[Lewisburg, W. Va.]  The Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce and New River Community and Technical College invite you to “Leap for Greatness” at a Power Lunch at the Greenbrier County Public Library at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

The Leap Day presentation is about the principles or “atti-tools” that attract prosperity in workplace and business arenas.  The presenter is Katie Gwinn of Your Abundant Life.   Sam’s Club of Beckley will provide lunch for this mini- workshop.

Gwinn is the creator of Personal Effectiveness Programming for the workplace and has worked as a business consultant and teacher throughout her varied career.   She received a liberal arts education in California and did postgraduate work in psychology and human development.  She has worked as an “abundant life coach” since 1971 in various private and public venues.  She recently conducted a workshop on “Sculpting Your Life” sponsored by New River’s Office of Workforce Education.

“My Power Lunch presentation will give an overview of how to find the greatness within by taking a ‘leap of faith’ into uncharted personal and business territory,” Gwinn says.  “This presentation should motivate participants to explore their inner resources to create new goals and approaches for success in the workplace”

Power Lunches are a member service of the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with New River Community and Technical College. To register, please go to the Chamber website at www.greenbrierwvchamber.org and click on this event under Upcoming Events. Call the Chamber office at (304) 645-2818 for more information about Chamber membership and their programs to help businesses increase the bottom line.

Business After Hours at the Heart Center

Join us February 9 for Business After Hours networking at the Heart Center! Located in on Skylar Drive in Lewisburg just past Greenbrier Valley Medical Center from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Re-Energize Your Business and Leap Into the New  Year Power Lunch

Join us February 29 for a Power Lunch all about getting out of the winter blues and getting energized for you and your business! Hosted by Katie Gwinn of Your Abundant Being, this Power Lunch will be located at the Greenbrier County Public Library from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. Sam’s Club will be catering a lunch!

These free Chamber events are a member service of the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce reserved for current or prospective members. Please contact us if you plan to attend by emailing info@greenbrierwvchamber.org or calling 304-645-2818.

The Chamber offices are located at 200 W Washington St., Suite C (Second floor of the Visitor’s Center Building) in Lewisburg, West Virginia.

Legislative Update Forum-January 5 at 5:00 pm, New River Community College Auditorium in Lewisburg

Business After Hours with Greenbrier Valley Fitness- January 19 from 5:30-7:30 pm, Greenbrier Valley Fitness North (behind Ruby Tuesday)

Build-Your-Own Business Website Power Lunch- January 25 from 12n-1:00 pm, New River Training Offices in Lewisburg

Don’t forget the Chamber has fantastic advertising opportunities for our members, reaching out to over 750 people in the Greenbrier Valley!

Also upcoming:

Feb. 9 Business After Hours at the Heart Center

Feb. 29 Re-Energize Your Business and Leap Into the New Year Power Lunch

March: Annual Dinner

March: Keeping Money In Your Pocket Power Lunch

April 19: Business After Hours at the Shepherd’s Center

April: Entrepreneurship Power Lunch

May: Business After Hours at the North House Museum

May: Grant Writing Power Lunch

Rainelle LOOK HERE Committee

c/o Monica S. Venable, CHAIR

1109 Main Street

RainelleWV 25962

Phone: 304.438-6141

Fax:  304.438-6492

Cell: 304.660-8172

Email:  monica_venable@yahoo.com

November 2, 2011

RAINELLE BUSINESS COMMITTEE PROMOTING BRIGHT SATURDAYS  AND LOOK HERE  THROUGH HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON.

RAINELLE,WV.  Rainelle merchants and business people have organized an effort to lure local shoppers into the town’s stores during the holiday shopping season.

Volunteers are presenting the project to Rainelle merchants and other businesses this week.

“We hope that people will LOOK HERE before hitting I-64,” Monica Venable, chair of the group, said.  “Local stores will offer incentives for people to just come in and look at what they have to offer.”

Venable said that people may register at every participating merchant for prizes to be offered throughout the town.  “We hope that people will register in every store,” Venable said.  “The prize awarded from entries in any particular store may or may not be donated by that store.”  Some stores, she said, are offering additional promotions.

LOOK HERE kicks off on the first Bright Saturday, November 19, and continues through Bright Saturday, December 10.

The group is also offering free gift wrapping with proof that the item was purchased at a Rainelle store.

“Volunteers are out now personally presenting the LOOK HERE project to every business in Rainelle,” Venable said.  “If we miss anybody or if any local business wants more information, they may pick up a letter at Town Hall or contact me.”

The LOOK HERE project came from a lunch meeting with Greenbrier Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Katie Ickes and the Chamber’sVISTA, Allender Stewart.

Rainelle business people attending some of the groups meetings or involved in other ways  include Monica Smathers Venable, Smathers Funeral Chapel; Ron Fleshman and Rosalie Ross of Ron Fleshman Insurance; Sandra Sorrells, Manager, Rainelle City National Bank; Becky Redden, Manager, Summit Community Bank; Dave Grimmett, Park Center Sporting Goods; Amanda Reed, Photographer; Sharon Selbe, The Carriage Café; Patrick Smith, Administrator, Heartland of Rainelle; William “Bill” Wallace, Wallace & Wallace Inc. Funeral Home; John Woodrum, MeadWestvaco; Steve Carr, Cornerstone Inn; Mary Beth Surbaugh, Rainelle Medical Center; J. W. Puckett, Plum Creek; Deborah McCall, member of Rainelle Area Planning Commission; Mayor Andrea Pendleton; Roxie Hume; and Joan C. Browning, Special Assistant to Mayor Andrea Pendleton.

“A strong business community is essential for a vital town,” Mayor Andrea Pendleton said.  “The Town is solidly behind this LOOK HERE project and we urge everybody to look in our local stores first.”

For further information, contact Monica S. Venable, Chair, LOOK HERE committee, 1109 Main Street, Rainelle WV  25962, Phone: 304.438-6141, Fax:  304.438-6492, Cell: 304.660-8172, Email:  monica_venable@yahoo.com or The Hon. Andrea Pendleton, Mayor, PO Box 223, Rainelle WV  25962, 304/438-7191 or 304/667-9233 or andypen241@msn.com.

Greenbrier Technologies to be Showcased at Chamber Business Before Hours

What is in a name?  Much more….  As Greenbrier Technologies’ business has expanded, it was necessary to change their name to adequately represent the broad spectrum of technological and electrical  services that they provide.  Their business will be showcased at the October 27 breakfast social of the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce at their Route 219 North location from 7am to 9am.    They will also host a special presentation on the Boy Scout Community Service Initiative at 8:30.

As they celebrate their tenth year, the company founded by Bill Lenherr and Alan Carson has expanded to have three distinct and complementary business units  — Greenbrier Business Technologies, Greenbrier Home Technologies and Greenbrier Electric.  Greenbrier Business Technologies is focused primarily on the design, installation and support of business networks including infrastructure, data storage, network security, remote network access, unified communications and “smart-office” solutions.

Greenbrier Home Technologies can help by providing network, automation, audio/video and systems control solutions for the simplest to most complex requirements.  Greenbrier Electric offers high quality electrical installation and maintenance services for residential, business and commercial customers.  In addition to designing and installing full-scale electrical, fiber-optic and low-voltage infrastructure, Greenbrier Electric can help customers protect their home and business investments with emergency backup generators, whole-house surge protection and upgrades to their electrical service and devices.

In keeping with Greenbrier Technologies’ dedication to the community which they service, the event will also include a presentation on how the region can benefit from the community service component of the Boy Scout Jamboree coming to Fayette County.  To register for the event, please call the Chamber at 304-645-2818 or go to www.greenbrierwvchamber.org and click on this upcoming event.

MEGA is our biggest fundraiser, and we are trying to get the best packages for our silent auction so local businesses (or just-across-the-river businesses, if they’re interested) can market their best items– and of course, so we can offer better programming and features for our members!

Now, we can’t give away all our secrets just yet, but we have some pretty exciting commitments for the auction. We aren’t focusing purely on physical objects, but are also pushing to feature services and promotions for the area.

So far, we can promise you can find tickets to events for the entire holiday season, maybe an invitation to join a new hobby, and even life coaching sessions with new Greenbrier County resident, Katie Gwinn. We are even working on a package called “Famous for a Day”– we’ll leave you to figure out what that entails. Check back here for more information as it unfolds– this is an event that nobody in the Greenbrier Valley should miss!

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We are hosting Career Day for local students before MEGA Business Showcase and Marketplace! We want to get a wide variety of vendors for this event to bring the best to our local students.

Already participating are Greenbrier East High School and Greenbrier West High School, as well as a few local homeschool students. We are currently trying to get the local private schools involved— more to come.

As for vendors, we already have a few colleges and a scholarship association participating, as well as someone to critique resumes and several local businesses. The community has always stepped up for this event, and we don’t expect this year will be any different– reserve your booth today for Career Day!

Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce’s Career Day on our website– Register, see logistics and details, share with your friends.

The Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Greenbrier Valley Fitness North with a Ribbon Cutting.  North or South – Greenbrier Valley Fitness makes having a healthy lifestyle more possible and accessible.  As the days shorten, Greenbrier Valley residents now have two options for dynamic exercise classes, state of the art  workout  equipment  and healthy snacks including Wild Bean coffee.   Greenbrier Valley Fitness North is located at 540 North Jefferson in Brier Complex behind Ruby Tuesdays.

Greenbrier Valley Fitness owner Kevin Workman did the community a terrific service by stepping in to save the health facility at the North of town.  The Y’s charter was being dissolved and he wanted to have a health facility to save GVF patrons a drive and to be able to offer more programming for youth and seniors.  We have some great new plans on the drawing board to promote healthy living in the valley.” stated  Director of Fitness Bimbo Coles.

North Fitness Manager Neil McClung has a full staff of  fitness trainers offering classes and personal training.  Instructors and their classes include Strength Training- Chris Hicks and Geri Rogner, TKO-Elizabeth Thompson, Silver Sneakers- Cheryl Nutter, Yoga-Yarrow Levine, Zumba-Emily Smead, Cycling- Troy Holbrook,  M.Martial Arts- Mike Parriski, Cardio Step- Collette Lawson, Body Pump-Kristi Godby and Cardio K.O.-Bruce Bryan.

Lewisburg Mayor John Manchester officiated at the Ribbon Cutting and stated, “I am pleased to see the renovations and a commitment to beautiful facilities and topline equipment for people to be healthy and stay in shape”.    The fitness center has Free Weights, Treadmills, Strength Training Machines, the Tone Zone, Sauna and a Smoothie and Coffee bar.  They also have an Exercise Studio and Day Care.

If you are on the North End of town and need a “ pick me up”  drink, GVT North smoothie and coffee bar offers Wild Bean Coffee and healthy whole food smoothies, with such appropriately named specialities as the Ultimate Recovery, Daily Essentials and Sniffles Be Gone.  The gym also offers GV Fitness logo wear, bags, mugs, water bottles and T-shirts.  For a full schedule, class times and child care hours, please call  304-645-4000.

The Chamber hosted a Business After Hours event with Greenbrier Valley Medical Center last Thursday, and it was a great success! With good food, wine, music, and people, we welcomed over 80 people to this fantastic event.

Business After Hours is a great networking opportunity for all members who attend, even the Chamber! We distributed relocation information, met potential new members, and lined up someone for a job interview with one of our members. Also in those two hours, we set up meetings to schedule new networking and training events for our members, and heard some great ideas from MEGA Business vendors.

If anyone who attended this event would like to add to this report, respond in the comments! For more pictures from September’s Business After Hours with Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, visit our Facebook page.

Don’t miss out on the next Business After Hours! Click here for more information on  October’s Business After Hours