It is difficult to believe that we are on the cusp of summertime and entering the half-way point of 2015! As I look back on the last five months of my tenure as President of the Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce, I am filled with joy by the experiences I have had including the opportunity to meet so many new faces and to initiate the new Sampson County Young Professionals organization.

Of course, I am saddened that our executive director, Janna Bass, has decided to leave us to spend more time in her very important position as a mommy, but I could not be more proud of what she has done for our local community in the short three years she has been with the Chamber. Neither Janna nor I are Sampson County natives, but we both fell in love with the place and the people and share such a passion for this county and the desire to make it an even better place for its citizens and businesses to thrive.

On June 1, we welcome our new executive director, Laura Deans, to the Chamber! Laura is a 2015 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is excited to be moving back to her home town. I can assure all of our members that she will do all that she can to make the transition a seamless one as she has already spent several days in the office acclimating herself as well as attending Chamber functions to begin meeting everyone. Please stop by the office and say “hi” to Laura and make her feel welcome!

If you have not already submitted your applications or sponsorships for the Sampson County Young Professionals organization, I encourage you to do so! This organization is open to all individuals aged 22-40 and our mission is to connect young professionals, engage within the community and advance in leadership development to be the leaders of tomorrow. Our kick-off event is scheduled for Thursday, June 25 at Oasis. Click on the “Young Professionals” tab on our newly designed Chamber website for both membership and sponsor applications!

The Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce congratulates our recent Members of the Week! This week we honored Mercy Care, Inc., a company that provides quality care with a heart of compassion to their adult consumers with developmental disabilities. Last week we traveled out to our neighbors in Bonnetsville to honor Mount Pleasant Baptist Church whose members will be celebrating their 140th church anniversary in October. Keep your eye on our weekly emails to see who our next Member of the Week will be! We would love to have you join us at 10:30 a.m. on Monday mornings to celebrate with them and allow you to network!

Another wonderful networking and celebration opportunity is our ribbon cuttings honoring new Chamber members. Last Wednesday a wonderful crowd gathered together at 105 Wall Street to welcome the local branch of the NAACP as they settled in to their new office location. Our friends from the City of Clinton were excited to see this organization make Downtown Clinton their new home as well! On Tuesday, June 2nd, mark your calendars to join us from 4-7 p.m. as we network with an open house event and celebrate with a ribbon cutting at the brand new office location for Sampson-Bladen Oil Company at 510 Commerce Street!

Are you curious about the Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce and what it has to offer? Would you like more information about how you or your company can become a member? If so, please give us a call at (910) 592-6177, visit our website at www.clintonsampsonchamber.org, check out our Facebook page, or drop by our office located at 414 Warsaw Road, Clinton.