Tag Archive for: #warrencountychamberofcommerce

Local Chambers Recognize 2018 Small Business of the Year Recipients

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The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Franklin, Granville and Warren County Chambers and the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, hosted the seventeenth annual Small Business Luncheon at the Henderson Country Club on Thursday, May 9, 2019.

The 2018 Small Business of the Year award recipients included Holland Industrial, Vance County; US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC, Granville County; Focus Design Builders, Franklin County; and Hardware Café, Warren County.

Holland Industrial receives the 2018 Vance County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Patrick Brame, Bobby Powell, Charles “Charlie” Brown and Vanessa Jones, interim president, Henderson-Vance Chamber. (WIZS photo)

Duke Energy was once again the presenting sponsor for this event. Tanya Evans, district manager for Duke Energy, thanked the small business owners and staff members for their contributions to the community and for their level of commitment.

“As a small business owner, you don’t get to turn it off at 5 p.m. and go home. This is a way of life for you and takes dedication and commitment,” Evans said.

Keynote speaker John Alston, owner of A&S Pest Control and winner of the Warren County Chamber’s 2008 Small Business of the Year award, spoke on his 42 years of success as a local small business owner.

“Success is not about how much money you make, it’s about the relationships you form and your enjoyment of the job you are doing,” Alston explained.

Alston said he felt blessed to have started a company that allows him to do what he enjoys while also providing financially for other families.

After hearing from Alston, Vanessa Jones, interim president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber, presented the 2018 Vance County award to electric motor and mechanical repair facility Holland Industrial.

Focus Design Builders receives the 2018 Greater Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Jonathan Williams, Paul Eitel and John Barnes, executive director, Greater Franklin Chamber. (WIZS photo)

Located on West Montgomery Street in Henderson, the “employee-owned” company was started by Charles S. Holland, Sr. in 1952 and has expanded to include 35 employees and a 150-mile sales territory today.

Now in its third generation of management, Holland President Charles “Charlie” Brown thanked the Chamber for their support and said he hopes Holland will be around to celebrate their 100th anniversary in a few decades.

John Barnes, executive director for the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, presented the Franklin County award to Focus Design Builders, a construction-based company offering a single point of contact for design and construction services.

Founded in 2010 during an ebb in the construction industry, CEO Paul Eitel said it was faith that prompted him and his two business partners to start a construction business.

Three months into the business with $8 million in sales, Eitel said that faith paid off. The company now estimates 300-400 families benefit from the revenue generated by their small business alone.

Jonathan Williams, project developer for Focus Design Builders, also mentioned the education he received at Vance-Granville Community College before transferring to a four-year university.

US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC receives the 2018 Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Aurora Birch, Tom Birch and Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency. (WIZS Photo)

“I’m proof that you can receive a quality education here locally,” Williams said in support of VGCC.

Granville County’s award recipient, US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC was presented their award by Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency.

Tom Birch, president, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. Launched in Oxford in 2005 and expanding to South Boston in 2006, Birch said the station has approximately 45,000 listeners today.

Birch also proclaimed that “radio is alive and well” and is still the most effective medium of all reach platforms, including television, in the constantly-evolving communications game.

Warren County Chamber Chair Kathleen Derring presented the Warren County award to Hardware Café manager Haley Paynter.

Hardware Cafe receives the 2018 Warren County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Haley Paynter and Kathleen Derring, chair of Warren Chamber. (WIZS Photo).

Located in downtown Warrenton, the previous hardware store, now affectionately known by locals as the “red and black” café, has quite the history, including a recent change in management with Paynter at the helm.

Derring said this award was “a long time coming” for the Hardware Café and explained that as a small business owner herself, she knew that loving what you do is essential for success.

Held in conjunction with National Small Business Week, the annual luncheon highlighted and supported what Henderson-Vance Chamber Chair Nancy Wykle referred to as “the backbone of our community and our economy both nationally and locally, small business.”

Warren County’s First Annual Cookoff Rescheduled for Sat., July 7

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County | Kathleen Derring, Chamber President~ 252-257-2657 ~ info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

On Saturday, July 7, the Stone Square Lodge of Warrenton will host the first ever Warren County Cookoff on the Historic Courthouse Square in Warrenton. This family-friendly event will feature music, games and of course lots of great food.

Currently, they’re seeking vendors and sponsors. Judging will take place to determine the best beef, chicken, ribs, BBQ & Specialty Food. For more information contact Jonte Hawkins @ 252-767-4051 or via email at jontehawkins@gmail.com.

Here are the details from their website:

This competition is open to anyone who wants to see if they are the best. There will be five categories:

 Chicken

 Beef brisket

 Ribs (Pork and Beef)

 Barbecue (Pork)

 Specialty items

Also, they will have a People’s Choice award where people will vote for the best in each category. This event is still in the planning stages. Vendor and competition applications are available…

1. Go to the Contest Registration or Vendor Application by clicking here.

2. Print Registration

3. Applications may be mailed (but email is faster and ensures a better probability of securing a spot)

4. If you are submitting your application via email send in your application then purchase a vendor space via Paypal link on each registration page

For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

A Goodbye From Former Warren Co. Chamber Executive Director Craig Hahn

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County |  info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

— by Craig Hahn

It is with great sadness that I let you know I submitted my resignation recently to our Board of Directors as the Executive Director of The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County. My final day as Director was May 31.

Please know that I have tried for many months to find any other solution beyond leaving this wonderful job working for you and the Chamber; however, circumstances have made it necessary to make a change to focus on providing support for my family.

Working with the Chamber and with all of you has been a dream-come-true for me…promoting a community that I love dearly, working with incredible local businesses, telling stories (and learning those stories from the experts) and hopefully, making a difference in the quality of life for all of us here in Warren County. If there were any other option available to me, I would have chosen it over this.

Kathleen (Rose) Derring is the new President of the Board of Directors and is working with the rest of the Board to revamp and continue the operations of the Chamber to serve you and our Warren County business community. The email newsletter will continue to be delivered each week with a new editor.

Again, thank you for your support, belief and friendship. I know that the future is bright for Warren County and this wonderful business community.

-Craig Hahn

Annual Warren Co. Chamber Meeting Set for Thurs., June 14

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County | Craig Hahn, Executive Director ~ 252-257-2657 ~ info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

— by Craig Hahn

One of my favorite events of the year connected with the Chamber is our Annual Meeting. Not only is it a chance to enjoy a great meal with some wonderful people, it’s also a chance for us to celebrate Warren Couny, our strong business community and the things we’ve accomplished over the past year.

Now, when I joined the Chamber in 2015 our Annual Meeting was in October…even though our year runs from July through June. As we started 2018 I asked our Board of Directors why we held the meeting in October instead of near our fiscal year start…and we couldn’t come up with a reason.

So, to help kick off your Summer and to begin a new tradition, our Annual Meeting is going to be held on Thursday, June 14 this year. This year’s meeting is sponsored by our long-time supporters at Maria Parham Health of Henderson. The Social Hour will be sponsored by Warren Estate.

We have a treat for you in our location for this year’s meeting: The Old Cotton Gin at the corner of Franklin & Hall Streets in Warrenton. I know you’re going to be blown away by the incredible renovations that Anne & Tommy have done over the past 1.5 years. Dinner will be catered by Honey’s Kitchen…a local chef that is becoming the favorite for a number of groups hosting events here in Warren County.

The time is 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. and tickets are the same as 2017…$25 each. Look for your official invitation, more details and tickets to go on sale later this week. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in 3 weeks!

(This is not a paid advertisement)

“Discover History Worth Repeating” in Warrenton

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County | Craig Hahn, Executive Director ~ 252-257-2657 ~ info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

— by Craig Hahn

Discover History Worth Repeating is up and running in Edenton, Halifax and Warrenton. This program is a unique collaboration of three historic North Carolina towns coming together in a joint effort to market and promote themselves as connected tourist destinations. Involving elected officials and staff, the common thread among the three towns is a strong core of history and historic sites that are significant not only to the state but to the entire nation.

On occasion, it is important to repeat significant events of the past and each town has examples to “Discover History Worth Repeating”. Edenton with its Tea Party was home to a political protest organized by women in response to the Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Halifax with its Resolves was the site of the first official action by an American Colony calling for independence from Great Britain. Warrenton, home of the “first” architect of North Carolina, Jacob Holt, blended architectural styles while sending his workforce of sixty craftsmen to build colleges in Raleigh, Oxford and Randolph County.

The passport tour leads visitors through the participating towns and the passports are stamped at each historic, merchant, or artisan location. Hands-on activities in each town are tailored for kids of all ages: re-signing the resolves in Halifax, building architectural elements in Warrenton and cruising the bay where the Tea Party occurred in Edenton. Passport holders share their experiences online and register for giveaways and prizes.

For more information or to print a passport visit www.historyworthrepeating.org. Preprinted passports are available at any of the following locations:

Warrenton:

 Jacob Holt House – 122 S. Bragg Street

 Quilt Lizzy – 115 E. Market Street

 Town Hall – 133 S. Main Street

 Hardware Café – 106 S. Main Street

 Robinson Ferry Restaurant – 111 N. Bragg Street

 The Scarlet Rooster – 117 N. Main Street

 Friends Two – 126 S. Main Street

There are plenty of activities to do around Warrenton as part of “Discover History Worth Repeating”…

– Scavenge for relics at the Jacob Holt House.

– Build an architectural model with an artisan’s guidance at the Jacob Holt House.

– Design and make a quilt square using Underground Railroad symbols at Quilt Lizzy.

– Wander through Warrenton at your own pace and see North Carolina’s most extensive inventory of antebellum architecture in one place…start at Town Hall or the Jacob Holt House.

The website is www.historyworthrepeating.org. Great work from a number of dedicated people throughout Warrenton and Warren County!

It’s Warren County Map Time!

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-Courtesy of Chamber Connections, the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County’s weekly newsletter

It’s Warren County Map Time Again! Two Years Since Our Last Update!

It’s hard to believe, but it was two years ago this month that we began compiling our first new Warren County map in several years…and now, it’s time to update those maps! These new maps will be released in early summer for our residents and visitors to Warren County.

As before, the support for this map will come from our great sponsoring businesses. This week, I’ll be contacting previous and new sponsors along with our representative from SouthEast Map Solutions. Once published, we’ll have more than 5,000 maps to distribute promoting our wonderful county.

We plan to include the following features in this year’s map: detailed street maps of Warrenton, Norlina & Macon – detailed road map of all roads within Warren County – update locations of more than 40 sites in the Preservation Warrenton Driving Tour of the County – update locations of the 50+ homes and businesses in the Preservation Warrenton Walking Tour of Warrenton as well as the African American Walking Tour of Warrenton – include 16 additional Rosenwald Schools identified since the last map – designation of the Haliwa-Saponi official State of NC area within Warren County.

If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor, we have a limited number of ad positions available. Each sponsor receives a minimum of 50 maps for distribution in addition to the on-map ad. Please email info@warren-chamber.org or call 252-257-2657 if you’d like to be included in this countywide project.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

“Santa’s Christmas List” Needs Your Help

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— courtesy The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County | Craig Hahn, Executive Director ~ 252-257-2657 ~ info@warren-chamber.org ~ Facebook

“Santa’s Christmas List” Needs Your Help — Final Week For Gifts For Warren County Children

We need your help! As you’re out and about this week, could I ask you to please pick up a toy here and a book there for children in Warren County? We have a great many children in need of presents for Christmas Morning…

Thanks to your overwhelming generosity last year, Social Services was able to hand out toys, books and other gifts that guaranteed Christmas Morning smiles for more than 733 children. This year we’d like to help at least that many children.

The donation locations are easy to find…just look for the very LARGE wrapped box at a number of Warren County locations…and our thanks to David Gardner at Warrenton Furniture Exchange for once again supplying us with these boxes! We’re looking for toys (both fun & educational), clothes/hats/gloves, stuffed toys, books, candy, gift cards for 13-16 year olds…really, anything new and unwrapped that you think would bring some joy to a child.

Then, just drop them by one of the following locations in the big wrapped boxes in Warrenton: Chamber of Commerce of Warren Office, Warren Record, WARR 1520 AM, First Citizens Bank, BB&T, Warrenton Town Hall, Milano’s, Firehouse Biscuits & Burgers and Pete Smith Tire & Quick Lube. In Norlina: White’s Barber Shop, Norlina Town Hall, Norlina Auto Parts and The Whistle Stop Cafe. If you’re up at the Lake, you can drop your gifts by The Lake Gaston Chamber Office on Eaton Ferry Road.

New Bakery Coming to Historic Downtown Warrenton

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by Craig Hahn

You can start licking your lips in anticipation of great cakes and more when they open. I was fortunate enough to buy a cupcake from them during Spring Fest and I have to say it was like eating chocolate air…absolutely delicious!

The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County & The Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce will be at 108 South Main Street on 31 May…Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for Bakery Pride’s Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting. Join us to celebrate and enjoy some of their outstanding baking!

Chamber of Commerce of Warren County Announces “Dollar Days Raffle”

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Calling All Chamber Members…Join in Our “Dollar Days Raffle” Chamber Fundraiser to Give Customers Chance For Big Prizes!

I’m excited to announce the first steps in our upcoming “Dollar Days Raffle” for Warren County. If you’re a Chamber member, look for a visit from me or one of our Board Members in the next week as we collect prizes for a big giveaway.

Here’s how the Raffle will work: We’ll give people a chance to win one of 40 prizes (38 prizes from our members and a cash prize of $500 and $250). Beginning Saturday 22 April tickets go on sale at Spring Fest on the Historic Courthouse Square in Warrenton. We’ll have preliminary prize drawings on 15 May and 12 June, with the big drawing to be held at the Ridgeway Cantaloupe Festival on 8 July.

How Can You Help? Simple…we’re looking for donated prizes from our Members. If you can’t give merchandise, then you can follow BB&T’s lead and give a $50 Visa Gift Card. I’ll provide a receipt for your taxes. Then, we’ll give each prize-donating business a poster for your window to promote your giveaway and tickets for sale. Your business gets extra promotion and your customers get a chance to win great prizes.

If you’re interested in donating before I get a chance to visit with you, please call me at 252-257-2657 or email me at info@warrenchamber.org. Looking forward to a great promotion!
Craig Hahn

Executive Director