As December comes rolling in, the Auburn Chamber is in full celebration mode and full of appreciation for a wonderful year! Cue the Johnny Mathis music and sing along, it really is the most wonderful time of the year! Thinking about the last quarter, I am reminded about the many things we have celebrated this fall. We were delighted to welcome back the Auburn Family for football season and are so thankful for the support to our businesses from all of our family members who came back to cheer on the Tigers! We are thankful for our Public Safety Officers who serve us every day and were so thankful that The Hotel At Auburn University delivered Thanksgiving lunch to those men and women who served our city on Thanksgiving Day. For the 10th year in a row, the chefs from Ariccia created a fantastic menu on behalf of our sponsors who wanted to support some of our finest! Our Spring Small Business Award Winners were all finalists at the Chamber of Commerce of Alabama’s Small Business Award Ceremony. Please join me in congratulating Mo’Bay Beignet Co., Tanology Spray Tan & Beauty Bar, Hamilton’s on Magnolia, and The Hound for representing our area so well and continuing to serve their customers with excellence. We surprised Richard Tomasello of Well Red Bookstore with a Customer Service Crown and are taking nominations for one more winner for the end of the year. We are surrounded by so many people in our community who help make our world better, so please be on the lookout for those individuals who go above and beyond to offer great customer service and email crystal@auburnchamber.com with your nominations! We will end this week with the AYP Soiree and present three awards for the most outstanding young professional in three categories. The Soiree is the culmination of the 5th year of the program and we will be back at Moore’s Mill Club where we hosted our very first event five years ago! Also, I hope you received the save the date announcement for the 2022 Annual Meeting. We are looking forward to Wednesday, February 2 and hope you will make plans to join us at The Gogue Performing Arts Center to celebrate the efforts of our members!
Encouraging our community to support our local businesses is always top of mind for our team. For the holidays especially, we are presenting two lucky people with prize packs for their participation in the Shop Local and Dine Local Bingo Boards. We appreciate so many people participating in those contests and our great sponsors, Coldwell Banker Alliance and Three Sixty Real Estate who made it possible! Don’t worry, there is still plenty of time to win prizes with our Shop Auburn Giveaways. Follow the Auburn Chamber on Facebook and Instagram and look out for 12 days of posts to enter to win more prizes. If your gift list is not complete, we know our businesses here locally can provide you with what you need. I feel confident that our members can help make your gift lists complete with great products, gift cards, and experiences. We welcome any chance to help direct you to our businesses and know the support will be appreciated. Don’t forget our local nonprofits too- they are a perfect gift for the person who has everything and a great way to support amazing organizations that help fill in gaps for those in need in our community. Above all, we hope you will remain mindful to show support to our local businesses this season and beyond. So many offer conveniences of online shopping, delivery, quick pick up, gift wrap, and above all, the tax dollars help fund programs that benefit our citizens and town!
As we close the year, I am looking forward to 2022 with excitement! 2022’s calendar is planned and full of events and programs that will provide ways for you to connect and develop. Our Chamber Team stands ready to serve you, open to your feedback and ideas, and delighted to provide any resources you may need. I wish you the Merriest Christmas and a very prosperous New Year! I am so thankful for the investment each of you make to our community and especially to the Auburn Chamber!
Cheers!
Anna