To better serve our members, the Chamber is mailing this month's newsletter to approximately half of our chamber membership as a test. A great deal of time and energy are used in producing a quality newsletter, so we are attempting to find the best way to reach chamber members.

In the past, we have used both email and regular mail to reach our members. Before September 2006, our newsletter did not allow us to track results. Our new system, which does have analytical capabilities, has shown that approximately 50% of all chamber members with active email addresses view their newsletter on a consistent basis. We'd like that number to be higher.

In real numbers, the Chamber has 291 members. Of that number, 227 have email addresses. Last month, 101 members opened their newsletter at least once representing 46.8%. While this was the highest number of "opens" since tracking began, it still left 126 members that did not open the newsletter. Several reason may be given for this number such as an incorrect email address, full mailbox, material may not be interesting or timely, or just never got around to it.

Of those that preferred mail, 63 copies were mailed out and presumed to have been opened.

Our interest lies not only with the chamber's newsletter but with all correspondence from the Chamber including Business-After-Hours notifications, "Coffee Connection" dates, important event reminders, legislative updates, etc. We want to be sure we are reaching our membership in a timely fashion.

A letter will be mailed to those members with email addresses who are not opening the monthly newsletter to determine preference. We hope you'll take the time to respond so we can do a better job.

Art Stroll in Downtown Swainsboro will feature new hours for the Saturday, June 9th event. New hours are from 5 pm to 8 pm.

This month's exhibition is entitled "Divine Inspiration, Religion: Meaning and Morals in the Modern World." Live music will feature Arum Rae, country and blues artist, on the Boneyard after the Art Stroll at 8 pm. Citizens Bank of Swainsboro is this month's sponsor.

The Georgia Young Farmers Summer Tour is set to arrive in Emanuel County on June 28th & 29th. Some 300 to 400 attendees are expected for the two-day event.

The tour will begin on Friday night, 7 p.m., with dinner at the Swainsboro Middle School. On Saturday morning, the organization will tour Rayonier, Herrington Homestead, Evan Hooks' Cattle Co. and Whitfield Farm & Nursery. Lunch will be served at Twin City Primary followed by a tour of Geo. L. Smith State Park, Atkinson Candy Co., Canoochee Daylily Garden and Flat Creek Lodge.

Emanuel County Young Farmers are hosting the event.

The Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a "Small Business Resource Seminar on Thursday, June 21 at 12 noon.

Representatives will be on hand from a variety of agencies to discuss ways their organizations can assist local businesses.

Participating agencies will include: Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, One Georgia Authority, United States Department of Agriculture, CSRA Business Lending, Small Business Administration, and others. All business owners or prospective business owners are invited to attend. A box lunch will be available at a cost of $10. There is no charge to attend the Seminar.

The program is part of Chamber's Entrepreneur Friendly Committee's ongoing efforts to serve small businesses and prospective new businesses.

To attend the session, please call the Chamber at 478-237-6426.

The Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce took part in the I-95 Visitors Center's "Georgia On My Mind Day" on Friday, May 25th. Approximately 25 organizations and communities from across the state set up booths to inform tourists of significant sites and events available in Georgia.

Several thousand tourists visited the I-95 Center on this Friday, which was the beginning of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Hot dogs, popcorn, cookies, Cokes & tourism information were given away.

"We were able to promote our state park, restaurants, bed & breakfasts and other sites here in Emanuel County as tourist destinations. With many tourists on the way to Florida, its our hope that these folks will visit Emanuel County either on their return trip home or plan to visit us on the next trip through," stated Bill Rogers Jr., Executive Director.

The chamber displayed brochures, business cards and products made & grown in Emanuel County.

One Monday May 14, the Board of Directors of the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce met with local and state Department of Correction officials to discuss changes in the two units of the Emanuel Probation Detention Center.

The Twin City Unit, which currently houses 220 detainees, is in the process of opening an additional 96 beds. This should be completed in May.

In June, the Swainsboro Unit will be vacated of its current detainees. Part of these detainees will be sent to Twin City, other to PDCs across the state. The Swainsboro Unit, after retrofitting, will then be reopened as a Transitional Center. According to DOC, the Unit's purpose will be to provide structured programming and other activities that prepare offenders for return back into society.

The Chamber directors learned that before residents are placed into a Transitional Center, they are screened and will be within one year of their actual release date from incarceration. After a thirty-day orientation period, residents who pass screening will be allowed to secure employment and to patronize local businesses.

Many of the residents that will be housed at the Swainsboro Transitional Center will be allowed to go out for work. They will not compete with local people for desirable jobs, but will be directed toward employment where sufficient labor cannot be found at this time.

The residents will be able to earn, spend and save their own money after payment for room and board. Officials stated that the Coastal Transition Center in Savannah returned over $800,000 to the state of Georgia in fees collected from room and board. Transition residents will also pay child support, pay restitution and fines.

Chamber directors then posed questions to DOC officials.

It was further learned that no sex offenders would be included in residents at the Unit and that any resident not willing to work would not be allowed into the program.

Several chamber board members reported they had contacted other communities housing Transitional Centers and reports were good.

Other information gleaned from the meeting:

*Average cost per day for a prison bed in Georgia is $46, or over $16,000 per year. Cost for a resident to be held in a TC is just under $33 per day, or $11,752 for a year. With 2,000 residents currently in TC units across the state, the result is a cost savings of over $9 million per year.

*TC residents are within a year of their projected release. They have great incentive to work and comply with the law and with rules. Rule violations typically result in a quick return back into prison.

*Most inmates are now released without benefit of a transition program back into society. 350 are released each week with only $25.00 and a bus ticket home. The TC program will give residents a headstart, learning to work, pay bills and have savings when they are released.

Those who complete a TC program are 1/3 less likely to reoffend with a sentence back to prison.

The new Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce's website has been under construction for several weeks now by Chamber Express. The Chamber hopes to roll out the new version within the next several weeks. Our new website will have a community calendar, information on our community and our members, tourist information, events, and much more.

"Very informative", "A great presentation", "I learned a lot," were some of the comments made following conclusion of the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Classes.

Some 78 attendees were present for the five classes presented by the Chamber, East Georgia College and Georgia Southern University's Small Business Development Center.

Held on Tuesday nights in April and May, the classes centered on meaningful information to assist the small business entrepreneur. Lori Durden and Kyle Hensel with Georgia Southern University's SBDC began the series with discussion on the opportunities and pitfalls of "Starting Your Own Business."

In the following session, Elizabeth Gilmer, Senior Vice President with Durden Banking Company gave important tips on "Finding the Money for Your Small Business."

Twenty-five people were in attendance to hear "Secrets of Small Business Marketing Strategies."

Certified Public Accountant Danny Key led the next session on "Understanding Financial Statements: Managing by the Numbers."

Dr. Linda Mullen, associate professor at GSU, concluded the classes with her presentation of "The 25 Biggest Sales Mistakes & How to Avoid Them."

"This was our first series of classes for small business owners or entrepreneurs wishing to start a business," stated Bill Rogers Jr., Executive Director of the local Chamber. "We were well pleased with the turnout and response."

James Canady has been named "2007 Public Servant of the Year" by the Swainsboro Jaycees. This announcement was made by the club at their May 17th meeting.

Mr. Canady serves on the Emanuel County Board of Commissioners, Emanuel County Development Authority, Emanuel County Hospital Authority, Swainsboro/ Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and other civic groups. Congratulations, James!

Having chosen Swainsboro as the site for its newest facility, PharmaCentra has been in the process of interviewing job applicants for employment. On May 21-22, the firm conducted interviews and is expected to hire approximately 60 people.

PharmaCentra is an Atlanta-based marketing and services firm that caters to the pharmaceutical industry with a suite of customizable healthcare programs. These programs help pharmaceutical companies provide comprehensive support to physicians and patients who depend on their brands. From compliance and persistency to strategic sales and marketing, PharmaCentra's programs and services represent the future of healthcare management, offering clients integrated initiatives that allow them to effectively manage the flow of information between themselves, physicians and patients while increasing market share.

PharmaCentra is expected to open in June and will be located on The Square in the building formerly used by Curves.

Georgia Electric Membership Corporation's Georgia Magazine has featured Flat Creek Lodge among Georgia's premier fishing lodges in its June 2007 edition. In the article, the local lodge is included with other lodges at Brigadoon, Little St. Simons Island, Callaway Gardens, Smithgall Woods, and The Bridges Resort located on Lake Chatuge. The article calls Georgia's upscale lodges "unique and quite comfortable, and the fishing is usually much better than that found in many 'greener pastures'."

It's great when an Emanuel County destination is featured in a statewide magazine!

Good food will always draw a crowd. So it was with this year's Wash Pot Festival in Garfield. An estimated crowd of 3,000 people enjoyed the good food, arts & crafts, auction, antique cars and tractors during the day long event. Congratulations are in order for the Garfield Volunteer Fire Department and the Garfield Masonic Lodge.

The Chamber's recent membership in the Classic South Tourism Region is already paying huge dividends. The region will be producing a brochure featuring sites and events in the 17-county area.

Swainsboro & Emanuel County will be featured on a full panel page within the brochure. Plans call for 75,000 copies to be printed and distributed to the state's Visitor Centers and local Welcome Centers. In addition, anyone requesting information about the Classic South will be mailed a copy of the brochure. The brochure is expected to be available for distribution in July.

Counties in the Classic South Region are Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Jenkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, Wilkes and Emanuel.