Chamber Currents
Phones Are Ringing About The Chris Cagle Salute To Independent Business Owners
Our phones sure have been ringing off the hook this week regarding the FREE Labor Day Jubilee concert being held this Saturday, September 1, under the bridge on the lawn of the historic Peanut Warehouse beginning at 6 p.m. Local favorite Black Label will kick things off, and will be followed by our very own Charlie Floyd at 8 p.m. Backing up to Charlie will be a fireworks show, and then….drum roll, please…Chris Cagle will take the stage at 9:45 p.m. And yes, again, this is a free concert brought to you by Independent Builders Development, headquartered here in Conway, South Carolina!
Folks are calling in from Knoxville, Tennessee; Guntersville, Alabama; Raleigh, N.C.; and as far as Dallas, Texas, all wanting free tickets. Well folks, there are no tickets. Just wide open spaces and you’re welcome to join us. One caller even asked Laurie, “So, what’s the catch? Nothing’s free.” Just like she answered, there’s no catch, only a chance to celebrate the survival of the American Dream with business owners from across our hometown, region, state, and now what appears to be our entire U.S. Chris Cagle truly has a following, and we believe they’re all following him here.
Many of you believe this to be a Conway Chamber of Commerce sponsored event, but I’d like to set the record straight. Many months ago, the man behind this weekend’s plan, Tripp Nealy, president of Independent Builders Development ((IBD), approached the Chamber with this to idea to accomplish two goals: 1) to help us pay down our debt on our Chamber building, and 2) to help celebrate and salute the small, independent business owner facing the onset of corporate America. IBD is a company that formed back in 2003 for this same reason. National builders have increasingly taken interest in our area because of our beaches, rivers, our southern hospitality, and our historical charm that is often hard to find in an area that is growing as rapidly as ours.
The company joined forces with Myrtle Beach Building Supply to buy large tracts of land, sell only to the local, independent builder, then help that builder market and sell the house upon its completion. This process has helped many local builders buy into developments and market their products in ways they may not have been able to afford on their own.
Tripp wanted to share this story, but take the initiative to the next level. During this concert, the crowd will be encouraged to support small businesses in our hometown. They’ll be encouraged to cross promote other businesses much like their own. They’ll be encouraged to protect the small businesses in town by shopping, dining and spending money with these business owners. The American Dream and the spirit of entrepreneurship is certainly still alive in Conway and I hope each business owner in our area, as well as your employees, will take the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy an event being organized in your honor. This is an event for the working folks making a living by the sweat of their brow.
Tripp has been a faithful Chamber member for several years now. He first joined as Carolina Refuge Systems and then later helped sign on Myrtle Beach Building Supply and IBD. Over the past three years, we’ve assisted Tripp in marketing and have tried to help open doors where he’s needed them opened — that’s our Chamber’s goal…to serve the businessman.
Because of our commitment to his business, he’s in turn caught the vision of the Chamber, and wants to help us retire our loan on our beautiful Chamber facility, located at 203 Main Street in downtown Conway. He wants us to be able to better lead and support our membership, without so much depending on sponsorships and contributions to sustain the programs and activities that we provide. Thus, all proceeds from the sale of beverages during the Labor Day Jubilee will come back to the Conway Chamber of Commerce. With Tripp’s support and with the help of others who understand our need as well as our purpose, we can positively move forward in offering more to the Chamber member, the business owner, as well as our community overall. If you’re interested in hearing more about our vision for the future, our vision for Conway’s business community, or ways you can help support our Chamber’s mission, give us a call at 248-2273. We promote an open door policy, and we stand by it.
