Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
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Friday, July 17, 2009
By GINNY WRAY - Bulletin Staff Writer
Work force development, transportation, business issues and membership are the top goals of the incoming chairman of the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Richard Eanes outlined his goals for the coming year at the Annual Meeting and Leadership Recognition Dinner of the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday at Chatmoss Country Club.
He said it is important for the community to continue to retool and retrain the existing and upcoming work force.
“We feel that a big step in helping the upcoming work force is being tackled by the Summer Youth Employment Program … and we plan to assist the Workforce Investment Board Office in any way we can to assist in the delivery of services to the youth, the job seeker and of course the employer,” said Eanes, who is the third-generation owner and president of Warren Trucking Co. Inc.
The completion of U.S. 58 and construction of Interstate 73 must stay “on the radar screen so when the economy does rebound we can continue to press forward for funding with a unified voice from our business community,” he said.
Eanes also encouraged the chamber’s Government Affairs Committee to monitor issues that affect industry’s ability to compete and survive.
He also noted that the chamber has more than 600 members, and it will expand programs and launch initiatives to retain that membership.
Outgoing Chairman Jay Edelen discussed the chamber’s efforts on his goal of educating members on the role of technology in business today. That effort included surveying members on their technology uses and needs; training and workshops; and plans to host an Advanced Computer Applications course in the fall.
Edelen also said the chamber agreed to handle the advertising for the Martinsville Mustangs this year, and it raised a record numbers of advertising dollars. He added that he hopes that will help keep baseball alive in the area since it is a “huge asset to our quality of life,” he said.
The chamber also took part in the Summer Youth Employment Program, which was funded by stimulus money through the local Workforce Investment Board. Through the program, Edelen said 100 teenagers out of more than 400 applicants were placed into job-training positions to help them develop work-readiness skills and to help stimulate the economy with the pay they received. He praised chamber President Amanda Witt for her work on that program.
“Many of these youngsters were placed into high-growth, high-demand occupations, and hopefully the skills learned will help them when entering the work force as an adult,” Edelen said. “Several of the participating employers plan to hire some of the youth when the training period is over, which speaks volumes about this program and the industry connection that the chamber has.”
Work-force training remains a top priority for the chamber, he said.
“The chamber has also done its part to fight for what we believe is best for our existing industry: from constructing our state and federal agendas with the help of our local businesses, elected officials and community leaders, to advocating against certain bills that come before our legislators such as the Employee Free Choice Act and the American Clean Energy and Security Act,” he said.
Having a healthy domestic manufacturing sector is critical to the nation’s prosperity, he said, adding that he fears too much of that has been lost. “We need to stand up for our remaining domestic manufacturers. … Our small business community depends heavily upon supporting these larger businesses and their employees. Everyone’s ability to succeed is intertwined. Success breeds success, and we need to breed as much of that as possible,” he added.
Other chamber accomplishments in the past year Edelen cited include:
• Fast Track 2009, which was the biggest show to date, with 157 booths.
• An increased number of graduates in the Leadership Development Program and supervisor training.
• Well-attended free workshops.
• New members have brought membership to more than 600.
Also at the meeting, Guy Stanley, president of C-PEG, the Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth, outlined a new C-PEG initiative that will begin soon. The group will continue to raise funds for the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp., but it also will provide funds for existing industry.
“This program is designed to encourage, facilitate, recognize and reward long-standing businesses in Martinsville-Henry County that wish to do one of the following: create jobs, expand their business, assist in the training of current or incoming work force, assistance with required payments that are essential to the well-being of their business and improve the façade of their business,” Stanley said.
The amount of the grants will vary, and they will be given year-round to businesses in Henry County and Martinsville that are chamber members, he added.
Also recognized at the meeting were outgoing board members Paul Ashbrook, Sharon Dodson, Barry Dorsey, Scott Kizner, Avery Mills, John Parkinson and Jim Wilson. Joining the board July 1 were Kara Carter-Hundley, Ricky Dove, Greg Eanes, Tommy Harris, Katie Muehleck and Annette Roberson. |
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