Making Waves - Fall 2019

Making Waves The Official Newsletter of The Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.

Fall 2019

440 Hwy 90 East, Suite 1 Little River, SC 29566 www.LittleRiverChamber.org 843-249-6604 | Info@LittleRiverChamber.org

Happy 5th Anniversary to these members!

A Backyard Creation 3176 Hwy 9 East Little River, SC 29566 (843) 734-0114 abackyardcreation.com

Aaron’s Supply

4380 Sea Mountain Hwy Little River, SC 29566 (843) 281-0115 aaronssupply.com

Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union

J&K Home Furnishings

1602 Hwy 17 N Little River, SC 29566 (843) 443-8537 carolinatrust.org

1244 Highway 17 N Little River, SC 29566 (843) 249-1882 jkhomefurnishings.com

Days Inn

Little Quackers & More

1564 Highway 17 N Little River, SC 29566 (843) 249-3535 daysinnlr.com

The chamber is working with Waccamaw Publishers to create a new Visitor’s/ Relocation Guide for Little River. If you are interested in placing an ad in this yearly publication, please contact Robin McGee at 843-488-7252 or robin.mcgee@ myhorrynews.com.

Thank you to our members for supporting us at our own ribbon cutting! We are still excited about our relocation in January, and were finally able to invite you all to an open house this summer. We are please to have already seen positive growth from our move. We not only get more foot traffic, but visitors are spending longer with us, and taking more member brochures.

1656 Hwy 9 Longs, SC 29568 (843) 340-5155

SEA Server

NMB, SC 29582 (843) 602-4111 seaserver.com

Thank you for your continued support!

Visit YouTube.com/LittleRiverChamber to learn how to make the most of your membership!

The “City” of Little River

Little River, SC is the north eastern tip of the state; inland of North Myrtle Beach and south of Calabash, NC. Our coastal community flows along the IntraCoastal Waterway - originally called Mineola, meaning “little river,” by local Indian tribes. With a colorful history including shipwreck survivors and pirates, the community grew into a small fishing village, and is now the gateway to the Grand Strand for many northern visitors.

While we have already welcomed many new residents, Little River also has unprecedented growth in the near future. Many are attracted to Little River due to our proximity to nearby beaches & cities, as well as our lack of city taxes. But why don’t we pay city taxes?

Little River is a census-designated place, meaning we’re unincorporated and don’t have a city - there’s no city government, no town hall, and no city taxes. While we love our neighbors, nearby cities are not responsible for Little River residents. So who takes care of us?

Governmental needs are overseen by Horry County Government. While many of their offices are in Conway, there are local offices for Police, Fire & Rescue, Library, DMV, Auditor, Treasurer, and more.

We’re also blessed with 2 county park locations: North Strand Park on Hwy 57 and the CB Berry & Community Center on Hwy 179. The North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex is also located in Little River.

We are also lucky to have a dedicated chamber. The Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center is a nonprofit, membership based organization whose mission is to make the area a better place to live, work, and play. Like many chambers, they assist locals & visitors with a myriad of questions, and work closely with elected leadership of Horry County and state legislators to ensure our community’s needs are heard. In lieu of a local municipality, they have also taken the initiative to serve local necessities, such as: maintaining highway medians, streetlights, and welcome signs.

We hope you’ve found your treasure in Little River, SC.

#SmallBizSat will be Nov. 30 Start planning your promotions now.

Thank you Leigh Kane, Horry County Planning and Zoning for meeting with members of our Board of Directors in June to discuss our vision and concerns for the future and growth of Little River.

Marketing Tip

Have an event coming up? In addition to posting about it on your social media, you should also create a “Facebook Event” as this will reach people beyond your following. Plus, when you post from your page in the event, you can 1-click invite people that liked your post to like your page.

May 16 & 17, 2020 BlueCrabFestival.org

We are sad to announce that Teresa is no longer with the chamber. She was a vital part of the chamber team, working behind the scenes doing work that we sometimes think just happens. However, we wish her all the best in her move to Asheville, NC.

Free Making Waves Ad Chamber Membership includes a variety of marketing opportunities, including a free 3.6” x 2” advertisement in our printed newsletter, shown here. Visit LittleRiverChamber.org or email Izzy@LittleRiverChamber.org for more info.

New Facebook Group (and how your biz can take advantage of it)

We were honored to be a part of the ground breaking for New Haven at Little River, an innovative senior living community. With an anticipated grand opening in late 2020, New Haven will encompass 152 units, offering independent and assisted living, as well as memory care apartments, in an amenity-rich, resort style environment, meeting a measurable market demand for senior living options in the area. Thank you to Soaring Coast Creative for your photography!

This summer we started a new Facebook Group, currently called “Moving to Little River.” It targets individuals looking to relocate to or recently moved to Little River. We have also encouraged locals to join the group. The goal of the group is to better inform residents about the Little River area.

While ads are banned from the group, your business can still benefit by joining the group. When someone asks for a referral, you will be able to personally recommend your business. You can also become a community superstar by regularly browsing the group and just helping people with questions.

This group will become a great resource for anyone living or doing business in Little River.

Welcome New Members Marine Corps League, Little River Detachment 1432 111 Hwy 57 North Little River, SC 29566 (904) 710-1673

I love taking my kids to the Little River ShrimpFest. It’s a great place to introduce them to all kinds of different music, but you know they can’t sit still, so we’ll get up and dance or walk around to look at different vendors when they get restless.

-Jim McClean, Edwards Jones, Chamber Board Member

New Haven at Little River 2585 Hwy. 179 Little River, SC 29566 (843) 305-7377 newhavencarolina.com Pinnacle Storage 132 State HWY 57 North Little River, SC 29566 (843) 390-0133 pinnaclestorage.net

Salty Fryes Golf Carts 412 Sea Mountain Hwy NMB, SC 29582 (843) 491-3300 saltyfryesgolfcarts.com Soaring Coast Creative NMB, SC 29582 (770) 616-9865 soaringcoastcreative.com The Academy of Dance and Fine Arts 304 Hwy 90E., Unit D-1 Little River, SC 29566 (843) 663-5678 adfabeachstudios.com

20 Tips for Business Preparedness The tips below will help your business’s ability to survive a disaster, such as a hurricane. The goal is to increase your business’ resilience through measures that are not extra tasks on your “to do list”, but instead are incorporated into your everyday operations as part of your best practices – since disasters can strike without warning. For more in-depth information, visit ResilienceInABox.com. #1 Build a Team to create your plan #2 Get Top Level Buy-in #3 Keep your disaster plan simple #4 Gather critical documents & information needed for decision making #5 Identify and then prioritize your critical operations and processes #6 Identify your hazards – the potential disruptions to your operations #7 Build Your Plan and create a “Grab-n-Go” case #8 Maintain Contact lists – Update emergency lists for your employees, vendors, suppliers, and key contacts #9 Recruit employee volunteers to become trained emergency responders #10 Stockpile essential emergency supplies #11 Take the message home: Develop a prepared workforce – business readiness doesn’t end at work #12 Back up and protect your vital records and data #13 Take action to mitigate potential impacts to your equipment, buildings, and facilities #14 Protect your inventory and storage before it is lost to the disaster and you have nothing to sell #15 Establish and maintain communication in a crisis to ensure that your employees, suppliers, customers, and the public are getting the facts directly from you #16 Cultivate Partnerships #17 Exercise and test your plan #18 Keep your plan updated #19 Implement the plan #20 Connect with the local economy For more information & free resources on keeping your business open, visit ResilienceInABox.com.

Stay in Touch!

Medieval Times

35% off + Processing Fee Waived

Myrtle Beach Watersports $5 off popular cruises

NMB Times

Ad space on the “chamber page” starting at only $25

#

/LittleRiverChamber /VisitLittleRiverSC /BlueCrabFestival /LittleRiverShrimpFest LittleRiverSC LRBlueCrab LRShrimpFest

@LittleRiverCC @VisitLR @BlueCrabFestSC @LRShrimpFest

/LittleRiverSC

@LittleRiverSC

Pinnacle Storage

10% off + 2nd month free Learn more at LittleRiverChamber.org/M2M

Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming video series! We will be releasing a dozen videos that are less than a minute long, focusing on Small Business Success. Thank you in advance to Anderson Insurance for sponsoring this.

Month Promoting our Members { 6Average

This is what you have the most control over! Login to the chamber website to update your business directory listing, promote deals, share events, and list job openings.

Businesses Mentioned

Events Shared

Social Shares & Mentions Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Please know we are working 24/7/365 to promote you and may not have time to relay every single referral and promotion to members.

Map & Relocation Guides Mailed Personable Walk Ins

Phone Calls

PO Box 400 Little River, SC 29566

Website 11,002 Website Visitors 7,950 Directory Searches 14,112 Member Page Views 1,198 Clicks to Member Website 8,263 Event Searches 963 Deal Views 1,129 Job Searches 854 Press Views

Print We Advertise in 4 Monthly Publications

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