So register today for the Chamber’s 13th annual Golf Tournament to be held at the Meadowbrook Golf Club. The Tournament will take place on Thursday, May the 24th beginning with a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. In the event of rain, the tournament will be on Thursday, May the 31st.

Chamber members are donating a wide array of door prizes, and a ½ and ½ raffle will take place, offering even more opportunities to win. Mulligan packages will be sold on the course. Free beverages will be available throughout the event (beer, soft drinks, water); team and action photos by the Chamber photographer will also be available. Golfers will receive gift bags upon arrival. The tournament will conclude with an awards dinner at Meadowbrook. All of these items are included with your registration fee.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, both for individual holes and the entire event. Teams and sponsorships are limited. We anticipate a sellout, just like the one we had last year, so don’t delay. Go to www.rutherfordcoc.com/golf today for sponsorship information, or register your team at 828-287-3090, or e-mail us at info@rutherfordcoc.com.

Special projects benefiting the community, charities and other non-profits are eligible for participation. Organizations interested in being considered for help should submit a request to the Chamber before February 29, 2012. Submitted letters should list the organization, what the organization does in the community, amount of assistance requested and briefly describe how the money will be spent.

A Chamber committee will review the applications and award the monies once all the applications are in the Chamber office and reviewed.

The Chamber introduced the program in 2007 in the interest of expanding its financial support of community projects.

Organizations receiving Chamber Community Gifts last year were: The Grace of God Rescue Mission, Safe Kids of Rutherford County and Family Resources of Rutherford County.

Funds distributed through the Community Gifts Program come from the Chamber’s annual Reverse Raffle. The Raffle accounts for approximately 30 percent of the Chamber’s gross income. Other income is earned through membership fees, a golf tournament, the sale of Chamber maps and other advertising materials. The Chamber receives no support from grants and taxes.

The Chamber is composed of approximately 425 members of the business, professional and industrial communities in Rutherford and surrounding areas. Membership is open to anyone with an economic or civic interest in the county.

Each ticket, and there are only 500, has a one in 500 chance of winning $10,000 cash and if prize contributions match past experiences, each ticket has a one in five chance of winning something!

The 2011 Annual Reverse Raffle Premier sponsors of the event are First National Bank, Rutherford Life Services and Thera-ssage.

WCAB’s Jim Bishop will be our MC for the evening. Tuscany Italian Grille has been selected to carter the event. Guests will be greeted by servers with an assortment of hot and cold appetizers that include the popular Puff Pastry Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Raspberry.  Dinner will be served at 7 PM and includes a Pasta station featuring Angelina’s Butter Cream Chicken, Penne ala Vodka and the Vegetarian pasta dish, Hand Carved Stuffed Holiday Pork Lion – Stuffed with Golden raisins and cranberry balsamic, Italian fresh Herb Bread Crumb Stuffing accompanied with Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes and Hari Corvere Vegetables. To round out these Italian delights the guests will be invited to help themselves to the traditional Italian Pastry Parade which includes Napoleons, Cannolis, Italian Cookies, Triamisu and many more!

A separate room will be set for music and dancing featuring The Sound Connection. Guests will be treated to the popular Zumba dancing from Lifestyles Wellness Center throughout the evening. Guests are encouraged to join in and try out the Zumba.

Those attending the Raffle will be treated to one of the best entertainment evenings of the year.  One ticket costs $100, admits two people, and covers all food, drinks, dancing and a chance at the grand prize.

Lend your support to this community effort and have a lot fun in the process. Join us at the Reverse Raffle.  For ticket info, call the Chamber at 287-3090.

“Meet the Municipal Candidates” will be conducted in Bostic, Ellenboro, Forest City, Rutherfordton and Spindale beginning October 10 and ending October 18. Each meeting will be conducted by Chamber and community members residing in the particular municipality.

The forums for Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village will be conducted by the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce. For more information on either of these forums contact Cheryl at 828-625-2725.

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce introduced the municipal candidate forums several years ago as a part of the organization’s community service program.

The Bostic forums have been cancelled by the candidates. The reason stated was lack of interest from the public attendance.

“Meet the Municipal Candidates” schedule: Ellenboro mayoral and alderman races, October 11, Ellenboro Elementary School, Forest City mayoral and commissioner races, October 13, Cool Springs Administration Offices, Rutherfordton councilman race, October 17, County Annex Building, Spindale commissioner race, October 18, Spindale House. The forums will start each night at 7 p.m.

If anyone would like to be a sponsor for any or all forums, please contact the office for more details. We are also looking for volunteers to be timekeepers, greeters and moderators for each forum. If you would like to help, please contact the office at 828-287-3090.

Local Committee to Review Applications, More at Rutherford Data Center Facebook Page

(Rutherford County, NC) – May 24, 2011 – Local officials joined Facebook’s data center manager today to announce a new Facebook-funded grants program that will distribute up to $200,000 in awards this year to eligible nonprofits in Rutherford County.

The Facebook-Rutherford Community Action Grants will use funds set aside as part of an agreement between the company and the county to bolster community nonprofits based on the recommendations of a formal grants committee made up of Facebook representatives and local leaders.

“Facebook is committed to playing a positive role in Rutherford County and all the communities where we operate,” said George Henry, manager of the $450 million data center going up just outside Forest City.  “We work globally, but live locally — and we want our larger success to help strengthen our hometowns.”

Forest City Mayor Dennis Tarlton and Rutherford County Commission Chair Bill Eckler joined Henry as members of the grant committee at a Tuesday press conference in Ol’ Blues barbecue restaurant.  Also on hand were committee members Faye Hassell, Executive Director, United Way of Rutherford County; Tom Johnson, Executive Director, Rutherford County Economic Development Commission; John Condrey, county manager, Rutherford County; Dr. Myra Johnson, president, Isothermal Community College; and Diane Warner, Rutherford County Foundation.

The committee will review funding requests by local 501c3 organizations, schools, and colleges that meet the eligibility guidelines described at a new tab on the Rutherford Data Center Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RutherfordDataCenter.

The committee’s criteria will include the number of Rutherford County citizens served by the organization and the proposed program, how well the services of the organization and proposed program match the needs of county citizens and how closely the program addresses Facebook priorities such as using technology in education and economic development.

“In 2010, as we worked with Facebook officials on deciding where to locate, one of things that struck everyone was Facebook’s deep interest in the local community, not just the facts and figures of its land purchase,” said John Condrey, county manager.

“Facebook consistently stated how much it wanted to be a part of and assist the community where it located. They’ve put that commitment into action today, and Rutherford County is all the better for it.”

Data Center Develops

George Henry — who has worked in data centers for more than 15 years — also provided an update on the Facebook construction in Rutherford County.

“Big changes have come to the parcel of land that is quickly becoming the home of Facebook’s Rutherford County data center,” said Henry. “Some things are easily seen, like the demolition of the long vacant Mako Marine Building.  Others are more subtle, but absolutely essential, like our ongoing work to the site’s electrical substation.”

More than 440 people have worked on the construction phase of the Facebook data center totalling almost 400,000 man hours, including more than 22,000 last week alone.

The data center in Rutherford County will use technology developed as part of Facebook’s Open Compute Project, launched in April as a way to transform the energy efficiency of global data centers by sharing innovations with the entire computer industry.

This advanced technology delivered a 38 percent increase in energy efficiency at 24 percent lower cost for Facebook. All companies now have access to the technology and can contribute their own innovations.

Construction continues on the data center and will wrap up in early 2012. Many construction subcontractors are still hiring qualified applicants. More information can be found at www.facebook.com/RutherfordDataCenter.

Austin and Rosendin managers discussed ways to ensure  electrical jobs to Rutherford County residents, union questions, and having to travel to Asheville in order for applicants to be interviewed.

After the meeting,  Austin stated that he was assured by Rosendin management that no one had to join a union in order to be employed on the job site, and that as of Tuesday, no one would be required to travel to Asheville to apply for the electrical jobs in Rutherford County.

“The folks from Rosendin were great people and seem sincerely interested in hiring as many qualified people from Rutherford County as possible. However, our people need to apply for those jobs, and now that travelling to Asheville is no longer required, this will make it much easier to do so.”

In fact, on Thursday December 16^th, at 6:00pm Rosendin is having an “industry night” at their triple wide construction trailer at Construction Gate #2 on the Facebook site, at 1271 Old Caroleen Rd, in Forest City.

Rosendin is going to be the largest employer on the site and will hire 120- 150 people in the electrical trades, from qualified electricians, to “ditch diggers”. 

“Rosendin is looking for hard working, conscientious, quality employees who either are qualified electricians, or who want to learn the profession.  Rosendin will train the right people and will also provide workers with proper certifications, so that they can bring those skills that they learn on the Facebook site, to other future employers once the Facebook project is complete.  I would encourage anyone who wants to apply, to show up on Thursday night to the Rosendin construction trailer”, said Austin.

Note to Chamber members: Post your Nov. 27 special deals with contact info in the comment section below (your comment will be posted once a Chamber staff member has approved it.)

“Merchants this just may be the start of a great movement.”

In an effort to raise public awareness of local independent merchants, November 27, 2010 has nationally been dedicated to small independent sellers that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve our neighborhoods, who must contend with the large national retailers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Although this is a campaign originally created by American Express and other social networks, including Facebook, this is an excellent opportunity to bring more awareness to our own local small businesses that may not have a relationship with American Express or Facebook.

We are asking that all of Rutherford County Small Business Owners; the heartbeat of our communities and local economy, who normally would not be open on Saturdays, to open your shops and restaurants on November 27, 2010 to give our friends and neighbors an opportunity to reinvest their money close to home. Our goal is to remind all Rutherford County citizens, instead of taking their business elsewhere, to shop Rutherford County first.

Citizens of Rutherford County need to remember that these are hard economic times and the merchants of our county need the support of the citizens. Although our small business merchants may not be able to match the door buster prices that bigger merchants may offer, they can offer something more, the personal touch with their service.

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce encourages every citizen to make at least one purchase from a local merchant on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010, and in doing so, honor the dedication shown by the entrepreneurs that run these businesses.

For those people who are American Express card members, the eligibility is there to earn a $25 statement credit on any purchase of at least $25 on Small Business Saturday at any locally owned independent small businesses that accept American Express. To redeem the offer, the American Express Card can be registered at https://enroll.amexnetwork.com/US/sbs or www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

Small Business Saturday can help small business owners with opportunities that can help increase the requests for their products. Business owners who sign up on the Web site www.facebook.com/SmallBusiness Saturday will receive $100 that will go towards advertising credit on Facebook. This in turn will make customers aware and will encourage them to spend their money at their business on Nov. 27. For complete details about this offer go to www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

To help promote YOUR ‘Small Business Saturday’, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce is encouraging members to submit their ‘specials’ to our website here: www.rutherfordcoc.com/news/?p=38

Mark your calendars and remember the date of Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. Support your local small businesses on Small Business Saturday.