1st Virtual AfterHours and Door Prize Winners Announced

Well we are back! Holding our first Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s AfterHours Networking event since February was tremendous. We decided to attempt this event on a virtual platform; Facebook Live. To be honest we were not sure what kind of response we would have and more importantly how bad we might flub it up. But with the vast experience of our own Tim Radford and WKRK we went live on WKRK’s Facebook Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 5:30ish from downtown Murphy. 

Now to give a little history on our past (normal) CCCC AfterHours events. In the past we have held these meetings monthly at one of our members locations. They tended to include members from our business community, organizations, community leaders, chamber ambassadors, board members, and staff. Usually these little soirees were drop-in with attendance between 35 and 100 people. The host business would offer up refreshments and a door prize and the chamber would contribute a door prize. Usually a round of introductions were made to encourage networking and help make mutually beneficial connections. 

Fast forward to COVID world 2020. Sure many of us have been transitioning our business and social interactions to various online platforms, but could this work for a networking event? And would anyone participate. Well yes, as it turns out. We decided to focus on our downtown. Shout outs to local businesses were required to be eligible for the (9) donated gifts we had for this unorthodox networking event. And boy did the audience come through. Business owners stopped by. (Thanks Lane from the Daily Grind for the coffees and snacks) Mayor Ramsey, Laura LaChance-DAC Director, Wayne Peacock-President of the Murphy Business Association, Kathryn Jenkins-TCCC Small Business Center gave us an update on the downtown’s progress and programs. Even NC State Representative Kevin Corbin called in. 

The response both online and in person was better than we could have hoped. The support that our community lends for local business and the community never ceases to amaze me. I was even more amazed at the participation we garnered from our out-of-state folks who love Cherokee County enough to log in a comment. (Thank you for your kind words Kelli Hamby)

Now it is possible that the many “door prizes” that some of our business members donated sparked interest or our heavy marketing of the event for about a month. It is also possible that drop ins from our Civic leaders, business owners, and just my all around charm gave us a boost. But it is most probable that WKRK’s strong audience following and Tim Radford’s impeccable reputation had the biggest impact on our online turnout. Whatever the reason or combinations thereof, I am more than grateful. I want to sincerely thank everyone who took time out of their evening to talk with us, comment on the Facebook feed, donate door prizes, and show their positive support for Murphy. 

Now to what your have all been waiting for: The Winners

1. Marji Hill Winner of the pottery from Mike Lalone
2. Sherry Palmer Winner of the Gift Certificate for Luv N Mountain Soaps by Vera
3. Stephanie Garrett Wine Glasses from Valley River Vineyards
4. Kayla Nichols Winner of soap from Luv N Mountain Soaps by Vera
5. Susie Decker Crisp Winner of the pottery from the Sarah Hembree Collection donated by the Cherokee County Arts Council
6. Dale Robinson Grubb Winner of the Daily Grind & Wine T-shirt
7. Cassandra Hendrix Winner of the gift certificate for the Curiosity Shop
8. Judy Bruce Winner of the Visit NC Farms Basket and Blanket
9. Mark Mason Winner of the Visit NC Farms T-shirt
10. Nicole Hibbs of MBA of the jar of honey from Derreberry Farm.

Winners may arrange to pick up their swag by calling and setting up a time to come by our office at 805 US Hwy 64 West, Murphy (across from NC Works) next week. We would like to ask you to pose for a picture to be shared on social media. 

Lastly a big thank you to the Chamber’s Marketing Director, Ronda Birtha, for spearheading the marketing for this event, monitoring the live feed, and keeping me on track. 

Stay tuned for our next Virtual AfterHours event coming soon!