Are you curious about what the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce committees have been working on lately? Maybe you’re interested in joining a committee and are just not sure which one is the best fit. Breeze through these updates from the committee chairs to find out!
Government and Business Affairs Committee
The SACC Government and Business Affairs Committee continues to assess the legislative results from the 2023 Maryland General Assembly Session that concluded in April. Committee discussions have also turned to key issues that the business community may have to face in 2024. Issues such as rumored legislation to repeal the Tipped Worker Credit, changes in Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance Fund that could cost employers more in premiums, a looming crisis with Maryland’s Transportation Trust Fund and its future funding sources as Maryland inches toward an all EV mandate for new vehicles starting in 2035 and local issues including the property tax hikes proposed by the City of Salisbury.
The next SACC Government and Business Affairs Committee meeting is Thursday June 8, 2023, on ZOOM at 8:30AM. If you are a current SACC member and would like to attend the meeting, please email CEO Bill Chambers at bchambers@salisburyarea.com.
Young Professionals group at La Tolteca Mexican Restaurant
Young Professionals
The YP’s recently hosted a well-attended joint mixer with the Ocean City and Ocean Pines young professional groups at La Tolteca Mexican Restaurant. The group is committed to connecting with young professionals and exposing them to business and industries on the Shore. Happy hours are hosted bi-monthly at area businesses and the group also hosts quarterly joint events with regional YP groups. The YP’s are always looking for new members and fresh ideas on how to network and make an impact in the local business community.
For more information contact committee chair, Alexis Mumford, Edward Jones at alexis.mumford@edwardjones.com.
Savanna Carter- Hebron Savings Bank and David Livingston- Livingston Wealth Management
Beautification Committee
The SACC Beautification Committee has committed to four annual downtown/riverwalk clean ups with the most recent one held back in April that produced four large bags of trash collected from the riverwalk and parking lots around Market Street Inn. The committee is actively looking for local businesses to dedicate one Saturday a month to a community clean up with the goal of making downtown Salisbury a clean and welcoming place for businesses, community members and visitors.
For more information contact committee chair, Melodie Carter, Hebron Savings Bank at mcarter@hebronsavingsbank.com.
Ambassadors Committee
If you frequent any of the chamber ribbon cuttings, luncheons, or business after hours, chances are you have interacted with a member of the SACC Ambassadors Committee. The committee’s key objectives are membership growth, engagement, and retention. They host monthly new member mixers to welcome and engage new members and participate in all events to create member to member connections and promote engagement, networking, and referrals. The Ambassadors Committee encourages growth of membership through each committee member being responsible for two or more new member referrals.
For more information contact Interim Chair, Melissa Geeslin, Goosehead Insurance, at melissa.geeslin@goosehead.com or Vice Chair, Paula Nichols, Motif Expressions Promotional Products, at nichols.motifexpressions@gmail.com.
Marketing & Media Committee
The Marketing & Media Committee recently moved from virtual to in-person meetings again. The bi-monthly meetings provide industry expertise on digital marketing, social media, branding, public relations, and many other relevant topics in the world of marketing.
The March meeting was held in the Greater Salisbury Committee building in downtown Salisbury and included a media panel with representatives from WBOC, Salisbury Independent, iHeart Radio Group and Delmarva Public Radio. Attendees had the opportunity to ask panelists how they decide what news to cover, best practices for pitching stories and how social media plays a critical role in the news industry. May’s committee meeting covered Search Engine Optimization, how it works and what elements businesses should have in place on their websites to get ranked higher on Google.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26th and will cover social media “voice” engagement and strategies to follow when marketing on social media platforms. For more information contact committee chair Jenni Pastusak at Jenni@d3corp.com.
Lead Share
Lead Share groups help businesses grow their visibility and engagement in the business community through open networking and structured lead sharing opportunities. Lead Share groups are industry specific which means one representative from each industry is exclusively welcome to participate in a specific Lead Share group. This prevents competition within the group when referrals are made. Meeting locations for all the Chamber Lead Share groups vary. For more information check the SACC Monday Upcoming Events E-blast or contact the Group Leaders.
Group 1 – Meets every Tuesday at 9:00 AM
Leaders: Veronica James veronica.james@era.com and Paula Nichols nichols.motifexpressions@gmail.com
Group 2 – Meets every Wednesday at 12:00 pm.
Lead Share Group 2 is currently functioning at over twenty-five consistent attending members. Group 2 will be hosting a joint meeting on June 22nd to celebrate with dinner and a baseball game at Shorebirds Stadium. The event includes a two-hour buffet and a ticket for the game. https://offer.fevo.com/augusta-greenjackets-9gcvfe1-1fbd885
For more information, contact Group 2 Leader Greg Reddell at greg.reddell.g7g7@statefarm.com
Group 3 – Meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 11:30am
Group 3 Leader: Colleen Nichols
Lead Share Group 3 has grown to ten active members and welcomes new visitors to the group each month. The group is currently meeting at Taylor’s BBQ.
For more information contact Colleen Nichols at sixnixenterprises@gmail.com.
Group 4 – Currently forming! Please contact Allen Payne at allenpayne@directmortgageloans.com for more details.
