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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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Let Your Bucks Stop Here!
Shop Tuscaloosa County this spring.
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Next Mixer at Wintzell's
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 Our next “Chamber Connects” after hours mixer will be at Wintzell’s on Tues, June 8 from 5-7pm. We’ll network on the patio and be treated to the restaurant’s signature seafood! Plan to come and bring a friend--All employees of Chamber member businesses are invited as well as prospective members.
Had a great time at the May mixer, held at the beautiful Houndstooth condos complex. Bottomfeeders did an outstanding job catering the event. |
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Women In Business to Host Roundtable Breakast
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The Women In Business Council of The Chamber of Commerce is hosting a breakfast Roundtable on Thurs, June 10 at 7:30am at Capstone Village. Guest speaker will be Suzanne Dowling, co-founder of the Arts ‘n Autism After School Program and Summer Day Camp and Media Relations Coordinator for the UA Office of Media Relations.
Dowling will discuss how to find passion for what you do, wherever you find yourself. She’ll also speak about using your job skills outside the office to better your community. She is the mother of a son with autism and will share with us how that changed her life both personally and professionally.
Dowling served as chair of “Stand Up for Autism,” the comedy event benefiting the Autism Society of Alabama and Arts ‘n Autism, in 2007, 2008, 2009, and will serve as chair for the 2010 event.
As always, our time together will be a great networking opportunity for women in our business community. Also, door prizes will be given by random drawing.
Reservations are necessary and the cost is $20/person, which includes a breakfast buffet. Call 391.0559 or e-mail stacey@tuscaloosachamber.com no later than June 7 to register.
Capstone Village is located at 601 5th Ave E in Tuscaloosa, off University Blvd, near DCH. Parking is available in the front oval as well as in the Visitor spaces in lots north and south of the circle and the lot facing the varsity tennis courts to the north of the main building. |
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2010 Washington Fly In Set for September
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 The Chamber’s annual Washington Fly In has been set for Sept 29 & 30. The Fly In, known for its effectiveness and impact, is open to any Chamber member. Once again, the Chamber delegation will be headquartered at the Hotel George, only two blocks from Capitol Hill.
Arrangements are currently underway for visits with all members and professional staff of the Alabama Congressional delegation as well as the annual Congressional dinner. Watch for details and reservation info coming soon. Space is limited! Email johnnie@tuscaloosachamber.com, if interested, to reserve your spot. |
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Shelton State to Host Adopt-A-School Kickoff Breakfast
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 Celebrating the completion of 25 years of supporting area schools, the annual Adopt-A-School Breakfast Seminar, scheduled for Tues, Aug 3, will officially kickoff the 2010-11 AAS year. The seminar, held at Shelton State Community College, will begin with a buffet breakfast at 7:30am. Seminar provides a unique opportunity for school personnel in both the Tuscaloosa Co System and Tuscaloosa City System to meet together and network with community businesses and leaders.
Attending will be representatives from all 57 public schools in the Tuscaloosa City and Co Systems as well as business leaders representing the 93 business and professional organizations who partner with area schools. Two partnerships have just completed their 20th year together and will be recognized. Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center & Arcadia Elementary School and The Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa & Northside High School have been partners since 1990. Also, First Federal Bank & Matthews Elementary School and TTL, Inc & Hillcrest Middle School have been partners since 2000 and will receive the Decade of Excellence Award.
Following the opening session, school and business coordinators will attend breakout workshops and develop plans for the 2010-11 school year. Click here for a registration form (available at www.tuscaloosachamber.com). Early bird registration is available through July 16 for $12/person. After that, cost for registration is $15/person. For more info contact Loo Whitfield at 391.0563 or loo@tuscaloosachamber.com. |
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Support AAS Golf & Tennis Tournaments
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Help our local schools and play golf on one of the top-ranked municipal courses in the Southeast! Ol’ Colony golf complex recently named in “2010 Golfweek’s Best Municipal Courses,” ranking 49th in the USA on the list, will host the 2010 Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Adopt-A-School Golf Tournament on Sept 9, 2010.
All teams in the four-man scramble will begin play with a shotgun start at 1pm. Early bird registration for $500/team is available now through Aug 9. After that, regular registration will resume and the cost will be $600/per team. Click here for registration form (available at www.tuscaloosachamber.com). Includes green fees, range balls, cart and lunch. Patrick Agee of Advantage Realty is chairing the tournament this year.
Sponsorships Available for Golf and Tennis Tournaments
Proceeds benefit every public school in our community and provide critical funding for the coordination and administration of the AAS program for the Tuscaloosa City and Tuscaloosa County School Systems. A variety of sponsorships are available for both tournaments.
Eagle Sponsorships include recognition and sponsorships at both the Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Golf and Tennis Tournaments; TV and radio exposure; golf hole sponsorship; tennis court sponsor sign; the opportunity to man a booth at both tournaments; signage at both tournaments and recognition in all publications.
A variety of other sponsorships including closest to the pin awards; tournament prizes; scorecard, cart and hole sponsorships are also available. Along with the traditional court sponsorships, lunch/scoreboard and player favor sponsorships are now available!
Click here for sponsorship forms (posted at www.tuscaloosachamber.com). For more info, contact Loo Whitfield at loo@tuscaloosachamber.com or 391.0563.
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Gov Riley Headlines Chamber in Session
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 Alabama Governor Bob Riley presented a special program to a packed house recently at Chamber in Session, presented by Tanner & Guin on May 26 at Hotel Capstone. Event was coordinated by The Chamber's Public Affairs group.
Riley predicted that Alabama will be the nation’s leader in economic growth and industrial development in the next 10-5 years. If we can keep the things we have without the changes being pushed in Washington, that is.
Riley praised UA president Robert Witt for his vision and actions to grow the UA and said our education system is about to become one of the best and most competitive in the country. Riley noted that charter schools for K-12th grade and merit pay for teachers must be part of education reform.
As for the recession, Riley said the state has been hurt economically and that unemployment is still a problem but the state’s efforts in industrial development and improving education will help it rise above the national average in time.
Riley said lessons have been learned from the recent oil rig explosion in the Gulf. He opposes ending offshore drilling since that would make the nation dependent on oil from countries that are hostile to the US but feels that states like Alabama, that are more at risk for slicks, should be compensated accordingly.
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Literacy Council of West Alabama Elects New Leadership Team
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The Literacy Council of West Alabama recently elected new officers for 2010 along with several new members of the board of directors. Elected to serve were: Jackie Hurt, Chair, UA Honors College; Julie Sittason, Vice Chair for service providers; Dr. Bruce Berger, Vice Chair for Communications, UA; Sandra Ray, Vice Chair for programs, Hall-Ray Realty; Camille Cochrane, Secretary, Shelton State Community College; Chuck Turner, Treasurer, Tennis Jackson Electric; and Johnnie Aycock, Immediate Past Chairman and Interim Director, The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
Among the new directors include: Kim Ingram, Tanner & Guin; Nicole Henderson, BF Goodrich; Jamie Naidoo, UA; Fran Turner, Shelton State Community College; Dr. Frank Stegall, Hale Co Schools; and Martin Houston, PraiseFest Ministries. |
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Career-Tech Council Forming
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As an outgrowth of The Chamber’s work and advocacy for a regional career-tech high school, a new county-wide career-tech council is forming that will include representation from the leadership of the Tuscaloosa City and County Boards of Education and The Chamber.
Among the recommendations that The Chamber’s Regional High School Task Force presented to the City and County Boards of Education was to establish an ongoing corporate, business-led management advisory board be established to provide counsel and accountability for policy, leadership, management support, curriculum design and guidance for both the regional high school and the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology.
Both school boards along with The Chamber’s leadership team have agreed to move forward, and a 20-member council is currently being formed to begin its work. The council will be coordinated through the Education & Workforce Development Division of The Chamber led by Division Vice Chair, Gary Phillips. Watch for more details coming soon. |
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Chamber Livability Initiative Moving Forward
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An adopted priority initiative in 2010, The Chamber has established the “Livability Task Force” with the purpose to develop, advocate and execute strategies to achieve the status as one of America’s top ten most livable communities. The 45-person team is led by Pam Smith of Ellis Architects and Jason Walker of Almon & Associates.
“There will be several components of our efforts”, said Pam Smith, who also serves as The Chamber’s Division Chair for Community Development. “These include: 1)defining livability qualities, benchmarks and measurable goals and initiating a regular “livability scorecard”; 2) identifying peer cities to review, visit and benchmark; 3) raising the community’s awareness, promoting livability and enhancing image; and 4) identifying opportunities to improve the “gateways” leading into our community.”
Three working teams have been implemented to address specific goals. These include the Livability Score Card team, led by Nicki Simmons of the Tuscaloosa Association of Realtors; the Image and Marketing Team, led by Alice Maxwell of Advantage Realty Group; and the Gateways/Physical Image Team, chaired by Kris Sodergren of Rosen Harwood.
Ten members of the leadership team recently visited Huntsville for two days, which is currently listed as Kiplinger’s #1 of Most Livable Cities in America, to learn from their business, governmental, cultural and civic leaders the keys to their success. Visits and research efforts are also being planned to look at other ‘top ten’ livable communities, including Athens, Georgia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; and Greenville, South Carolina. |
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Environmental Task Force Re-activated
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With concern over recent published reports on air quality by the American Lung Association concerning Tuscaloosa County and current discussions in Congress over EPA air quality restrictions, The Chamber’s environmental task force is being re -activated to address these important policy and environmental concerns.
The Chamber recognizes that environmental issues impact the area’s economic vitality and livability and has been involved in air quality issues in the past, representing the needs and interest of business as well as the regional community. Watch for more details as the task force begins its work in the coming weeks. The Environmental Task Force is part of our Governmental Affairs Division led by Division Vice Chair, Roy Clem. |
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Photo Contest Deadline is Monday!
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 Enter our Tuscaloosa County Photo Contest! Bring us your favorite photo of Tuscaloosa County or life in Tuscaloosa County. Your image could become The Chamber’s official one for a year, on several printed pieces. Plus, winning shots will be installed as a special exhibit at Harrison Galleries. And winners get great prizes like a Canon Rebel T1I camera & lens (1st Place), $200 cash (2nd Place) and $100 cash (3rd Place).
Enter at American Shutterbug, located at 700 Towncenter Blvd, Ste 2 in Tuscaloosa. Phone number is 345.2637. Deadline for entry is next Mon, May 31. Call 391.0561 or email robin@tuscalooschamber.com for more info. |
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Social Media Toolbox: Manage Linkedin from Outlook
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By Donna Gilliland, Social Media Specialist
Manage your Linkedin Contacts from Outlook
Are you on Linkedin and do you use Outlook? If so, you may want to manage your Linkedin contacts from the convenience of Outlook. It all starts with a simple download of a special Outlook toolbar.
Linkedin management benefits from within Outlook
- Update your Outlook contacts with LinkedIn profile information.
- Receive notifications when your contacts change their LinkedIn profiles.
- See when people you e-mail frequently are not in your network.
- A convenient info button in all your contacts that you can click to view a mini profile of your contact.
- A Dashboard button to view Linkedin connections, recommendations, and more.
- A Status button on the toolbar to quickly update your status.
What happens when I download the Linkedin Outlook toolbar program?
When you download the program, the installation process will begin. At the end of the download you will be presented with a setup wizard that will guide you through the easy setup steps. In addition, the wizard will give you information on ways to use this great management toolbar.
Accessing the download
You may first want to check with your company on any policies and procedures that may be in place regarding the download of programs to your computer.
Once you access the download site using the link below you will have an opportunity to read more about the Linkedin Outlook toolbar feature first and then decide if it is for you. In addition, the site page will tell you the minimum system requirements for download.
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New Coffee & Tea Shop Opens Downtown
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 Chloe’s Cup Coffees & Teas is located at 2117 University Blvd, next to Merle Norman, a block down from Moe’s BBQ. Quaint shop also sells salads, sandwiches and desserts. Ribbon cutting was held May 20. Call 764.0218 for more info. |
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Tree House Farm & Nursery Opens
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 One of the fastest growing landscape nurseries in the Southeast has opened a location in Tuscaloosa. Tree House Farm & Nursery recently purchased Dunn’s Nursery and Greenhouses, located at 6052 Watermelon Road across from the Sokol Park equestrian center. Other locations include Atlanta, Huntsville, and Selma with plans to expand. It’s a one-stop, full-service operation for both the do-it-yourselfer and the professional landscaper. They’ll stock plants and supplies that had not been available here before or were very hard to find at affordable prices.
You’re invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony on Fri, May 21 at 11am. Grand opening festivities are planned for Sat, May 22nd (9am-6pm) and Sun, May 23rd (1-5pm) with fun for the entire family. Call 758.6064 for more info. |
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Welcome, New Members!
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The following joined from Apr 1 to date.
Denson Brantley Advertising
Gutherie Construction, Inc
Sterling Limo-Cab
Gameday Housing, LLC
Davis Dental of Tuscaloosa
Proscape
Colonial Life & Accident
Ai Corporate Interiors
Chesapeake Consulting, Inc
Advanced Disposal Services
AWOA Ability Workers of AL
Riverside Family Medicine
Zaxby's (all 3 area locations)
Weight Watchers North America
Advantage Staffing
Melina's
Chloe's Cup Coffee & Tea
Tree House Farm & Nursery, LLC
Capstone Club of AL
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Members in Motion
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Freedom Creek Festival is Fri & Sat
The 13th Annual Freedom Creek Festival, in honor of the late great Willie King, is a two-day blues music extravaganza featuring top acts such as Jody Williams, Eddie Kirkland, Lil' Jimmy Reed, Kent and Gary Burnside, Elnora Spencer, Venessia Young and more. Festival is located in Old Memphis, AL and begins Fri, May 28 at 4pm and Sat, May 29 at 11am. For more info, call 752.6263 or visit www.willie-king.com.
Veterans Group & PARA Honor Veterams on Memorial Day
The Veterans Park Memorial Committee of Tuscaloosa Co Park & Recreation Authority will hold a Memorial Day service on May 31 at 8:30am at the VeteransMemorial Park located on McFarland Blvd at University Mall. Event is free and open to the public. Program recognizes all those who served with the US Armed Forces in times of war and peace. Following the program, representatives will be on duty at the Park throughout the day. Veterans and/or survivors are encouraged to attend and wear uniforms in remembrance of their service. Program will include the presentation of colors Holt High School JROTC. Guest speaker is Major James M. Burch, US Marine Corps, Retired, Commander, and Military Order of the Purple Heart.
4th Annual Alabama Conference on Obesity and Health
"Alabama, Keep the Torch Burning by Making Healthy Lifestyle Changes!" will be held at the Bryant Conference Center June 3-4. Visit http://obesity.ua.edu to register or get more info.
Photograph the Cahaba Lilies
Join photographer Barry Fikes for a truly unique experience on location at the Cahaba River. Capture the beautiful Cahaba Lilies while in bloom in the next couple of weeks. Contact him at 553.7165 or barry@fikespix.com to register. Cost is $350/person or $250 for 2 or more people.
JMF Offers QuickBooks Advanced Class
JMF Client Services will offer a Quickbooks Advanced class to our business community on June 8 from 8:30-11:30 in their Training Room at the Bank of Tuscaloosa Plaza. To get details on this and other summer classes plus registration info, visit www.jmf.com.
Bama Art House Film Series Opens
The Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa Co will again bring new and unique film to our area with the second run of the Bama Art House Film Series. It’ll feature eight films, each screening one night only. Opening the series, the film Greenberg will screen on June 8 at 8 pm with an opening reception at 7pm. Discounted complete series subscription tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/112414 ($40 adults/$30 students and seniors) and individual tickets will be available at the Bama box office prior to screenings ($7 general/$6 students and seniors/$5 Arts Council members). For complete info, visit www.bamaarthouse.com.
Kentuck Offers Art Classes
Check out the 2010 Workshop and Class schedule at www.kentuck.org. Classes coming up soon are below. Call 758.1257 to register of get more info.
Wheel-throwing with Kerry Kennedy, June 1-3, 1pm to 3pm, ages 10+, max slots available: 4, cost: $90 (includes materials).
Figure Drawing with Ruth O'Connor, June 4, June 11, June 18, June 25, 9am to 11pm and 6pm to 8pm, ages 16+, max slots available: 10, cost: $45 (no registration required)
Landscape Drawing with Ruth O'Connor, June 5, 9am to 11pm, ages 16+, max slots available: 10, cost: $50.
Ceramics with Kerry Kennedy, June 5, 2pm to 5pm, ages 16+, max slots available: 10, cost: $50. |
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