This event recognizes the accomplishments and efforts of Chamber volunteers as we share our vision for the future, reflect on chamber programs and milestones during the past year. The Chamber recognizes outgoing board members, and welcomes incoming chairman and board members. Citizen of the Year and the Chairman's Award are presented at this time. This event is held in late March with more than 600+ Shoals area business leaders in attendance.

Chamber Ambassadors are a select group of 30-40 professionals from various backgrounds who act as messengers to advocate the Chamber of Commerce and it's programs to current and prospective members. As an Ambassador, both the Ambassador employee company and the Ambassador will benefit from the great exposure within our business community. Ambassadors assist the Chamber with everything from ribbon cuttings to mentoring new member businesses. Ambassadors are provided with special incentive awards and special recognition at the Quarterly Awards Luncheons and in the "Shoals Business Perspectives" magazine.

The Chamber Board of Directors meets the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7:30am. Be a Board Breakfast Sponsor and get direct exposure to 30+ community leaders.

Through this program the Chamber encourages and facilitates communications between the Business Council of Alabama and area business leaders. Time permitting, this program will offer valuable feedback from the membership through a question and answer period.

This is a networking event held at various Chamber businesses. Member businesses are provided the opportunity to showcase their facilities, operations and their employees and encourage networking sessions that create interaction between local businesses. Attendance varies based on location. Average attendance at each event 60-80.

The New Member Briefings are an opportunity to learn how to use your Chamber of Commerce to your business's fullest advantage. These informative sessions will also allow you to engage the President of the Chamber and staff members with any questions or concerns.

An event that celebrates the holiday season and also recognizes our Board Members and volunteers who assisted the Chamber with events throughout the year such as our Total Resource Campaign, Ambassador Committees, Small Business Awards Dinner and many others. Over 250 people attended this event including past Chamber board chairs and many elected officials.

This is a networking event held at various Chamber businesses. Member businesses are provided the opportunity to showcase their facilities, operations and their employees and encourage networking sessions that create interaction between local businesses. Attendance varies based on location. Average attendance at each event 30-50.

A dynamic, interactive seminar for 8th graders, presented by business and community volunteers, to show that every decision (in education, money & time management, life, character, etc.) has consequences and by using self-discipline, children have the power and responsibility to make good CHOICES that will positively affect their future. Volunteer training will take place in the fall of 2008 and the seminars will be held January-March of 2009.

Free to the entire community, job seekers can attend this one-stop-shop for employment opportunities from participating employers. Approximately 1000 potential employees attend this event which is held in the Spring.

Leadership Shoals, a leadership development program that takes place from August-April, is directed toward individuals in our community who demonstrate leadership potential. It is an opportunity to better understand our community and the challenges it faces and to prepare for those challenges by meeting with, and learning from, today's leaders. This program offers numerous educational opportunities to broaden perspectives and gain an increased understanding of community dynamics and public issues. The class is made up of 25-30 people. Leadership Shoals is a nine-month program that consists of nine sessions and a graduation ceremony: Orientation & Reception, Ropes Course, History of the Shoals, Education in the Shoals, Local Government, SimSoc, Quality of Life/Cultural Affairs, State Government/Montgomery Trip, Economic Development and Graduation.

The Leadership Shoals program has been in existence for over 20 years. Over 450 business and community leaders have gone through this program. This spring banquet brings together each class for a reunion dinner.

This 6 week legislative breakfast series features forums with Shoals area legislators. This event provides intimate networking for members and valuable exposure to over 50 community business leaders. This event will be held at the Chamber.

Luncheon to be held in June at the Shoals Marriott Conference Center. The mission of the Alabama Development Office is to coordinate economic development resources leading to quality job creation throughout Alabama. They promote a comprehensive economic development effort where state and local partners work cooperatively to create quality job opportunities for Alabama citizens. Under the direction of Neal Wade, the agency’s goals are met through the efforts of the Recruiting, Trade, Alabama Film Office and Community Services divisions, as well as the Office of Small Business and Communications. Neal Wade is the scheduled speaker for this event.

The Shoals Young Professionals' Annual Golf Classic will be held on Friday, September 26th on the Fighting Joe course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. This golf outing is an excellent opportunity to network and fellowship in a relaxed atmosphere with members and potential clients. It is also a great way to give back to the community as a portion of the proceeds will benefit a local charity. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, as well as closest to the pin and longest drive. Lunch will be provided following the tournament.

This event brings together the Mayors of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia for an informal discussion regarding issues that impact the Shoals area and our future. Time permitting, this program will offer valuable feedback from the membership through a question and answer period. The general membership of the Chamber is also invited to attend this event. The event will be held on September 8th at the Florence Golf & Country Club and is hosted by the Shoals Young Professionals Association.

Businesses and community volunteers make tax-deductible donations to the Depot of new and used equipment, materials and supplies for classrooms & schools and then educators shop for FREE! The Depot opens twice a year, in late summer and winter.

In an organized eight weeks, volunteers raise the funding for our Chamber programs for the entire year. A TRC markets sponsorships of the Chamber's programs, events, publications and electronic media and recruits new members. Recognition and fun campaign events provide an exciting environment for all your volunteers.

This annual event provides Senator Shelby with an opportunity to update the business community on those critical businesss issues facing our community. The briefing typically includes the Senator's views on the past year’s progress on the issues that impact our region and his outlook for the year ahead. Through this update program the Chamber facilitates communication and between Senator Shelby's office and businesses, both large and small. Appx. 180 Chamber members attend this event.

This annual event provides Senator Sessions with an opportunity to update the business community on those critical business issues facing our community. The briefing is scheduled to include the Senator's views on the past year's progress on issues that impact our region and the outlook for the year ahead. Through this update program, the Chamber facilitates communication between Senator Session's office and businesses, both large and small. The event is tentatively scheduled for May 28, 2008. No sponsorships will be accepted after May 14th.

This is an nine month program designed for up coming high school juniors. The class consists of 30 youth. Youth Leadership Shoals is a development program designed to prepare high school students to become leaders in their school and community. The curriculum is similar to that of the adult program. The group meets one day a month for each session. The sessions include: Orientation and Reception, "The Ropes" at Bear Creek, History of the Shoals, Quality of Life, Community Service, Business in the Shoals, Community Awareness, Class Service Project and Graduation.

Shoals Career Days provide 2 days of career exploration for area middle and high school students. Exhibitors talk with students about careers in their field and the education and skills required to attain those jobs. Approximately 5000 students participate in this event.

The Institute will place 20-25 Shoals area middle school and high school math & science teachers and counselors in Northwest- Shoals Community College's technical program for 2 weeks. During this time, the educators and counselors will learn the educational and skills requirements for each program and the jobs to which they lead. They will participate in hands-on activities and will receive feedback from business representatives regarding the importance of technical skills in their businesses , as well as career technical programs in the high schools.

The Chamber's Golf Tournament is an excellent opportunity to advertise as well as treat a client or potential client to a great day in a relaxed atmosphere. This event is scheduled for Friday June 20, 2008. The tournament will be played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at the Shoals on the Schoolmaster course. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, as well as closest to the pin and longest drive. Lunch will be provided following the tournament. Hole in One prizes include the chance to win $10,000 in cash and a new vehicle.

Keep The Shoals Beautiful (KTSB) empowers and engages citizens, businesses and officials in The Shoals area to take action, ownership and responsibility for protecting and enhancing their environment. The focus of Keep The Shoals Beautiful is the same as Keep America Beautiful. KTSB seeks to change behaviors and improve communities through a focus on: Litter Prevention Defining litter, identifying the cause, reducing it, organizing clean-ups, and properly handling discarded waste in our communities. Waste Reduction Reducing the impact of solid waste in our communities through integrated programs including source reduction and reuse, recycling and education about landfills, composting and waste-to-energy. Beautification Improving the visual aspects of our communities through programs that beautify and naturally clean our environment including community gardens, restoring vacant lots, highway and shoreline beautification, urban forests, native and wildflower plantings, and graffiti prevention and abatement.

Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, local organization that operates on donations from individuals and businesses. By offering anonymity and cash rewards, we tap new sources of information that can be vital to the fight against crime. We help law enforcement by obtaining information from people who may not wish to speak directly to the police and passing it on to them.

The TVA Caucus is a bi-partisan caucus made up of Alabama House of Representative members whose district in whole or in part is a part of the Tennessee Valley Authority Region. They work together on issues common to the region such as preventing the siphoning off of Tennessee River Water to other water systems, as well as infrastructure needs and economic development of the region.

Chamber membership is not only the primary funding mechanism for the Chamber, but it is also truly the life blood of the organization. The Shoals Chamber of Commerce is our community's lead organization for economic development services. Approximately 900 businesses and individuals in the area enjoy the benefits of investment in the Chamber, including: free listing on Chamber website and in membership directory; ribbon cutting & ground breaking services; weekly communications via email and fax regarding upcoming Chamber events and more.

This is the official newsletter of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce. Quarterly updates on committee activities, new members, ribbon cuttings & ground breakings, Ambassador awards, Member of the Month spotlights, Shoals area economic indicators and other business related information is included in this 10-12 page professional publication. Company must provide camera ready artwork.

Shoals area maps are produced every 3 years. The 2008 Shoals Area map is being produced by Superior Mapping, a nationally recognized leader in mapping products. The maps will include the latest data for Colbert and Lauderdale counties. There will be an area on the bottom front of the maps which will allow your business to personalize and use maps as a marketing tool.

This guide to government officials is compiled by the Chamber as a service to the community to encourage more participation in government affairs. All city and county governments in Colbert and Lauderdale counties are contacted to ensure accuracy of elected and appointed officials. These guides will be available beginning in January of 2009 and will be good for 4 years.

The Chamber emails "For Members Only/Chamber Calendar" once a week to our membership email list reaching approximately 1400+ individuals each email.

Feature Sponsors on Chamber Website. The Chamber offers the opportunity for special feature sponsors on the Chamber's website (www.shoalschamber.com). The LIVE, WORK, PLAY and LEARN sections are designed to provide newcomers and visitors with information and links that are helpful in getting to know the Shoals area. Current statistics show over one million unique visitors using the Chamber website each year. The Chamber pages are where companies go to find out more information about the Chamber and Chamber events.

The Chamber offers the opportunity to sponsor the Community Information Pack provided to 5000+ companies, visitors, and employees being transferred to the Shoals area. The Community Information Pack is distributed to companies, realtors, individuals and families requesting information on our community. The packages are also used in recruiting and marketing efforts related to BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure). The Chamber offers the opportunity for a limited number of flyer inserts from member companies to be included in the package along with standard Chamber community information.

Your company brochures or business cards may be placed in the Chamber building and viewed by people and businesses seeking information about our area, and community leaders for a one year prorated period.