Carroll County Chamber of Commerce

The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce had a very successful year in 2011, and is planning to build on that momentum for this year!  Our committee members have already been meeting, and making their plans.  Here are just a few of the different events.

The Chick-fil-A Leadercast Event is a world wide event that is simulcast from Atlanta, Georgia to locations all around the globe.  This year’s event will feature speakers such as Tim Tebow, NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Soledad O’Brien, special news correspondent for CNN, John Maxwell, internationally renowned leadership expert and author, Patrick Lencioni, best selling author and in-demand speaker, and several others.  This years’ event will be on Friday, May 4th at the Family Worship Center.  In addition to being able to hear and learn from these speakers, you will be able to get CEU credit hours for several different areas. Tickets are only $49 per person or for groups of 10 or more (before April 15th), after April 15th price per ticket will be $55. 

The 9th Annual First National Bank Chamber Golf  Classic- The date for this event is May 23rd at Fairway Golf Course in Wheatley, Kentucky.  Shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., lunch, a chance for a million dollars, and more are just some of the exciting details for this event.  Contact the office if you would like to have a team, or would like to sponsor a hole..  It’s a great way to network and have fun at the same time! 

2nd Annual Racefest- Plans are in full swing to build on the momentum from last years’ event.  Last year turned out to be a huge success, and was well attended by the community and race fans.  There was a motorcycle show, a cruise-in of classic cars, food, live music, inflatables for the kids, and much more!  We also had a Walmart race car, that gave everyone the opportunity to see what a real race car looks like.  Our local Kroger and Walmart also had race cars on hand, simulators, and great deals.  This year’s event will be on Wednesday, June 27th, in downtown Carrollton.  

The 2011 Carroll County Chamber banquet was a sell-out again this year!  Our silent auction, that raises money for scholarships for high school seniors, took in approximately $3550.  That surpasses last year’s by almost $1000.  We couldn’t do it without the generous donations from the businesses and individuals in the community, and would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who helped make this a success. 

The 2011 award recipients were:                   

Down on Main Street Restaurant- Beautification

Craig’s Do It Center- 50 year Business Hall of Fame

McNeal’s Hardware- Community Impact Award

Greg Goff- Raymond Ray Community Service Award

This year, we also added a new award category “Friend of the Chamber”

The recipients included:

 Lisa Brown, Walmart manager, for her help during the 2011 Inagural Sprint Cup race week, and for obtaining a $3500 grant to use towards promoting Carroll County during this event.

Jesse Harris, communications director for Kentucky Speedway, who took our chamber under his wing and introduced us to several opportunities available at the speedway for our chamber and the community.

 Jimmy Supplee, who was instrumental in introducing us to the directors at Kentucky Speedway, and guided us through the process of what we should do to attract visitors to Carrollton during the races. 

Nancy Jo Grobmyer- was recognized for 34 years of service to the Carrollton City Council, and for being the first woman on council. 

Bret Calhoun, the chamber’s administrative assistant, was presented with three awards from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives, for Outstanding Membership Retention, Outstanding Membership Growth, and Outstanding e-newsletter. 

The banquet was held at the Old English Schoolhouse, in English, Kentucky and entertainment was provided by Elvis tribute artist Todd Bodenheimer.  He is an award winning performer that kept the crowd entertained throughout the evening.  He sang different songs, handed out scarves to the ladies, and posed for pictures.  A buffet dinner was served to guests as well, and was catered by the staff of the school house.  Students from Carroll County FBLA, and the high school football team were there to volunteer by refilling drinks, offering desserts, and cleaning up afterward.  The Kentucky Kruizers brought in old cars to kick-off the evening with music and entertainment as guests arrived.