Culpeper Chamber very active and growing

Published in the Culpeper Star Exponent Monday, July 16, 2012

The Culpeper Chamber is now almost 550 members strong. Our members are very active and engaged in what we do. The Chamber office is often the face of the Chamber as we are the staff facilitating the requests and direction that the members want to go. However, as a member driven organization we are in a constant state of evaluation and improvement. In fact, there are many ships at sail under what may appear to be one large ship.

The Leadshare groups have been very busy this year as they are growing both in numbers individually as well as increasing the meeting times. I am really impressed with the benefits of the leadshare program. The obvious benefit is the exchange of business referrals. However, for a small business or a home based business there is not a better place to keep professional communication skills sharp and ready for the next opportunity.

The Young Professionals are active and growing. There are a number of signature activities that they have developed and grown throughout the year. The group will have a table at BIE Day reaching out to the young educators to join them. They will also host the Crab Feast on September 8th at Verdun Adventure Bound. It is as fun as it sounds… look for more info on the Chamber website.

The Pepper Open has an interesting problem this year. We are looking into adding an additional day of play due to the high interest in participation. Perhaps it has something to do with the new clubhouse and new golf carts at the Country Club of Culpeper. Or it could be the gift that we include in the player fees, the very sought after Dri-Fit golf shirt with the stylish Chamber logo on one sleeve, and the Nike Swoosh on the other. Yes, very cool – thank you Cintas…

We are working on the Annual Banquet held on November 8th. We look forward to awarding members and local business for their outstanding achievements in different categories. We have not released the name of our keynote speaker – we are working on a few amazing prospects. Stay tuned to the Chamber website for more exciting information.

There are several other projects that we are working on for the Fall. Planning has begun on several projects for 2013. The ships are always sailing forward and the seas are always exciting. Jump on board and join us at www.CulpeperChamber.com 

Jim Charapich, President/CEO
Culpeper Chamber of Commerce