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Post Your Events on our Community Calendar
Don't forget to post your community events on our free calendar at www.tuscaloosachamber.com.
You can subscribe to get a daily email/RSS feed & add items to your own calendar! You can also get a reminder email or text.
We now offer groups an online event registration service for a nominal fee.
Also, a group may put our calendar on its website and may even purchase a sublicense to customize it.
Call 758.7588 for more info.
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SHOP TUSCALOOSA COUNTY!
We can all stimulate our local economy & help raise consumer confidence in 2010!
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Next Mixer at Desperados
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Our next “Chamber Connects” after hours mixer will be held at Desperados Steak House in Indian Hills Square on Tues, Mar 9 from 5-7pm. Join us there for networking in a great atmosphere with fabulous food. Plan now to come and ask a friend! All employees of Chamber member businesses are invited as well as prospective members.
.jpg) Our first mixer of 2010 (right) was hosted by Brown’s Corner Dueling Piano Bar & Grill on Feb 9. It was very well-attended and fun, as expected! |
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Chamber, UA Recognize Entrepreneurs
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Presented by The Chamber and UA College of Commerce and Business Administration, and sponsored by College Station Properties, the annual Entrepreneur Awards event was held at Hotel Capstone on the evening of Feb 25 to honor small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Guest speaker was Janet Gurwitch, founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics.
CONGRATS to our H. Pettus Randall Entrepreneur award winners, recognized during the ceremony. They are as follows.
Rising Starss
Collette Day-Gracefully Done
Greg Davis-d groupe
Carol Armstrong-Armstrong Law
Kara Lindsey & Vicki Meads-Sips N Strokes
Brian Ahmed-Full Moon BBQ
Entrepreneurs of the YearScott Riley, Kelley Riley, Ron Miles-Tusco Fence
Executive Team-Smith’s Machine
Susan Rue-Rhubarbs
Bill Wright-Royal Fine Cleaners
Jay Evans-College Station Properties
Innovator of the Year
Chris Blair, Joe Fendley, Prathima Ryali-Hancock- Insuresoft
Advocate of the Year
Bill Tate-Covenant Consulting
Lifetime Achievement
Jim Flemming-Bank of Tuscaloosa
Jimmy Warren-TotalCom
Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute Entrepreneur Awards were also given. |
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Popular Social Media Class Offered
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Social Media Business Etiquette: The Right Way & Wrong Way (Lunch N Learn) will be offered Mar 4 from 11am-1pm at Tuscaloosa Country Club. Trainer is Donna Gilliland, president and owner of MOSTraining. Cost is only $30, which includes lunch--what a deal!
Overview: First impressions are lasting impressions. Are you making the right ones that will last possibly forever in cyber space? Social media is a powerful way to market your company. There is a right way and a wrong way to use these tools in business.
- Twitter Overview
- Facebook profiles vs Fan pages
- Building a proper profile on Twitter & Facebook
- Branding your pages
- Twitter: follow, following and unfollow best practices
- What should you talk about in 140 characters?
- Should you accept all friend requests on Facebook?
- Engaging your Facebook audience
Twitter and Facebook are two very important players in the social media arena. Are you using them correctly in business? Find out.
Call 758.7588 or email tracy@tuscaloosachamber.com to register. Non-members are welcome at a different cost. |
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THANKS, Chamber Champions!
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We especially appreciate the great support our Chamber Champions give us to accomplish our many goals each year. The following have committed for 2010.
DIAMOND LEVEL
AT&T
Bank of Tuscaloosa
Clear Channel Communications
DCH Health System
Mercedes-Benz US International
NuCor Steel
University of Alabama
WVUA TV
PLATINUM LEVEL
Alabama Power Company
YellowBook USA
GOLD LEVEL
Alabama Gas Corporation
Bryant Bank
Harrison Galleries
NHS Management
Parker Towing Company
Westervelt Company
SILVER LEVEL
Alabama One Credit Union
BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama
JamisonMoneyFarmer PC
Premier Service Company
Pritchett-Moore, Inc.
UA College of Arts & Sciences
Ward Scott Veron Architects Inc
WJRD
ZF Industries
BRONZE LEVEL
Advantage Realty
Brion Hardin Construction
Buffalo Rock Pepsi
Cabaniss Engineering
Capstone Bank
D.T. & Freight Company, Inc.
Doug Hollyhand Construction
Duckworth-Morris-Garrison Real Estate
Heritage Health Care & Rehab, Inc
Jessup, Ingram, Burns & Associates LLP
McAbee Construction Company
Regions Bank
Southeastern Fabricators
Spiller Associated Furniture Stores
Tennis Jackson Electric
TotalCom, Inc
TTL, Inc
SPECIAL LEVEL
College Station Properties
Ellis Architects
Jim Walter Resources
Lewis-Smyth-Winter
Morgan Keegan
Regions Bank
Tanner & Guin
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Shelby Keynotes First Chamber in Session of 2010
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 US Senator Richard Shelby will keynote the first Chamber in Session of 2010 on Mon morning, Mar 1 at 7:30am at Hotel Capstone. Brought to you by The Chamber in partnership with sponsor Tanner & Guin, the program will provide a review and preview of current Congressional issues. There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. Seating is extremely limited at this point. Call 758.7588 or 391.0559, if interested in attending. |
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Shop B&N Next Week & Support School Libraries
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United Way of West Alabama, Adopt-A-School, and the Literacy Council of West Alabama have partnered to promote literacy in West Alabama on Mar 2, Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss' Birthday. Approx 125 volunteers were recruited to read to area elementary schools on that day.
Visit Barnes & Noble in Midtown Village from Tues, Mar 2-Sat, Mar 6 and mention the word 'literacy' at check out; a portion of the proceeds from any purchase will go to TuscaloosaCity and CountySchool libraries.
 Photo caption: Northington Elem students prepare for Read Across America Day by unpacking the 600 books received through the Reading is Our Target grant from Target stores.
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WIB Council Discusses First Impressions
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We don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. We have about 60 seconds to make one. What are you doing with your 60 seconds in the business world?
The Women In Business Council of The Chamber is hosting a Roundtable on Thurs, Mar 11 at 11:30am at the University Church of Christ (behind Wings restaurant) on the 2nd floor. Guest speaker will be Josephine Davis, community volunteer. She will speak about utilizing the first impression and share some pointers on how to improve it. Following her presentation, Davis will be a part of a panel discussion with Jennifer Wilson of Express Employment Professionals and Carol Armstrong of Armstrong Law, LLC.
As always, the time together will be a great networking opportunity for women in the Tuscaloosa business community. Reservations are necessary and the cost is $20/person, which includes lunch. Call Stacey Gann at 391.0559 or email stacey@tuscaloosacamber.com no later than Mar 9. |
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Social Media Toolbox
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Twitter Quick Tip: by Donna Gilliland/www. MOSTraining.com
Hashtags (#) are used to categorize messages. For example, I recently attended the winter NSA (National Speaker’s Association) conference and the hashtag for the event was #NSA10. Each time I tweeted about what I was learning in the event I tagged the tweet message with #NSA10. Now, what if you wanted to view all the juicy tidbits of information that was tweeted from that conference? That is where the little hashtag will become your best friend. You can quickly aggregate all tweets from a specific hashtag in one central location using http://www.search.twitter.com. View the quick and easy steps below.
2. Type in your hash tag. Ex. #NSA10
3. Click Search
Note: the example hashtag shown above is for the National Speaker’s 2010 conference which was held in Nashville, TN in Feb. View all the tweets there to pick up some great tips on social media. I was there and tweeting away from the various social media workshops! |
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Capitol Park Antiques, Interiors & Gifts Opens
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 Capitol Park Antiques, Interiors & Gardens celebrated the shop opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb 1. It’s located in a Queen Anne Victorian house, built in 1908, at 2625 University Blvd in downtown Tuscaloosa, one block from Capitol Park and the Old Tavern. It offers distinctive antiques, gifts, and home furnishings laid out in room settings. Learn more at www.capitolparkantiques.com or call 342.0055. |
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JM Wireless Hosts Open House
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 New premium Verizon retailer JM Wireless hosted an Open House on Jan 28 at their store in the Publix Shopping Center, off of Hwy 69 So. Call 764.0533 for great deals on cellular devices. |
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Ellie Crimson Celebrates Opening
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 A ceremony was held on Feb 10 for the new Ellie Crimson women’s apparel store on The Strip, in the plaza with Coldstone Creamery. Address is 1130 Univ. Blvd., Ste. B-4. Stop by to meet the crew and see their great inventory. Call 345.3155 for details. |
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Smile Design Center Relocates
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Drs. Chris Taylor and Earl Hydrick held a ribbon cutting on Feb 3 for their new dental office, The Smile Design Center, now located at 300 Towncenter Blvd. The new office features great architecture and an “art gallery” atmosphere. An adult “quiet zone” is designed for adults to relax and decompress while the “family” lounge area is a “family friendly” zone. The two areas separated by a partition which comes together at the beverage bar. The Smile Design Center is a family dental practice with an emphasis on preventive and cosmetic dentistry using metal free fillings and crowns and offering a wide range of services. For more info, call 750.8008 or visit www.smiledesigncenter.net. |
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Welcome, New Members!
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The following joined from Jan 1 to date.
Alabama AG Credit
Kinnucan’s
d groupe
Lamar Advertising
The Booth Downtown
Colonial Life
CATS EMS/Safety
Game Day Tents, LLC
Fast Teks Computer Repair
Steve Richardson & Co, CPA
Moe’s Original BBQ
Latham Engineering, LLC
Tusco Fence, Inc
Kabel Hearing
Allied Waste Industries
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Members in Motion
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First Tee Begins Season
PARA’s First Tee program, for junior golfers ages 6-18, will begin its 2010 season at Ol Colony Golf Course on Feb 27 from 1-3pm. Come learn about the program and register a child to play. There will be games, food and beverages. Call 562.3201 or email mshivetts@tcpara.org for more info.
Musicians Perform at Barnes & Noble
Celtic singer Jil Chambless will perform LIVE at Barnes & Noble on Sat, Feb 27 at 2pm. Chambless will be accompanied by musician Scooter Muse and will sign her current CD and chat with fans. Event is free and her cd is available in-store. Call 349.6366 for more info.
2010 Jewish Film Festival at the Bama
The Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa Co and Temple Emanu-El will present the 8th Annual Jewish Film Festival Feb 27–Mar 2 at the Bama Theatre. A reception featuring Jewish food will be held at 6pm on the 27th will be limited to 200 patrons. Film festival passes (including reception and all five films) are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/98102 for a discounted price of $25. Admission to both the food festival and screening of A Serious Man is $10. Tickets for individual films will also be on sale at the box office prior to their screening for $7-$6-$5. For more info call 758.5195 or visit www.tuscarts.org for a complete synopsis of films and festival details.
Community Conversations Begin
Tuscaloosa’s Mayor Maddox launched his first Community Conversations Initiative in 2007. Due to its overwhelming success, this has become an annual event. The 4th Annual Community Conversations series will kick off soon. This is a new approach to hosting a town hall meeting--Instead of talking at residents, the Mayor, Council Members and Dept Heads talk directly with the people who pay their salaries. Conversations will be held three separate times across the City from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and each one is a come-and-go event. There will be no long speeches and presentations, just City leaders and info at your disposal. The dates and locations for the 2010 Community Conversations are: Thurs, Mar 4 at Westlawn Middle School; Thurs, Mar 11 at Alberta Elem; and Thurs, Mar 25 at Southview Middle School. Register to win reserved ticket seating for the Tuscaloosa Regional Air Show. Refreshments will be provided. For more info, call 311.
Hospice of West AL Hosts Family 5K Walk/Run
The agency will host this first annual fundraising event on Sat, Mar 6 at 8:00 am; Registration begins at 7am at The McAbee Center. Cost is $20 and first 150 registrants get a T shirt. 5K begins at The McAbee Center and ends at Hospice of West Alabama. Big Al will be there and live music will be provided by the Cowboy Way Band. For more info, call 523.0101 or visit www.hospiceofwestalabama.com (see “news” tab).
Nancy Taylor News
A well-known plastic surgeon from B’ham will be at Nancy Taylor Day Spa on Mar 6. Call 391.4585 to book your free consultation or appt for Botox, Restylane or Laser. |
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Don't forget to renew your Chamber membership for 2010! We appreciate your investment.
Alacare Home Health & Hospice held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb 4 for its fine new building on Watermelon Rd. Find out all about this great company at