August may be winding down, but things at the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce are just heating up!
We kicked off the end of summer and the start of a new school year with dynamic professional development programming featuring Holly Kobia of Kobia Consulting. Her program, “The Power of the Ask,” challenged local professionals to become more confident and effective when asking the tough questions.
Livignston
President, Salem-
RoCo Chamber
Whether you are asking for a donation, making a sales pitch, building a partnership or simply trying to persuade someone to see your vision, knowing how to tell your story—and knowing when and how to make the ask—can make all the difference. Holly gave attendees practical techniques to become better fundraisers, stronger communicators and more compelling storytellers.
Of course, professional development is only part of what makes our Chamber community so special.
We were thrilled to celebrate several Salem businesses this month. Business is booming at the The CabinetSavers so much so that they had to expand into a bigger location! Their new space is just a few doors down on Colorado Street We also cut the ribbon at the Salem Animal Hospital veterinary practice celebrating their gorgeous new and much larger space in West Salem.
Another highlight of the month was our New Member Orientation, “Coffee at the Chamber”, where we welcomed new and seasoned members and shared information about what Chamber membership offers. We want every member to understand the opportunities available to them and, more importantly, feel connected to the business community around them.
And then there was our August Business After Hours at Hunting Hills Country Club. We had record attendance, plenty of great conversations and something especially exciting—a lot of new, young faces! Seeing the next generation of Salem-RoCo area business leaders getting involved and building relationships is exactly what a thriving business community needs.
Looking ahead, we’ll close out August with another timely professional development opportunity as fractional COO Wendi Pannell joins us to explore practical uses of artificial intelligence. AI is changing the way businesses work, and we’re excited to learn how local businesses can put these tools to work in practical, productive ways.
It has been an incredible August, and September is shaping up to be just as busy.
We are gearing up for our first-ever State of the City of Salem Networking Breakfast, coming up September 22 at the Salem Civic Center. It promises to be a great opportunity to connect, hear from Mayor Turk, learn more about the future of our city and meet other local business and community leaders. Everyone is welcome—register on the Chamber website.
We’re also putting our community spirit to work for local children through our “Snack Buddy” food collection. The program supports 38 elementary schools and preschools in Salem, Roanoke County and Vinton through the Salem-Roanoke County Food Pantry.
The pantry spends more than $2,000 every month providing morning snacks for children in need throughout the school year.
The pantry spends more than $2,000 every month providing morning snacks for children in need throughout the school year. That is an incredible investment in our community—and one that the Chamber is proud to support. We’re coming together to collect snack items and help keep the pantry shelves stocked for local students. We are accepting donations of individual snacks at the Chamber for the entire month of September.
If you are a business professional or own a local business in the Salem and Roanoke County area, I encourage you to get involved with us. Attend an event. Bring a colleague. Meet someone new. Take advantage of professional development opportunities. Find a way to give back.
I promise, engaging with the Salem-RoCo Chamber can make a difference in your business—and in the community we all call home.
Here’s to a productive August, an even more exciting September and another great season of growing together!
To your growth!
