Kim Wigington

UPCOMING EVENTS

The November events sponsor is Piedmont Church.

Nov. 4

ABA Luncheon

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Acworth Community Center 4361 Cherokee St. J.R. Lee, pastor of Freedom Church, is the guest speaker, and Carrabas will cater.

Kelly Nagel, Bob Brooks and Kathy Lathem network at a Morning Jolt event last month.

Nov. 11

Alive After Five

5:30-7:30 p.m. The Holbrook 4491 S. Main St.

Nov. 9

Morning Jolt

7:45-9 a.m. The Cowan Historic Mill 4271 Southside Drive Networking event that focuses on exchanging referrals.

Nov. 18

Women’s Business Network

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Qualusi Vineyards 440 Blossom Trail

Dec. 2

ABA Luncheon

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Acworth Community Center 4361 Cherokee St. Annual celebrations and awards.

Every November, we take a day to thank God for our blessings, even in the middle of turmoil.

Do you remember this old hymn? “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

Yes, the past couple of years have been tough. It is easy to get discouraged and focus on our problems more than our blessings. I hope you take this time to look back on your year, find the bright spots and be thankful.

I am thankful that my family is healthy, my business is strong and my friends are many. I am thankful that I can see the fruits of my labor, and I have hope for the future. Those are not small things.

Finally, I am thankful for the Acworth business community and the support you have given one another these past two years. Some of us would not have survived without it. Acworth is truly a blessed community.

Business Community Is Thankful and Blessed

BY KIM WIGINGTON

Kim Wigington is the president of the ABA, and serves as chairwoman of the Acworth Downtown Development Authority. She is the founder and director of Brookwood Christian School. She and her husband have lived in Acworth for 16 years and have two adult daughters.

OPEN HOUSE

One of the private offices business professionals can lease.

Lakeside Executive Suites Nov. 12-13 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Brings New Life to Family’s Building

With a family history deeply tied to Acworth, brothers Perry and Alan Kemp have reimagined the future of the office building built in 1975 by their father, Willie B. Kemp, and his business partners. The Kemp Professional Building, which is next to City Hall, and originally housed Acworth Pharmacy, is home to downtown Acworth’s first coworking space: Lakeside Executive Suites.

Lakeside Executive Suites opens this month and consists of 22 personal workspaces and two conference rooms, where business professionals currently working remotely can leave the distractions of home, or coffee shops, behind. They can join other professionals in the thriving environment of downtown Acworth, where they can work, network, shop, dine and play within walking distance. The fully furnished workspaces are designed for tenants to walk in with their laptops and begin working, parttime or seven days a week. Through the years, different Acworth businesses have called the Kemp Professional Building home, but, in recent years, the larger space remained vacant while Perry and Alan pondered its best use. The Kemp brothers always considered what was best for the city they loved, and which their family had called home for generations.

“Several years ago, when the doctor’s space became available, we went to City Hall and asked what would be a good business fit for downtown,” Alan said. “The reply was anything related to senior services. I designed suites thinking one central location for a variety of senior services would be ideal. There would have been fewer suites, requiring high rental rates, so the idea was abandoned. Over the next several years, we turned away several businesses we didn’t think would be a good fit for downtown. With

Kemp Professional Building

COVID-19 and the new desire for a private, safe and professional space away from distractions at home, Perry suggested we consider the co-working concept.”

With this idea, Alan began redesigning the space with affordable suites, including a modern conference space to support all types of virtual meetings. The prior interior was demolished and removed. The interior build-out incorporates all new products and systems, including sound insulation in the walls and ceiling for privacy, dedicated and high-speed fiber Internet at 1 Gbps, secure SSID Wi-Fi connections for each tenant, luxury vinyl plank flooring, indoor and outdoor security cameras, and rock accent walls.