The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce held its New Membership 101 meeting Thursday. The informative meeting allowed for new members to network and learn about the chamber’s purpose and how they can use membership to their advantage.
A tutorial showed how members can use the chamber’s website to post job listings, advertise upcoming events for their business, and connect with other business people.
Darrell Butler, member relations manager, encouraged the dozen new members to introduce themselves to the room and talk about their business. A variety of endeavors were represented– investment advising, home-building, even a petting zoo.
Butler then led the group through a brief history of the chamber to kick things off. The Columbia County chamber opened in 1987 as a satellite of the Metro Augusta Chamber. In 2004, that satellite office was allowed to carry on as its own separate entity in a rapidly-growing Columbia County.
Today’s chamber is 5-star accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s one of 132 5-star offices out of 7,000 chambers across the country. That accreditation is awarded to chambers of quality, expertise, and strong leadership.
Butler took the new members through a gallery of the chamber’s committees like government affairs, events advisory, and leadership programs.
“Senators, congressmen, prominent business people have gone through our leadership programs,” Butler said. There are programs for both adults and students.
Suzanne Johnson, internet marketing consultant, then led the group through a tutorial on the chamber’s membership website. It’s there that members can list their business’s mission, post job listings, and connect with others in the network.
The chamber’s first in-person event of 2021 will take place on March 17, a members’ lunch that will provide more networking opportunities for members both new and existing.
“You’re our bosses,” said Sabrina Griffin, director of events and programs. “We want you to have the resources you need to be successful.”
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
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