TVRC Chamber News: The Voice of Business & Industry | January 2022

JANUARY 2022

Chamber News THE VOICE OF BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

State of the Chamber

RELIABILITY

is a cornerstone of everything we do.

Before the wind blows, a storm hits, or a tree falls, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative is already working to keep your power on. www.myrec.coop 1-800-552-3904

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board Scott Harvard First Bank

DEPARTMENTS 04 | Letter from CEO

Chair-Elect Charles Daniels Integrus Holdings - Fortessa Tableware Solutions

04 | New Members 05 | TVRC News and Events

Vice Chair Cary Nelson H.N. Funkhouser & Company

FEATURES 07 | Staying on Top in the New Year

Treasurer Adrian Taylor YHB Immediate Past Chair John Fox GreenSen, LLC At Large Member Patti Solenberger Solenberger’s True Value Hardware BOARD OF DIRECTORS Emily Burner WMC Foundation Andy Gail Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area

Top of Virginia Regional Chamber Sponsors Chamber Elite

Jenny Grooms Valley Health Jim Guisewhite SVN Commercial Specialists James Imoh Edward Jones Investments

Chairman’s Level

Kevin McKannan GlenLoch Legal, P.L.C.

President’s Level

Katrina Meade City National Bank Brian Nieves Tri-State Nissan Kristy Powers Navy Federal Credit Union

Media Sponsors

Thomas Stamulis True North Group Debera Taylor NW Works

Letter From Cynthia Schneider CEO, Top of Virginia Regional Chamber

CHAMBER STAFF Cynthia Schneider, CEO

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

-Winston Churchill We started our last staff meeting with that Winston Churchill quote, looking back on our work in 2021, and planning for 2022. While I can say that 2021 did not see the “return to normal” we had hoped for and regulations on businesses continued to add difficulties to overcome, our membership has moved past resiliency and is starting this year off strong and courageous.

cschneider@regionalchamber.biz

Danita Roble Director, Membership Development

droble@regionalchamber.biz

Dan Hitchcock Membership Development Specialist

Winston Churchhill was correct. Success is not final. You are constantly comdhitchcock@regionalchamber.biz peting in business to provide the best product or service to your clients, no matter the success you may have garnered yesterday. There were many moments that Hannah Stewart companies felt failure, especially in the past few years. It takes courage and Membership Development strength to realize that tomorrow may take today’s successes away, and you Specialist must stay strong and vigilant to remain on top. It takes the same strength and hstewart@regionalchamber.biz courage to realize a failure, whether business or personal, to look at the person in the mirror and believe you have the power to discover the subsequent success is Julie Shaffer just around the bend.

Director, Legislative Affairs

jshaffer@regionalchamber.biz

I know that you have the courage to push to new heights in 2022. You withstood more than many have before or after you, and yet, there is more you are capable Vanessa McAllister of accomplishing. Have the courage to reach out to fellow Chamber members or Director, staff to build strength in your business. Have the courage to know that you can Programs & Events do this. We all can. Since our beginning in 1917, we have been stronger together vmcallister@regionalchamber.biz and will continue to be.

Kory Campbell Director, Marketing & Communications

Cynthia Schneider | CEO Top of Virginia Regional Chamber

Welcome

New Members

kcampbell@regionalchamber.biz

Thanks to our new members who joined the Chamber between December 1 and December 31. To learn more about membership benefits, call 540-662-4118.

Pest Exit (703) 447-6590 eric@pest-exit.com

Melco, Inc. (540) 533-5288 greenfieldandcraun.com

People Inc. (276) 623-9000 peopleinc.net

TriBridge Partners, LLC (855) 333-6399 tribridgepartners.com

OUR PURPOSE

Connect businesses and community resources for mutual success.

OUR MISSION

Provide programs and services to enhance the business and professional development of our members.

OUR VISION

Be the voice of business for the City of Winchester, Clarke County, and Frederick County, Virginia.

The Feltner Group (540) 327-7092 feltnergroup.com Elevate Your Voice Elevate Your Network Elevate Your Business Become a Chamber Member

407 S. Loudoun Street Winchester, VA 22601 540-662-4118 regionalchamber.biz

TVRC NEWS & EVENTS Save the Date: State of the Chamber TVRC Annual Membership Meeting Hilton Garden Inn (120 Wingate Drive, WInchester, VA) 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Join us for the Annual Chamber Meeting as we recap 2021, view the new Chamber website, hear the 2022 goals and witness the Board of Directors and Officers transfer.

If you have any questions you would like to have answered please submit them to the Chamber Office and we will have answers for you during the meeting.

Connecting Business and Community Resources for Mutual Success!

Please submit questions to: Danita Roble Director, Membership Development droble@regionalchamber.biz Please register at regionalchamber.biz

Staying on Top in the New Year Written by: Top of Virginia Regional Chamber a slight decline in membership since 2019, falling just six percent, but we have managed to stay on track to reach our goal of 900 members by the end of 2022.

The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber set out in 2019 to accomplish a few particular goals that would enhance the value of the Chamber to our members. The board of directors met with Chamber staff to develop a strategic plan for 2019-2021. As the pandemic rolled through the region, canceling events and forcing businesses to pivot their strategies, TVRC extended the timing of the strategic plan to conclude in 2022, but the goals have been front and center since day one. Let us take a moment to update you on those goals.

Financial Stability and Revenue Growth Increase profit by an average of $10,000 per year: Many businesses have struggled to maintain the status-quo with 2019. Government overreach has forced closures and mandates that have wreaked havoc on staffing nationally. Obtaining needed products has been challenging for service industries to continue to provide the level of service they were accustomed to before COVID-19 and the variants that have since developed. Even the National Football League suffered a $4 billion loss, resulting in an eight percent decline in salary caps for teams. That does not include the deterioration of concession stand or sponsorship revenues that teams depend on. That is a large amount of money to lose, especially by an organization that dominates television sets worldwide.

The Top of Virginia was able to not only stay afloat throughout these past few years, but we have seen the financial growth that we set out to accomplish in our strategic plan every year since.

The staff was able to condense and stay lean to protect financial stability. Increased sponsorships and incredible advertising options have allowed members to increase profits and awareness to their brands.

Brand Awareness - Position the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber as “The Hub” for Membership - Reach 900 members by December 2022: business communications: The strength of any Chamber builds upon membership numbers. The more You are helping us achieve this goal right now. people that come together, the stronger we can become. While membership The Chamber News: The Voice of Business and was the goal hit hardest during 2019 and 2020, we have managed to retain Industry has been a monthly publication that most of our members during a year that saw nearly a third of small busihighlights the work of our members, is a resource nesses close their doors in 2020. The Economic Tracker, a Havard Univer- for trusted information, and hub for business sity-based project, showed that 37.5 percent of previously available small news that affects our region. The TVRC website companies had shut down. How did that affect the Top of Virginia Regional has continuously grown in page views for Chamber, an organization built on 84% small businesses? There was indeed upcoming events and connecting with Chamber

members. As 2022 kicks into gear, we are working on the newest levels of news and information that are sure to be the hub of not only business communications but community relations as well.

Our information will be available to members and the community alike, and your business can utilize these resources to promote your message beyond Chamber membership. As area publications and resources dwindle, we can now offer your company reliable methods to advertise products and needs or search for new employees.

While we cannot unveil all the details of what is new in 2022 at this time, we assure you that you will want to take part in these new outlets to watch your own business grow for many years to come. Stay tuned for our State of the Chamber!