The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce recently attended the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives National Conference, where we had the opportunity to continue our ongoing training. One highlight of the conference was our exploration of apprenticeships, particularly at Stadler, a leading US Advanced Manufacturer of trains.
This program combines education with work-based learning, providing participants with a valuable jump start to their careers. We are honored to have had the chance to learn from StadlerGlobal’s expertise in this area and are excited about the possibilities it holds for our expanding education and workforce efforts.
We were thrilled to share this experience with Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Yvonne Myers, Adam from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and Kylie from the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.
We were also honored with the opportunity to showcase our Pathways2Careers education program at the ACCE National Conference! Our CEO, Terry Banez presented Pathways2Careers; now in its third year, this initiative exemplifies our commitment to nurturing education and fostering meaningful connections with local businesses.
Pathways2Careers, spearheaded by our dedicated Education Committee provides immersive business tours, participants gain firsthand insights into potential career paths, while cultivating relationships with seasoned industry professionals.
The Aspire Young Professionals of Greater Williamsburg crew had a great time at the quarterly pick-up on the Virginia Capital Trail! We enjoyed Bingo & Beers at Billsburg Brewery to complete the evening. Look out for our November Trail Pickup at the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation!
Coming up at the Greater Williamsburg Chamber
Chamber hosting Candidate Forum Breakfast on Sept. 18th
The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce its upcoming Candidate Forum Breakfast, offering attendees an invaluable opportunity to engage with state legislature incumbents and challengers from the Greater Williamsburg voting districts. This moderated event aims to provide insight into the positions and priorities of candidates as they gear up for the November 7, 2023, elections for the Senate of Virginia and the Virginia House of Delegates.
The Candidate Forum Breakfast is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 18th, starting at 8:15 AM. The event will be held at Colonial Heritage, located at 6500 Arthur Hills Blvd, Williamsburg, 23188. Attendees will be treated to a full breakfast buffet beginning at 8:15 AM, followed by the moderated forum. Registration required.
Learn more about the candidates here.
Williamsburg Christmas Parade Applications Now Available
The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce that the 2023 Christmas Parade will be held on Sunday, December 3rd at 5 PM. An endearing local tradition since 1965, the Christmas Parade ushers in the holiday season with festive floats, live performances, and a special visit from Santa himself. Garnering a record of over 18,000 spectators in 2022, the early-evening setting provides a magical backdrop for illuminated floats. Parade spectators are also invited to participate in the illumination by adorning light-up apparel and accessories. This year’s theme, Jingle Bell Jubilee, evokes the spirit of the holidays, such as jingling bells, twinkling lights, and joyful music. Parade participants are therefore encouraged to create floats inspired by this theme.
This year’s Parade Application consists of an online application and a downloadable registration form. Your parade application is not complete until the application, registration form, and registration fee has been submitted.
Monthly Networking Event
Join the Greater Williamsburg Chamber for a Business After Hours hosted by Campana Waltz Commercial Real Estate on Thursday, September 28th from 4 to 6 PM. Campana Waltz Commercial Real Estate is located at 1313 Jamestown Road, Suite 202. Thank you to the beer sponsor Alewerks Brewing Company.
We look forward to an evening of networking, delicious hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets per person, door prizes, and more. The Chamber team will also host a 50/50 Cash Raffle at check-in. Tickets will be 1 for $3 or 4 for $10.
Members may register online for $15, and prospective members may register online for $25.
New Local Businesses in the Greater Williamsburg Chamber
Join us in welcoming the newest members of the Chamber:
Join us in welcoming 1607 Coffee Company to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! At 1607 coffee Company, they invite you to join them for upscale coffee, drinks, and food in a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Their menu offers a range of delicious dishes, from fresh salads to mouthwatering sandwiches, as well as breakfast pastries, crepes, muffins, cheesecakes and gelato. Be sure to stop by, they open September 1st!
Benevolent Healthcare Services, LLC
Join us in welcoming Benevolent Healthcare Services, LLC to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Benevolent Healthcare Services, LLC offers professional medical evaluation, treatment, and preventive services for adult patients. They are committed to providing professional, objective, medical care to all patients by qualified, highly dedicated, healthcare personnel. At Benevolent, they truly believe health care is a service and they strive to educate patients, help them understand their medical conditions and treatment options, and empower them to make informed, reasonable decisions about their personal health. With this objection approach, Benevolent’s dedicated staff provides excellent medical services to their patients locally in Williamsburg/James City County area and virtually throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Call or go online to schedule your visit today!
Join us in welcoming Blessings & Blooms Florist to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Blessings & Blooms Florist is a full service florist and gift shop for all occasions located on High Street in Williamsburg Virginia. They specialize in floral needs for weddings, corporate events, and offer daily floral deliveries to local funeral homes and hospitals. When you stop by and visit them, you will experience fresh flowers, plants, and creative gift ideas to suit any style. Blessings & Blooms can also assist you with local and worldwide deliveries.
Join us in welcoming Downsize Simply.LLC to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Downsize Simply.LLC will help you begin your downsizing journey. Their goal is to help you, the consumer, create a safe and easy way to maintain space you enjoy. Lisa Youngers, the owner of Downsize Simply.LLC says, “Start small and set limits, do not let the overflow take over!”
Join us in welcoming Kiln Kingdom to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Join us in welcoming Kiln Kingdom to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Kiln Kingdom was founded over 50 years ago by the owners great-grandfather in Istanbul. The legacy lives on, and Kiln Kingdom is here in Williamsburg! When you stop by their shop, you will find a huge selection of handmade pottery, bowls, vases, plates, figures, mosaic lamps, tables, mirrors, and much more… King Kingdom also serves traditional Turkish coffee on the sand with many flavors and a variety of Turkish delights and baklava.
Join us in welcoming Super Chix to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! At Super Chix, they are super into chicken. They think it’s just about the most perfect food in the world; and they wanted their recipes to celebrate all that perfection. So they did something drastic. They decided to keep it simple. They decided to bring to you The Last True Chicken Sandwich. Their fry snobs, too. They only use the highest quality, fresh potatoes. They’re brought to them after they’ve met the strictest growing, storing, and shipping standards and are never genetically modified. These are some fancy potatoes. That’s what it takes to serve the best. After all that good stuff, what’s next!? More good stuff!! You’ll want to get in on their fresh premium custard. They flavor it with their very own Super Chix vanilla blend and a unique, deep, rich chocolate blend including Guittard chocolate, UHH HUHH! They blow the roof off other custards. Flavor of the Week? Strawberry Cheesecake, Cookies n’ Cream, Butterfinger, English Toffee, Reese’s Peanut Buttercup! You get the picture! This is not a restaurant. This is an obsession; and they have a problem. They’re not very good at letting things go. It’s a full-bore, all the way to the end, make it better, grinding obsession. They can’t have a conversation about the weather. They don’t know who played last night. But if you ask them about their passion; about their obsession, be forewarned, the fire has been lit. They are Super Chix. Come get obsessed!
Join us in welcoming Totality Business Solutions to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Totality Business Solutions helps amazing and incredible small to medium sized businesses look that way in the increasingly important digital landscape. When their clients win, they win, so they work as partners with them to create, enhance and fortify their brand, establish a website that says “Wow”, get their business and website seen with digital and social media marketing strategies, and integrate technology and process improvement strategies where needed to optimize efficiency and effectiveness in all aspects of their business. Jeff Sullivan is the founder and Chief ‘Visibility’ Officer at Totality Business Solutions and is looking forward to helping you with all your digital marketing and process improvement needs.
Join us in welcoming Which Wich to the Greater Williamsburg Chamber! Which Wich is known for its ordering system, in which customers use red Sharpie markers to mark-up pre-printed menus on sandwich bags. They select a sandwich from various categories, then choose the bread, cheese, spreads, and toppings. There are other extra options such as double meat, double cheese, bacon, and avocado. The menus have a wide variety of options which besides the aforementioned extras are all free. The sandwiches are then prepared, and delivered in the personalized sandwich bags. Guests are encouraged to draw on their bags and hang their “artwork” on the community wall. Which Wich sells customizable submarine style sandwiches it calls “Wiches”. Sandwiches come in regular (7-inch), large (10.5-inch), super (14-inch), spinach wraps, and salads or “bowlwiches.” They believe that a great sandwich has the power to make any day better. Whether you need a break from your everyday lunch routine…are looking for a meal that everyone in your group can get excited about…or are just in need of a little bit of comfort … they are there to serve you. They craft each sandwich with care, with a smile and a thank you, to send you on your way re-energized and satisfied!
Non-Profit Spotlight: BikeWalk of Williamsburg
The Bicycle Co-Op is a volunteer-run project of BikeWalk Williamsburg, a 501c3 non-profit. We provide affordable, refurbished bicycles to children, youth and adults in our community. We provide FREE bicycles to clients referred by our social service agency partners to meet their transportation needs, and sell bicycles at bargain prices to the community at large to help cover overhead costs. We also offer education and mentoring through our DIY Repair Hours and community classes.
We welcome bicycle & parts donations during our open hours and are always looking for volunteers to help with refurbishment and customer service. For more information on donating or volunteering please email us at bikecoop@bikewalkwilliamsburg.org.
We are also excited to announce that we will be expanding our shop space in October! We will be relocating a few doors down from our current location in James-York Plaza. The new location will allow for more retail space and a larger refurbishment area to accommodate more DIY Repair clients. Stay tuned for a grand re-opening date in October!
Ribbon Cuttings & Celebrations
We have several ribbon cuttings coming up in our community, which the general public is usually invited to attend.
Ribbon cuttings are unique networking events. Unlike other events, you’re more likely to meet the owners, decision makers, and other key people you usually wouldn’t have access to! Check out the chamber calendar for upcoming events to attend.
Thank you for helping us celebrate these organizations (click for event photos on Facebook):
- Art Riche specializes in graphic design, branding consultation, and logos.
- Planet Fitness is proud to provide an affordable, high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment
- Blessing and Blooms Florist offers fresh floral arrangements and gift items for every occasion.
- Kiln Kingdom is the most unique handmade pottery store, also serving desserts & Turkish coffee on the sand.
Looking to increase brand awareness? Flip through our 2023-2024 Greater Williamsburg Chamber Investment Opportunities & Program Calendar booklet.
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