By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Chamber of Commerce Coordinator Mike Nelson told the chamber members he was excited to welcome a new member to the chamber, the Law Office of Amy and Jason Greer. Amy Greer, Nelson noted, is also currently running for Carter County Clerk. Greer’s opponent in that race is the current Carter County Clerk, Debbie Johnston.
“We would also like to welcome Lacey Dickson with the Northeast Kentucky Community Action Agency,” Nelson told the members present. “She has just taken over a new position.”
Dickson introduced herself to the chamber and explained her new position briefly.
“I am the business coordinator,” she told the chamber. “What I do is I go to businesses and see if you need anything. I also see if you are hiring or if you need someone to help you.”
Dickson will be a featured speaker at a future chamber meeting, Nelson said, and will be able to give chamber members a more complete picture of what Northeast has to offer.
Nelson also told the chamber that he had recently attended a Northeast Kentucky Business Awards breakfast.
“The Northeast Kentucky Small Business Association had their annual awards breakfast the other day in Boyd County,” Nelson said, “and several Carter County Businesses were represented and nominated. And our very own Rachel Burton took home an award for Financial Advocate of the Year.”
“There were lots of our businesses represented and nominated,” Nelson told the chamber. “And the speaker, Rob Johnson from WSAZ made mention of the fact that we had several Carter County businesses represented.”
Nelson said he was glad to see that, and he appreciated so many businesses taking the time to nominate people for the awards.
“It was very important,” Nelson said. “And it shows how our small businesses are growing here.”
“It was a great year for Carter County,” Chamber President Jill York added. “Our friends over in Olive Hill had a great bunch of nominees, we had a great bunch of nominees, and you know, it is a big deal to even get your name in for that sort of stuff. So, thank you all for nominating, and special kudos for our nominees. We are happy for you all.”
In other business, Nelson told the chamber that they were stepping up their “Shop Local” program.
“We are doing this as we sort of step into the holiday season,” Nelson said. “As you have noticed, I have been in contact with you about the Shop Local Gift Card Program.”
Nelson said if any chamber businesses were not yet participating, the chamber would love to have them do so.
“It’s super easy because it is basically a digital gift card,” Nelson explained. “People buy it and send it to each other, and it can only be used at certain locations in Grayson and Carter County into Olive Hill. It keeps the money local because it can only be spent here.”
Nelson said the card is easy to purchase and easy to use as long as the business can accept a manual credit card at their point-of-sale terminals. There is no additional charge to the individual using the card or the business taking it, Nelson said.
The featured speaker at the chamber meeting was Colt Swint from SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) who spoke to the chamber about the SOAR pipeline. Swint is the Coordinator for the Innovation Startup Pipeline at SOAR.
“For anyone who is not aware, SOAR is a nonprofit organization,” Swint told the chamber. “We are focused on the development and economic growth of the Eastern Kentucky Region. The Innovation Team specifically is centered around helping new founders and new businesses develop through workshops and ideation, as well as connecting them to resources.”
“I think the networking and the resources are some of the most important values that come from working with SOAR,” Swint told the chamber. “We want to make sure that all of our clients are aware of everything that is available to them in their communities as they start to bring their ideas to life.”
“As far as SOAR as a whole, we operate in 54 Appalachian counties,” Swint said. “The Innovation Team operates in all 54 of those counties under the ARC Grant, which is typically target toward schools and up and coming businesses. And we help all sorts of businesses.”
“Specifically,” he continued, “I am here today under the Cabinet for Economic Development. And Carter County is one of their main 29 counties.”
Swint said he encourages every business to reach out to SOAR to see what resources are available to them, especially if that business is a startup.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
