Max Heller

When we moved to Easley in 1975, we would often go to Greenville. I remember downtown Greenville as not a very nice place to go and definitely not at night. I never met Mayor Max Heller but always respected him as a visionary who worked tirelessly to improve Greenville. He was among those who revitalized downtown Greenville to where it is now a model for cities in the United States. He was also influential in bringing the Peace Center, the Bilo Center, and the Governor’s School for the Arts to Greenville. Greenville is listed in the top ten best placed to retire in the U.S.

When relocators come into the Easley Chamber they often speak of Greenville as what brought them to the area. When they branch out and learn about Easley they see a friendly community with good value housing, reasonable taxes, and close proximity to lakes and mountains, as well as just a few miles from the amenities of Greenville.

Easley should be thankful for the contributions of Max Heller to the upstate as it also improved our quality of life in Easley.

Big League Baseball World Series

Come out to the Red Owens Sports Complex to see world class baseball July 27-August 3. Easley will host ten (10) teams from outside our state and our country. ESPN will put us on the map August 3 when they broadcast in primetime the world championship game nationwide.

Thanks to the following chamber members and local churches who have volunteered to provide dinners for the 225 players and coaches during this 9 day period: Easley Rotary Club, Applebee’s, Glenwood Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, Rock Springs Baptist Church, Baptist Easley Hospital, Flat Rock Baptist Church.

When you see someone at a restaurant or shop that appears to be from out of town, go out of your way to greet them. We want them to recognize Easley, South Carolina as a Family Friendly Community. Hopefully they will come back to visit and tell their friends about our community.

Best Places to Work

Golf Tournament another success

• “We all agreed that was one of the best organized and run industry golf tournaments we have attended.” - Ethan Ware, McNair Law Firm
• “I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed participating in the Chamber golf outing again this year. It was a blast.” – Michael Kingsmore, Palmetto Finishing

A New Era in Easley

Kent Dykes - Easley Chamber President

The April 13, 2011 opening of the Walmart Super Center in the new Easley Towne Center marks a new era in commerce in our area. With 184000’ sq. of retail area and over 400 associates (200 of which are new jobs), it will be the largest store in Pickens County. It is the first of the new retail stores in the shopping center. The Kohl’s store is under construction and is just a few months away from completion. We take it as just another day in Easley but in the future, it will be monumental in the economic development of this part of Pickens County.

Spring is seeing more activity in building and job placement in the area. Recently Fatz Café and Applebee’s Family Grill underwent renovations to improve appearance and service. Both are long time chamber members. El Jimador is the newest and largest Mexican restaurant in Easley. It is well decorated and has good food and service.

In Powdersville, the Job Connection of Goodwill industries placed 224 new jobs from their opening in January until mid April. A Walgreen Drug store and CVS Drug store are near completion at the main intersection of Powdersville.

I am seeing more new businesses joining the Easley Chamber of Commerce at this time. I am optimistic about the slowly recovering economy in our area. I encourage all to shop and eat out locally to keep our dollars within our area.

Not so secret weapons

Kent Dykes - Easley Chamber President

It is not only our responsibility to give members value for their membership investment but also to communicate that properly.  There are many methods of communication in the Chamber.   Blast emails, Chamber Notes, specialty emails, luncheon announcements, videos through View Digital Media, press releases, Facebook, and our website www.easleychamber.org.

Our webmaster, Sam Lawrence, of Aletheia Web Design, has done an outstanding job in keeping the website fresh and up to date.  We are averaging 188 unique visits per day to the website which is high volume for a website.   It is also a highly rated website if you google the word – Easley SC.   Sam is one of our not so secret weapons.

Chamber Notes advertisement – value for your membership

As you read the Chamber Notes and learn about businesses in the Easley area, look at the advertisements from chamber members.   The ads are a special rate for chamber members and less expensive than in a newspaper.   Circulation is 7500 readers through the Pickens County Courier on the first Wednesday of every month.   This is a value that chamber members should consider when allocating advertising funds.   Contact Mignonne Matheson at 864-306-6450 for rates on running an ad in the Chamber Notes.  It is good for your business and supportive of the Chamber.

Click HERE to Learn How to Advertise in Chamber Notes

Upstate Coalition of Chambers

Kent Dykes - Easley Chamber President

The Easley Chamber of Commerce has joined with the Greenville Chamber, Spartanburg Chamber, Anderson Chamber and eight (8) other upstate chambers of commerce as part of the Upstate coalition of Chambers of Commerce. One advantage of this is to have additional lobbying representation in Columbia to better voice small business concerns to our law makers in the South Carolina legislation. This is another way we advocate for our membership.

March is Education emphasis Month at the Chamber

Speakers will be Dr. Leonard Williams, director of the B.J. Skelton Career Center in Pickens County for the Easley luncheon March 16 and Dr. Jere Kirkley of the Anderson District 1 & 2 Career Center for the Powdersville luncheon March 24. We will also cosponsor a presentation from Dr. Mick Zais, SC Secretary of Education on April 18 at the Duke World of Energy location near Seneca. We will also have an education panel of business and education leaders for questions and answers.

This is a critical time for education in South Carolina and in Pickens County. We must be involved in our school system as they are instructing the leaders of the future. It is a long term investment.

Easley Chamber’s 18th Annual Golf and Business Expo 5/3/11

Plans are already underway for the chamber’s annual golf tournament and business expo. It is not too soon to get your team together and sign up for the best golf tournament in the area which will be held at Smithfields Country Club. Sean Thornton will chair the event that promises good golf, food, fellowship, prizes, and the opportunity to showcase your business on a hole. Call 859-2693 for sponsorships and team reservations.

Annual Meeting

Preparation is completing for our 63rd annual awards and Gala event February 19 at Tri-County Tech in Easley. Janelle Beamer and the committee have worked hard to make this an affair that you will enjoy. You will be “Proud as Peacocks” and a photograph will be made with you and your spouse during the social hour. I am pleased that we are meeting at the new campus facility. Their multipurpose conference center room is a welcome addition to the community and I am confident that it will see much use for community events in the Easley/Powdersville area.

Our keynote speaker is Ralph Hood, a humorist and certified public speaker who has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. You will be pleased with the selection of the 2010 Business of the Year, Duke Citizenship and Service award winner, Ambassador of the Year, and Director of the Year.

State of the City

Come to this years “State of the City” address at 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM February 17. It will be at Dunburks Premier Events at 110 S. Pendleton St. in Easley. Learn how the city of Easley did in 2010 and what plans are for the future from Mayor Larry Bagwell.

Business after Hours

Consider sponsoring a business after hours in 2011. For only $100 sponsorship you can have chamber business people come to your place of business and have refreshments from 5:30 – 7:00 PM for good networking. Business before Hours is also an option. Call Fran at 859-2693 to learn more about this way to promote your business.

We continue to look for ways to give members additional benefits for your membership investment in the chamber. Spend your money locally and shop fellow chamber members in Easley and Powdersville.

New Year:

Kent Dykes - Easley Chamber President

I am encouraged with the increase in business activity in our area. I am confident that 2011 will be a better year for our economy than last year. I commend our businesses for learning to operate lean and efficiently and weathering the storm.

Video Marketing:

With the help of Digital Media, Inc., the Easley Chamber of Commerce has a video to give information on our programs to help promote business and improve the quality of life in our service area. This is in keeping with our emphasis on social media as a low cost method to promote your business. Look at our website www.easleychamber.org to see this video with Fran Cape and me talking about the chamber. Contact us if you want something like this from Digital Media.

63rd Annual Gala and Awards:

If you liked last year’s speaker Durwood Fincher (Mr. Doubletalk) you will thoroughly enjoy this year’s speaker Ralph Hood. Ralph is a humorist with 25 years as a certified public speaker. He is also a multiengine commercial pilot and a Clemson graduate. Ralph has been on the Opray Winfrey Show and is an author of three very funny books of his experiences.

This will be the first time the Tri County Technical College Easley Campus building will be used for an event of this magnitude. We are fortunate to have this facility in Easley and I want to promote the large community room as an excellent community event center in this part of Pickens County. It will be a very convenient location for our 63rd Annual Gala. Click for More Information>>>

Challenging year

2010 has been a challenging year but in the last quarter I see an increase in local business activity and hiring. It has been a long recession. The businesses that survive are better for it.  Businesses have learned to operate leaner and more efficiently.   Your Easley Chamber of Commerce has made it its culture to provide value to your membership expense.

Our membership in 2010 has basically remained flat at about 435 members. We had four seminars this year to help small businesses.  We are emphasizing social media and Facebook as a low cost method to advertise for small businesses.

Our website www.easleychamber.org continues strong, averaging 336 unique visits per day which is an increase from 220 visits per day in 2009.  Financially, your chamber met its annual budget with a slight surplus due to good cost control and the support of your membership investments.  Needless to say, we appreciate our members and their support.

Directors

I have mixed feelings at year end as I look forward to five new board directors who will help lead us for the next three years. I want to thank the five members rotating off the board who have given their time and effort these passed three years.  Fox Simons, Vicki Fletcher, Dr. Jonathan Strange, Eric Goodwin, and Rusty Bynum have served the chamber well and will be missed at board meetings.

We wish you a Merry Christmas

As we are in the Christmas season, remember this is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Keep your family, friends, and church in your mind at this time of the year. Best wishes and a Merry Christmas from Fran, Mary, Jean, and Kent.

Retire to Easley

We frequently have people contact the chamber to get information on relocating to the Easley area. I especially enjoy talking with retiring couples who come in to get information. Honestly, it is an easy job to tell people how nice it is to live in Easley and Pickens County.

Recently, Joe and Gloria Weidemann relocated from the Washington D.C. area after 30 years with the state department. They researched Costa Rica, Panama, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina and decided on Easley, South Carolina. I talked with this couple many months ago and encouraged them to move. They also visited Joe’s Ice Cream parlor and the Main Street Barber Shop to get the “straight scoop” on Easley. The pleasant climate, proximity to the mountains and lakes, small town friendliness, being close to a larger city and airport, good local hospital, good schools, reasonably priced housing, and relatively low taxes all contribute to reasons why they chose Easley, South Carolina as their perfect place to retire.

John and Linda Bucy also recently retired from a town near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They researched many places using AARP’s top ten places to retire in the U.S. Greenville, S.C. is in that top ten list so on their visit to Greenville they ran across Easley and fell in love with the atmosphere of our community. They moved here rather than Greenville.

Both couples attended the Upstate Community Forum in October and were introduced to each other. They had much in common including their love for their new hometown.

These are but two couples of the many retirees that have made Easley their home. All echo the good things about our community. Friendliness of people in Easley always makes the reason list. I hope we never lose our openness and family friendliness to newcomers to our community. That is who we are and we must not lose that attribute.

Membership drive in September

We had a membership drive for a week in September with the Powdersville board, Easley board, and Ambassadors forming teams to recruit new members. The Ambassador team recruited the most new members. I encourage the new members (and the current members) to get involved in the many activities of the chamber to get your return on your membership investment.

Vote for five (5) new board members

Be on the watch for your ballot in the mail to elect five (5) new chamber of commerce board members from a slate of eight (8) nominees. These new directors will serve three year terms beginning January 1, 2011. Exercise your right and responsibility to vote in the chamber elections. These new directors will join eleven (11) other directors to form a board that we can all be proud to lead the Easley Chamber of Commerce. It seems to get better each year with community leaders who give of their time to help the businesses in the greater Easley area.

Thank you to Eric Goodwin, Rusty Bynum, Vickie Fletcher, Dr. Jonathan Strange, and Fox Simons who have served these past three years and will be rotating off the board.

Easley Living

Our new Easley Living magazine has been delivered to chamber members thanks to our ambassadors, directors and chamber staff who personally delivered most of them. The membership directory is in the back listing the 430 members. We have had many compliments on the articles and photographs. It just gets better each year.

Appalachian Trail

I will be hiking another segment of the Appalachian Trail in late October. This is something I look forward to doing annually in the early spring and in the fall. It has been a challenge in the mountainous areas of N.C. and Tennessee but I somehow finish each segment with no adverse effects at my age.