Carolina Foothills Chamber introduces new leadership initiative

Springtime in the Carolina Foothills brings to mind many things. Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron bring lovely shades of pink and white to the woods, and the hills and valleys turn from brown and gray to pale green. New crops of foals and calves arrive, and by now, the vegetable gardens are starting to sprout. Yes, spring is in the air.

The new Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce is also bursting with activity. The Polk County Chamber of Commerce and the Landrum Area Chamber of Commerce recently merged with the goal of unifying the business community and helping to promote economic activity and partnerships across the Carolina Foothills region. Since the merger, the new Chamber has been working on three exciting new initiatives.

The first is working with other public and private sector groups to form the Foothills Economic Partnership - a special entity created to coordinate actions in order to enhance economic opportunity and create or preserve good jobs. The second initiative is the Save Local, Buy Local, Think Foothills First campaign - a concentrated effort to create higher levels of awareness of and preference for local businesses among area residents. One objective of the Think Foothills First initiative is to help Chamber members survive the current economic downturn by encouraging local consumers and other businesses to consider Chamber member businesses as their FIRST choice for shopping.

The Foothills Leadership Initiative (FLI) is the third in this trio of efforts to promote activities that will benefit the Carolina Foothills region now and in the future. FLI will be modeled after leadership development programs currently in place in Greer, Greenville and Spartanburg, and in many other cities and counties across the country. Participants in leadership programs generally spend one day each month, over a nine month period, learning about a specific aspect of their community in each session. The Foothills Leadership Initiative will follow this model.

From September 2009 through May 2010, an initial group of ten to fifteen individuals will have the opportunity to learn about various aspects of the Carolina Foothills region, which will prepare them to assume leadership roles in the community. Sessions will be devoted to government, education, arts and leisure, and health and human services. In keeping with the rural nature of our area, time will be devoted to agriculture, and to the traditions and economic impact of the equestrian community and industry. During the program, time will also be devoted to training in various aspects of leadership. This portion of the program will be led by local professionals. Leaders in the various aspects covered by FLI will facilitate each session's topic and are arranging speakers and activities. The sessions will take the participants into the community for direct observation and interactive learning opportunities.

Applications for the program may be obtained from the website of the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce, or from the Chamber office. The cost of the program is just $250.00, which covers transportation and meal costs for each session as well as materials and facilitator fees. A committee of Chamber Board members will select the participants for the class.

Please contact:

Stacey Lindsay, 828.894.5586, 864.360.6170, stacey.lindsay@carolinafirst.com;

or

Dave Herbert, 828.894.5150, 828.329.6646, ncbaseballump_24@yahoo.com with questions.

Stacey is a graduate of Leadership Greenville Class XVII and is a former president of the Landrum Chamber of Commerce and FENCE. She is the Polk County Executive for Carolina First Bank.

Dave is a retired Whirlpool Corporation executive and is currently General Manager and Operating Partner of Watson Flooring and Appliance in Columbus and Watson Furniture Company in Chesnee, SC. He is also a member of the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Stacey, Dave, and the Foothills Chamber Board are excited about this program and are looking forward to the first class of participants.

Download an application for the Foothills Leadership Initiative