GRAB A CUP OF COFFEE!  WE HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT!!

• Our move to our new office at 13 C Street, Suite A is complete, there are just a few decorating things left to do

• We will resume regular office hours next week

• Office hours are Wed and Thurs 1 – 5 pm  Fri 9 – 12 am  or by appointment

• The basics of our new website are up and running; we will be tweaking it and adding features for the next few weeks to ensure that there are no glitches

• Go to www.laurelboardoftrade.org and check it out!  There’s a chatbox feature as well as a Contact Us…I want to hear your feedback

• All the Main Street Festival Vendor, Sponsor and Volunteer applications are now available on the website, the Parade applications will be up by this Friday

• We co-hosted a very successful Business Roundtable with the City on January 28th.  It was well attended and there were some really good discussions and ideas presented that I plan to follow up on so if you were one of those great idea generators, please contact me!

   

• Maureen Rogers, who has been our Administrative Coordinator for the past 12 years has decided it’s time to focus on her family.

• we are hosting a luncheon in her honor on Tuesday, February 26th at 1:00 pm at Acapulco Grill, stop by if you want to wish her well.  (individual pricing on food/drink)

• The Board of Directors participated in their 3rd Annual BOD Retreat.  The focus is always assessing where we are and looking forward to where we want to go and what’s needed to get there

• Plans are underway to bring back the periodic Business Forums which will supplement and complement the monthly Networking meetings

• We plan to expand on the now Annual Holiday Decorating Contest for 2025…stay tuned for those exciting details

• We plan to add merchandise and a shopping cart to the website…if you have suggestions of what you’d like to see, please share!

• We are intensifying our marketing plan for ourselves as LBOT and for you, our members.  Many of these plans are web related

• And our dear creative Carla Conway has come up with a truly fun and innovative marketing idea that we will start to implement as soon as we have found “him”.

SAVE THESE DATES

These events are all open to the public

• February 20th Networking meeting at 12:15 on Zoom, link is on the calendar on the website

• February 22nd Spring into the New You with Ally Ramsey offering head shot photos at our office (13 C St, Ste A). For details and to sign up go to www.allyramsey.com

• February 27th LBOT Business Forum “Financial Literacy Workshop” for business and non-profits at the Pool House (901 Main Street) 6 – 8pm. RSVPs appreciated Walk-ins Welcomed

• March 14th Ribbon Cutting and Open House to celebrate our new office at 13 C Street, Suite A 4 – 7 pm.

MEMBER NEWS

Laurel Historical Society congratulates Stephanie Tolson as Volunteer of the Year!  Shout outs to Amy Dunham, Michelle Keating, Denise Redmond, Dave Singleton, Jourdan Sutton, Hannah Bigler, Katy Hayes, Fran Fliss and Mitzi Betman who collectively have volunteered 66 years of service to LHS.

Their other big announcement is the opening of the new exhibit “Laurel Hits the Rails”.  For more details and to check out all the other interesting things going on at the Museum go to their website.

LARS  invites us to “Walk the Red Carpet at the No Address Premiere” at the Regal Theater (Laurel Towne Center) on February 27th.  This is a special showing of a documentary on homelessness that will be released nationwide Tickets available at https://bit.ly/LARSNoAddress

Social Tailwaggers  announces that she will begin offering daytime options for her various dog training classes.  Jody asks that you contact her at [email protected] for details

Tom Downes Law Firm  announces the addition of 2 new partners, Stephen Wallace and Justin Wedgewood, with the goal of expanding the Graceful Transitions estate planning and legacy preservation efforts they specialize in.

CITY NEWS

Economic Community Development office is hosting a Roundtable  for “Equity in Economic & Community Development”.  This is part of the Master Plan Process and will be held at the Municipal Center on February 26th at 6:00 – 7:30 pm.

The City together with MMG Capital Group is co-hosting a financial workshop for business owners on March 5th 10 – 11 am at the Municipal Center.  Free to attend but RSVP required.  To RSVP email [email protected]

That’s it for now, folks!
See you next month!

President & Editor

Please let us know if you have an upcoming event!

We can share info on your sales, events and awards here in the Newsletter! 
Please send your information to Marilyn Johnson at [email protected]
by the 10th of the month for inclusion in the next newsletter.