparel choices such as hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and uniforms for your business, church, school, or athletic team. They also offer promotional items such as pens, cups, glasses, pom-poms, stickers, magnets. OTB is your one stop shop! If you need items for your business, church, school, athletic team, or just need something for a special occasion, they can help you. Stop by their office at 340B Industry Drive in Henderson (behind Lowes Home Improvement). They are located in the same office as Fred’s Towing & Transport, Inc.

Shown at the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting for Fred’s Towing & Transport Inc are Fred and Karrie Fogg; Margie Fogg; Bill Rainey; Will Ramsey; Phillip Taylor; Maxine Taylor; Frank Irvin and Amanda Aiken, Phillips, Dorsey, Thomas, Waters and Bradford; Hillary Brame and Candice Braxton, Union Bank; Linda Cobbs; Facia Elliott; Nadine White; Mayor Eddie Ellington; Vance County Chairman, Dan Brummitt; Desiree Brooks and Diane Robbins, The Daily Dispatch; President HVCC, John Barnes; Chamber Ambassador Kevin Bullock, WIZS Radio 1450 AM; Chamber Board Member Kim Jordan, Benchmark Community Bank; Patsy Rivers, Fidelity Bank; Chamber Ambassador Julia Langston, Kerr Lake Country Club; Chamber Board Member Hunter Peyton, BB&T; Chamber Ambassador Courtney Morgan, Henderson Wellness Center

ETC fire ruled accidental by officials

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On May 30, 2017, personnel from the Henderson Fire Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and ATF conducted an origin and cause examination of the fire scene located at 601 Wakefield Ave Henderson NC.

Based upon the scene examination and witness interviews, it was determined that the fire originated in the Roll Goods Warehouse section of the structure.

The fire resulted from the ignition of a large roll of buffing pad material by sparks from an electric connection on the east wall while an employee was utilizing a forklift to move the buffing pad roll to other areas of the plant for processing.

The fire quickly spread to adjacent rolls of the buffing pad material and quickly overwhelmed the employee’s efforts at suppression as well as the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire investigators conducting the fire scene examination have classified this fire as ACCIDENTAL.

From: Steve F. Cordell, Fire Chief, City of Henderson

H/V Chamber Welcomes Cook Shack Catering

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On Monday, May 22nd, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Cook Shack Catering. Cook Shack Catering is located on Hwy 39 S in Louisburg, NC.

Cook Shack is not new to the Henderson/Vance County area. Many have enjoyed their food over the years. Owner Austin Murray has been catering for more than 20 years. He started out with catering events for friends. Quickly Austin’s catering business grew into Cook Shack Catering Company. Cook Shack can assist with a custom menu for any occasion, large or small. Austin and his excellent catering team provide more than just food for your event. They provide their client and their guests an amazing experience from start to finish. Cook Shack is one of the area’s premier caterers and we are glad to welcome them to the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. Visit Cook Shack Catering at www.cookshackcatering.com or call them at 919-497-0669.

VGCC presents free business seminar on Pinterest

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering a free seminar, “Pinterest Made Easy,” on Thursday, May 11, from 2-4 p.m., in Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Leading the seminar will be Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown has 15 years of experience in business coaching, community outreach, and social media insight. She recently gave a pair of well-received presentations on using mobile apps and Facebook at VGCC’s Small Business Summit in Warrenton. 

With 175 million monthly active users, Pinterest is an increasingly popular social media site for sharing images and videos. “If you have a business where visuals are important, then you want to be on Pinterest,” said Pennix-Brown. She will discuss ways that businesses can use Pinterest to drive traffic to their websites and their other social media outlets. Attendees will learn how to start a business Pinterest page, create their own images for Pinterest sharing, build followers on Pinterest, and use applications to integrate Pinterest with their other marketing.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center. Because this will be a hands-on seminar in a computer lab, seating is limited to the first 18 participants who register by May 5.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

–VGCC–

Local Small Business Summit to be held April 6th at Warren County Armory

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has announced the complete lineup of presenters for the fifth Small Business Summit, which will be held Thursday, April 6, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.

The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission, and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center are partnering with the college to organize the event, which has the theme, “Driving Your Business: Staying Ahead of the Curves.” CenturyLink is the presenting sponsor. Other co-sponsors are Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer, The Daily Dispatch, The Warren Record, WARR 1520 AM and WIZS 1450 AM.

The summit kicks off at 11 a.m. with an interactive session entitled “Google – Get Your Business on the Map,” led by Craig Hahn, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County. Participants are encouraged to set up a free Google/Gmail account prior to this workshop, if they do not already have one. Hahn will help local businesses “claim” their listings on the leading search engine, which will help their customers find up-to-date information. He will also review free tools that Google has available for increased visibility.

During lunch, the keynote address will be presented by Tammy Crowley-Deloatch, a nationally certified personal trainer and president of New Day Fitness in Roanoke Rapids. Her discussion is entitled “Put Your Dreams to the Test,” in which she describes a dream as “an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.” She will ask participants a series of key questions that provide a powerful learning process that greatly increases the likelihood of success in achieving their dreams.

The afternoon features a pair of interactive sessions led by Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown has 15 years of experience in business coaching, community outreach, and social media insight. Her most recent accomplishment is becoming the author of “The 90 Day Focus: Your Action Plan for Success.”

In the first seminar, “Business Apps Made Easy” (1-3 p.m.), Pennix-Brown will teach participants how they can save time and money using mobile apps that help with marketing, syncing calendars, saving content, and creating multiple posts on their social media accounts. Attendees are encouraged to bring their iPhone or Android phones or tablets along with their logins and passwords for existing social media accounts.

The second seminar is “Facebook Made Easy” (3-5 p.m.), in which participants will learn how to use Facebook pages to brand their businesses and engage customers. Pennix-Brown will cover how to start a page from scratch; how to schedule messages that save time; how to automate their marketing and keep people on their page; and apps that integrate to make their businesses stand out.

The purpose of the Small Business Summit is to engage, empower and enrich participants to help make their small businesses more successful through innovative marketing practices. “We welcome all aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profit leaders to participate in this inspirational, educational and motivational experience with us,” said Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center.

All sessions during the summit are free of charge. Lunch will be provided free of charge to the first 100 registered participants by CenturyLink. After that point, lunch is $10.

For more information, contact VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

Schewels Furniture Celebrates 120 Years with Ribbon Cutting

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Hendersonians take note: Schewels Furniture store is celebrating 120 years in business!  With the help of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, vendor representatives, and staff, Schewels Store Manager, Charles Hearn, officially cut the ribbon and welcomed chamber members, Henderson officials, and area businesses on Tuesday, February 21st.

When Elias Schewel, a Russian immigrant, began peddling household goods like adirondack chairs in a horse and buggy in 1897, he could hardly have imagined that his fledgling enterprise would have grown to 52 stores in three states.  Today the company he founded is owned and operated by his fourth generation descendants, Marc Schewel and Jack Schewel. Schewels is a legendary company that was founded on the principles of comfort, innovation, and industry-leading craftsmanship offering gorgeous stationary furnishings to the iconic recliner, where you can always count on quality and awesome customer service.

Schewels consistently provides great opportunities for savings and special deals to their customers.  They offer newsletters, sales circulars, and emails about new sales – all completely free. Let them help transform your house into a home.  If you want to take advantage of the many great offers from Schewels stop in today at their location of 940 S. Beckford Drive in Henderson.  You can also check them out online at www.schewels.com or call them at 252- 492-7066.  Schewel Furniture happily accepts Credit Card, Check Card, Debit Card and eCheck payments and now easy online payments without the charge of a processing fee for any form of online payment.

H-V Chamber Kicks off Leadership Vance 2017

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce kicked off its 2017 Leadership Vance Program with an orientation breakfast at Vance-Granville Community College on February 7.  The group also held its team building and challenge course retreat on February 23 at the Fred G. Bond Metro Park.

The Leadership Vance program is designed to inform, challenge and educate participants on the opportunities and needs of the community and to strengthen their leadership skills while teaching about the social, economic, and political dynamics that shape our community.  The intensive training and exposure to all aspects of the community will provide participants with the historical background and the skills necessary for civic and community positions.  The program is ultimately designed to create a group of informed and dedicated leaders who will contribute to the community.

Participants are exposed to various aspects of Henderson and Vance County, specifically in regard to city and county government, health and community resources, economic development, agriculture and natural resources, history and media and criminal justice and law.

Participants in this year’s class include: Lisa Bender, Capital Campaign Coordinator-Vance Charter School; Desiree Brooks, Advertising Director-The Daily Dispatch; Norwin Fischer, Systems Operations Manager-Walmart DC 6091; Krystal Harris, Director-Vance County Dept. of Social Services; Jennifer Jones, Sales Manager-US Cellular; Sara Lloyd, Director of Customized Training-Vance-Granville Community College; Marty McGraw, Asset Protection Manager-Walmart DC 6091; Sheri Moss, Social Worker II – Work First-Vance County Dept. of Social Services; Jason Spriggs, Water Treatment Operator-Kerr Lake Regional Water System; Paylor Spruill, Assistant to the City Manager-City of Henderson; Joy Suther, Assistant Principal – Dabney Elementary School; Tremanisha Taylor, Youth/Adult Sports Coordinator-Henderson Family YMCA; Ursula Kennedy, Director of Nursing Operations-Maria Parham Health; Tonya Verzaal-Harris, QA Area Manager-Walmart DC 6091; Jessica West, Community Services Sergeant-City of Henderson Police Department; Sallie White, Market Leader-BB&T; Chambers Williams III, Managing Editor-The Daily Dispatch.

H-V Chamber to hold Ribbon Cutting for Schewels Furniture

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Mark your Calendar! Schewel Furniture Company, Inc. is having a Ribbon Cutting.

Please join the Chamber Board and staff for a “120-Year Anniversary Celebration” and ribbon cutting for Schewel Furniture Company, Inc.   The community is invited to come out and meet the warm friendly staff, show your support, and learn all about this local business. The event begins at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, February 21st at their 940 South Beckford Drive location in Henderson.

Enjoy some light refreshments and get the chance to win a special prize!

A little history

When Elias Schewel, a Russian immigrant, began peddling household goods in a horse and buggy in 1897, he could hardly have imagined that his fledgling enterprise would have grown to 52 stores in three states.  Today the company he founded is owned and operated by his fourth generation descendants, Marc Schewel and Jack Schewel.

The Schewels Difference

Thanks to our 600 dedicated employees, Schewels is able to continue the long tradition of bringing our customers the quality, service, and values that were the hallmark of our founder’s early success.

One of our founder’s ideas was to allow customers to pay for their purchases over a period of several months, and today, over 100 years later, Schewels offers a flexible credit plan to suit your budget. Schewels carries all accounts in-house, and you deal only with an experienced credit counselor on-site in each of our stores.

With 52 stores, Schewels tremendous buying power enables us to shop globally and bring to all our markets the best in home furnishings values. Operational efficiencies enables us to offer you our products at low, competitive prices.  In addition to home furnishings, every Schewels carries a full line of bedding, appliances, electronics, outdoor power equipment, and decorative area rugs. You can find more than half of Schewels appliances reviewed and rated on unclutterer.

Schewels carries well-known, respected, famous brands like Bassett, La-Z-Boy, Corinthian, Simmons, Frigidaire, GE, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Troy-Bilt, MTD, Simmons, and Spring Air.

Schewels wants you to be satisfied with your purchase. All home furnishings have a warranty for one year from date of purchase for manufacturers’ defects. See store for details.

For more information, please call 252-492-7066 or check them out on the web at www.schewel.com.