Thursday March 28th, 2024 4:24AM

In its 75th year, Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber retooling to provide more aid for small businesses

Even before the coronavirus pandemic began affecting businesses in the area, the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce was working to reinvent itself to better serve businesses.

Last week, the chamber delivered checks totaling more than $5,000 to 60 local small businesses. The funds were raised through the chamber’s recent “Keeping Stephens Strong Together” T-shirt campaign.

“The people of Toccoa-Stephens County have a long history of rising to the occasion in support of our community, which was evident through this two-week shirt campaign and national pandemic,” said Chamber President Julie Paysen.

While the T-shirt campaign was a response to an immediate need, Paysen said chamber leaders have been working on a new model for return on investment for members.

“We have been diligently working over the past six months to reinvent the chamber,” Paysen said. “To be successful as we navigate through these unchartered waters, we’re adopting a platform that brings our members tangible business tools and resources they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, ones that will bring benefits to themselves, their business, and employees. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, your chamber is challenging the local business community to re-imagine growing your business in our new economy.”

The chamber has been working with consulting and tech industry experts to add business utilities to its investors.

Investing in the chamber today will give members access to tools and resources that are economically packaged in affordable monthly payment options that will help jump start the future of their business, Paysen said. The chamber also is rolling out a first-of-its-kind platform that includes a marketplace for chamber members and access to services including the following: 

  • GoSmallBiz – Online business consulting,
  • Human resources and operational functions,
  • Business forms and strategic planning software,
  • Online reputation management,
  • Telehealth, and
  • An e-Commerce platform to sell goods and services.  

“We value the relationships we have with the people of our community and considering the current business climate, we believe it’s paramount and much needed to offer these services to our local business community now more than ever before,” Paysen said. “We must work as a team and ‘Keeping Stephens Strong Together’ is our motto.”

  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Business News, Local/State News
  • Associated Tags: Stephens County, Toccoa, coronavirus, Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce
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