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Page 16 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009
www.hughchatham.org
Here’s what else HCMH is bringing to our region
W
So thank you for helping us bring smiles to the families of our region. And to us, too.
Dr. Heiner is a Board Certified Obstetri-cian/Gynecologist with over 13 years expe-rience. He has delivered well over 4,000babies and cares for both normal and highrisk pregnancies. He is also highly skilledpelvic surgeon.
Melissa Tharpe is a Board CertifiedWomen’s Health Nurse Practitioner withover 10 years of Obstetrics and Gynecologyexperience.
Providing Excellent Women’s Health Care
336-835-2283
Raffaldini Vineyards Wins ThreeGold Medals at Lodi Interna-tional Wine Competition
Five wines from Raffaldini Vineyards received atotal of 14 awards at the Lodi International WineCompetition in Lodi, Cal., held March 8-9, 2009 Gold medals were awarded to the 2007 Bella Misto,2007 SPQR and 2007 Sangiovese Riserva. The 2007 Bella Misto and 2007 Sangiovese Riservawere awarded medals by judges from each tastepreference category; Hypersensitive, Sensitive andTolerant. “These categories are based upon re-search and procedures developed by Drs. MichaelO'Mahony, Rie Ishii, University of California,Davis, and Tim Hanni, MW”: About the Competition Courtesy www.lodi-wineawards.com
“The Lodi International wine awards is the firstand only judging to use a new evaluation method-ology that takes into account issues of flavor dis-tortion and palate fatigue that often occurs attastings and judgings where many wines are eval-uated over a long and extended session.”
The Lodi International Wine Awards differenti-ates among three principal categories or segmentsbased on sensory sensitivity, wine value/rating sys-tems and stylistic preferences:
Tolerant tasters -- who tend to favor dry, high-in-tensity, assertive wines.
Sensitive tasters -- the median group with a ratherbroad range of preferences.
Hyper-sensitive tasters -- who tend to have anaversion to bitterness and favor delicacy over in-tensity. They often prefer some degree of sweetnessin their wines.
You can find out what your unique TasteSQ is bygoing to their web site.
About Raffaldini VineyardsNestled in the Yadkin Valley Region of North
Carolina, family-owned Raffaldini Vineyardsbrings Old World charm to the Old North State.Known as “Chianti in the Carolinas” Raffaldinicurrently produces both varietal wines and blendswith its signature wines being Vermentino, PinotGrigio, Sangiovese, Sangiovese Riserva and Mon-tepulciano. Raffaldini hosts public and privateevents throughout the yearwww.raffaldini.com,call 336.835.9463 or email [email protected] formore information.
Page 8 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009
We provide comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care
with that personal touch.
Let Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe, and the staff
at Blue Ridge Women’s Center offer the individual treatment you deserve.
Accepting new patients in both Obstetrics and Gynecology!
150 Parkwood Drive, Elkin • Call 336-835-5945
“Where All Women are Special”
Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009— Page 9
Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe
The 8th annual Yadkin Valley WineFestival was held at Elkin MunicipalPark in Elkin, NC, on May 16th, 2009.Participating were over 20 winerieswhich are all located in the Yadkin Val-ley, NC appellation. Some of the winer-ies participating are so new that theyhave not yet been listed in the brochuresthat have been printed for 2009. TheYadkin Valley was the first named andapproved appellation in North Carolina.
While the prediction was for 60%chance of rain, the day was beautifulmost of the day, with light rain just start-ing in the last half hour of the festivaltime. The crowd was good and, as al-ways has been the case in the past, one ofthe best groups of wine lovers I haveseen at any festival.
They were moderate, well behaved,
and very interested in learning aboutand tasting new wines. This is my fa-vorite wine festival, by far, for that veryreason.
The really nice thing about this festi-val is that it is free to those not tastingwine. For those folks, there is music,many arts and crafts booths and ex-hibits, food booths, and a nice place tosocialize. So, if your group is mixed inthat some don’t drink, or there are chil-dren, there is no fee for them to comewith you. It is a very good deal indeed.If you are tasting wine, the fee this yearwas $16 in advance and $20 at the gate.This is a great value for the many and
varied wines you are able to sample.From the “Lady of the Grape” Blog
I am with “Dogs on the Run” foodvendor and we worked the Wine Festival
this past weekend. Just wanted to letyou know how much fun we had and weare already looking forward to next year.We had positive feedback from cus-
tomers who thanked us for keeping thefood prices reasonable. We told themthat they really need to thank the com-mittee that worked so hard to put theevent together. In our case, our foodprices are set according to the fees wehave to pay to work an event. Whenevent organizers keep the entry feeswithin reason, we can pass that along toour customers. Hopefully you haveheard these positive comments alreadyfrom the attendees of the event.
Thank you again for allowing us toparticipate in the event.
Angela Lane Buddy Lucas
Dogs on the Run
Susan and I thoroughly enjoyed Sat-urday at the Wine Festival. It was abeautiful day and the city park was agreat site. The festival was well organ-ized, good vendors and the tastingsweren't bad either. We did our part tosupport the wineries and vendors!
We're looking forward to a return visitto visit some of the wineries and seemore of Elkin.
Thanks again, Rob Turner Senior Credit Officer Triad Region Winston-Salem, NC
Sid Proctor, owner of Weathervane.
Mark Greene, owner of Elkin Creek Vineyards
takes a break with daughter Victoria.
Shaggin’ to the Legends of Beach
Gambill Aldridge takes a well-deserved break from his grape stomping duties to enjoy the festival with daughter Emma Grace and wife Amy.
Festive Eyewear
Gray Burchette shows that pork and chicken
really do go together!
Images and Opinions of the 8th Annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:34 PM Page 2
Page 10 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 7
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
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Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Mount Airy’s
recently received the 2009 “Best of the Mountains, Best Year-round Living” award
from the editors and staff of Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes.“ The community’s exceptionalyear-round outdoor recreationalopportunities was a significantattribute that propelled WhiteSulphur Springs to the top of thelist of eligible developments,”The company said in a writtenstatement announcing theaward. “The location, at the baseof the Blue Ridge Mountains,provides much milder wintersthan most mountain propertiesand gentle mountain breezeskeep summers comfortable, al-lowing residents a year-roundopportunity to enjoy the out-doors and the community.
The award represents the sec-ond consecutive “Best of theMountains” award for WhiteSulphur Springs, just five min-utes from downtown MountAiry. While the 2009 award wasbased on “Best Year-round Living,” the 2008 desig-nation focused on “Best New Community Plan,”recognizing owner and developer Burke Robert-son’s vision “to embrace and re-create the simplerlife.”
The development features 92 wooded hillsidehome sites on the former site of a turn-of-the-century resort hotel, and its location in the heart of
the Yadkin Valley Wine Region ofNorth Carolina and its proximity tothe Blue Ridge Parkway offers theopportunity for year-round out-door activities.
“White Sulphur Springs isn’t justsomeone’s dream or a plan still onthe drawing board. Most of ouramenities have been here for cen-turies,” said Robertson.
The Ararat River, the still-flowingmineral rich springs, the 7.5-acrefront lawn, views, trails and hun-dreds of native plants are just as theywere when the White SulphurSprings Hotel was thriving morethan a century ago, the developersaid. Paved roads, undergroundutilities, view tunnels, hiking trailsand Mount Airy white granite are inplace awaiting the completion of thecommunity pavilion with outdoorkitchen and fire pit, the spring
house and planned rental cabins.“You just have to visit to really understand how
unique White Sulphur Springs really is,” saidRobertson. “We are creating more than a develop-ment. We are creating a community. A return to aplace and time when neighbors were friends andfamily was treasured. Or as I like to say, it is a tasteof the simpler life.”
Chatham Employees’ CreditAssociation, Members CreditUnion Announce Merger
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association andMembers Credit Union Merge, Expanding Servicesto North Carolina’s Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin Coun-ties.
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association’s(CECA) Board of Directors have unanimouslyvoted to merge operations into Winston-Salembased Members Credit Union. The move dramat-ically expands service offerings to CECA members,while expanding the credit union’s field of mem-bership to anyone who lives, works, worships, orgoes to school in Surry, Wilkes, or Yadkin County.
"Members Credit Union thrives in small com-munities that value friendly, local service, betterrates, and fewer fees," comments Jack V. Braswell,Jr., President/CEO. "This merger allows the entireYadkin Valley to experience the credit union dif-ference first-hand."
CECA was chartered in 1941 to serve ChathamManufacturing Company employees, retirees, andtheir families. The not-for-profit financial cooper-ative grew to over $6.1 million in assets, servingnearly 800 members. As Members Credit Union,the financial institution will serve over 52,000members and nearly 500 employer groups withtwenty full-service branches.
Members will notice some familiar faces whenthe credit union’s Elkin branch opens at 827 NorthBridge Street on July 1. CECA Manager SaborahRobinson will become Branch Manager at Mem-bers Credit Union’s new Elkin office, while BrendaOliver will serve as teller. CECU Chairman NelsonLowe will join Members Credit Union’s Board ofDirectors.
"We were looking for a merger partner that
would expand services to our members, whilemaintaining our credit union’s personal touch,"says Robinson. "Although Members Credit Unionis much bigger, they have managed to hold true tothe credit union philosophy of ‘people helpingpeople’."
The $225 million Members Credit Union waschartered in 1953 to serve employees of McLeanTrucking Company. Though headquartered inWinston-Salem, the credit union has blossomed insmall, North Carolina manufacturing cities fromMorganton and Lenoir in the West, to Hope Millsand Clinton in the East. As one of the first financialinstitutions in the state to offer free checking ac-counts, online banking, online bill-pay, and largescale social media initiatives, the credit union hasstayed at the forefront of innovation and technol-ogy, while nurturing its members-first mentality.
The official merger date will be June 30, 2009,with a Grand Opening celebration, complete withfree food, beverages, and children’s activities to takeplace on Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 AM -2:00PM. The official ribbon-cutting event will be heldon Monday, July 20, at 11:00 AM.
About Members Credit Union Members Credit Union has been providing per-
sonal financial services to our 51,000 memberssince 1953. The credit union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution providing morethan 480 companies with financial services fortheir employees with administrative offices inWinston-Salem, NC, and 20 anches throughoutNorth Carolina. www.memcu.com
Page 2 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 15
2009 Yadkin Valley Chamber Executive Com-mittee, Board of Directors & Staff
Executive Committee
Jerry Randle Belk Chair of the BoardMichael Wilson Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Chair ElectMike Hester WestPoint Home, Inc Past ChairDon Trippel Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital TreasurerRobin Turner R.E. Turner and Associates Assistant TreasurerJim Everett Everett & Everett P.L.L.C Legal CouncilSam Luster Southern Community Bank Vice Chair of Organizational
Improvements Lori Gwyn Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Vice Chair of Community
BettermentMike Hester West Point Home Vice Chair of Travel & Tourism Gambill Aldridge Basin Creek Realty Vice Chair of Economic
DevelopmentSusan White Town of Elkin Vice Chair of Public AffairsJohnsie Hudspeth Century 21 Hudspeth Properties Ambassadors Club
Board Members
Ex-Officio Board Members
Consultants
Cicely McCulloch Downtown Elkin, IncDennis Thompson Surry County ManagerBobby Todd Yadkin County Economic Development
Chamber Staff
Laurette Leagon, President/CEOMisty Matthews, Office & Tourism ManagerJennifer Blackburn, Jonesville Welcome CenterGlenda Gilliam, Jonesville Welcome CenterHeidi Hall, Jonesville Welcome CenterBarbara Lyon, Jonesville Welcome CenterBonnie Martin, Jonesville Welcome CenterSteve Martin, Jonesville Welcome Center105 Winston Road, Jonesville, NC • 336-526-4600
Jim Doll, Agent
Mitchell Hodges, Agent
Josh Oakes, Agent
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., FarmBureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc., Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS
Jennifer Blackburn Yadkin Valley Bank 2009 Board MemberBrent Cornelison Town of Elkin 2009 Board MemberOtis Gillette Wachovia 2009 Board MemberEdna Martin Jonesville Commissioner 2009 Board Member Angela Mastin Hometown Mortgage Lending 2009 Board MemberJessie Merica iLevel by Weyerhaeuser 2009 Board MemberJohn Holcomb Elkin Town Manager 2009 Board MemberRonny White Duke Energy 2009 Board MemberRick Caudle G&B Energy 2010 Board MemberDennis Lowe 2010 Board MemberPhillip Ratley Sela Building 2010 Board MemberRosy Beverly Yadkin Valley Craft Guild 2011 Board MembersScott Buffkin Town of Jonesville 2011 Board MembersNathan Lewis Phillips Van Heusen 2011 Board MemberTravis Wilmoth BB&T 2011 Board Member
Lestine Hutchens Mayor – Town of ElkinLindbergh Swaim Mayor – Town of Jonesville
Support Your Local Chamber.
Join Today. For More Information, Call 526-1111
or Visit www.YadkinValley.org
ne of the best ways for a Chamber ofCommerce to better serve their mem-bers is to LISTEN. And through ournewly developed Yadkin Valley Am-
bassadors were are doing just that. 13 activechamber members are volunteering their timeto meet with all our chamber members and gettheir opinions on what the chamber is doingright, what we can do better and what newservices or programs we could offer that wouldhelp businesses grow.The Yadkin Valley Ambassadors welcome andwant your feedback. This is your opportunity, asa chamber member, to have your voice heard, sowhen your ambassador calls or comes by, pleasetake the time to talk with them, ask questionsand let them give you some ideas on how theChamber’s existing programs, services and net-
working opportunities can make a difference toYOUR bottom line.
2009-10 Yadkin Valley Ambassadors:Gambill Aldridge – Basin Creek RealtyRosy Beverly – Yadkin Valley Craft GuildAngel Haynes – Workforce CarolinaMike Hester – Westpoint HomeLestine Hutchens – Town of Elkin MayorJerry Randle – BelkJeanette Hendrick – Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital FoundationGreg Sidden – Farm Bureau InsuranceSam Luster – Sothern Community BankTravis Wilmoth – BB&TMichael Wilson – Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott Otis Gillette – Wachovia
O
Chamber Ambassadorsare here to serve you
Chair- Johnsie Hudspeth, Vice Chair- Misty Matthews
www.visittheyadkinvalley.com
Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital Golf ClassicScheduled for August 20th
The 18th annual Hugh Chatham Memorial Hos-pital Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, August20th at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin. Theproceeds from this year’s tournament will benefitthe construction project at Hugh Chatham Me-morial Hospital.Dr. James Harrell, Sr., Chairman of the Founda-
tion Board of Directors, stated: “The golf classic isvital to our fundraising efforts and brings in golfersfrom outside the community. This is a great op-portunity to enjoy a round of golf at CedarbrookCountry Club and contribute to our non-profithospital.”
Tournament Chairman, Jeff Seaford, HCMHHuman Resources Director, added: “Many hoursof planning and hard work go into preparing for
the golf classic. We are looking forward to a greattournament this year and I encourage our golfersand sponsors to register early.”
The golf classic has been a true success story forthe hospital and Foundation. Registration formscan be obtained from the Human Resources officelocated on Johnson Ridge Road or from the Foun-dation office located at the hospital. Forms mayalso be downloaded from the hospital’s website:www.hughchatham.org. For additional informa-tion on the Golf Classic, you are invited to contactJeff Seaford, Human Resources Director at (336)527-7662 or Jeannette Hendrick, Foundation Di-rector, at (336) 527-7457.
Sean and Patricia McRitchiereceive the Chamber’s 2009Rebel Good Award
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Four years ago the Yadkin Valley Chamber ofCommerce created an award to recognize superiorwork in promoting the Yadkin Valley. This awardhonors Rebel Good, longtime editor and publisherof The Tribune and now editor of The Messenger.
Through the newspapers and his civic activities,Rebel has been extremely effective in promotingour community in the areas of economic develop-ment, education and tourism. He had a vision ofwhat a wine festival could do to promote tourismin the Yadkin Valley, chairing the first two wine fes-tivals and setting the stage for what is recognized asthe state's premier wine festival.
In previous years this award has been bestowedupon Ed and Charlie Shelton, Jack Kroustalis,Frank and Lenna Hobson and last year, DerrillRice.
The 2009 winner is a couple that has a deep af-fection for our corner of the Yadkin Valley and aclear vision for a vibrant North Carolina wine in-dustry. Sean and Patricia McRitchie have spentmost of their lives growing grapes and makingwines for others. Now they also do so for them-selves. Sean's wines for his and other wineries haveearned numerous top honors, both regionally andnationally.
Sean’s father was a winemaker in California andOregon and later helped start the viticulture pro-gram at Surry Community College. The wine-making bug bit Sean early. In addition to workingin the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, heworked at renowned wineries in many of theworld’s premier regions, including Alsace-Lor-
raine, Napa, and Australia. In 1998 his adventurer’sheart led him to North Carolina where he was in-volved in the establishment of a large vineyard andwinery in the Yadkin Valley and later founded awinery and vineyard consulting business with wife,Patricia.
Patricia initially took a different career path as acriminal attorney and judge. After marrying Seanand starting a family, it soon became evident thata life among the vines and barrels was a better fitfor the young growing family, so she changed herfocus and for the last 15 years has specialized as abusiness and legal consultant for the viticulture in-dustry.
Patricia was also one of the driving forces in theestablishment of the Yadkin Valley Appellation —consisting of Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, as well as por-tions of four others. The appellation, the state'sfirst, allows vineyards in the region to bottle theirwines under a label promoting its production fromYadkin Valley grapes.
In 2004 Sean and Patricia planted their first fiveacres of grapes on the flanks of the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains. The doors of the McRitchieWinery and Ciderworks opened in time for the2006 harvest and the tasting room opened in Mayof 2007.
Please visit Sean and Patricia McRitchie atMcRitchie Winery and Ciderworks located inThurman just off Highway 21 North and congrat-ulate them on this well-deserved award.
Left to right Sean McRitchie, Patricia McRitchie, Rebel Good, Chamber Chair Jerry Randle
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:36 PM Page 4
NEW CHAMBERMEMBERS Aaron'sSales&Lease471CCCampRd.Elkin,NC28621BenjaminWeaner,GeneralMan-ager/PrinciplePhone:(336)835-3225Fax:(336)[email protected]
LaserLogics3461ParkerRoadBoonville,NC27011DianeMatthews,PresidentPhone:(336)961-6870Fax:(336)[email protected]
MembersCreditUnion827N.BridgeSt.Elkin,NC28621SaborahRobinson,BranchManagerPhone:(336)526-0373Fax:(336)526-0643MattDavis,DirectorofPublicRe-lationsPhone:(336)748-4804Fax:(336)748-4838
MenaRickVineyard&WineryLLC328LuffmanRd.Ronda,NC28670-8602RickWampler,OwnerFilomenaWampler,OwnerPhone:(336)[email protected]
MyeBatch.comPOBox1903Burlington,NC27215JohnBurton,PresidentRichBrenner,ManagingPartnerPhone:(336)269-2273Fax:(336)[email protected]@myebacth.comwww.Myebatch.com
SignatureResources105WestMainSt.Elkin,NC28621DavidSimmsPhone:(336)835-2046Fax:(336)835-1729
DavidSimmsPhone:(336)835-3023JosephFerraroPhone:(336)[email protected]
SouthernCommunityBank-Dob-sonBranchP.O.Box678Dobson,NC27017-0678KevinO'NeilPhone:(336)386-8116
StateEmployeesCreditUnion1300NBridgeSt.POBox346Elkin,NC28621Phone:(336)835-3344Fax:(336)835-4114BeckyChilders,VP/CEMissyNewman,TellerServicesManagerStephanieThornburg,FSOIelkin@ncsecu.orgTownofDobsonTourismDevel-opmentAuthorityP.O.Box351
Dobson,NC27017EdShelton,ChairPhone:(336)789-4143Fax:(336)356-8962
YadkinValleyWineTours6390ShallowfordRd.Lewisville,NC27023JohnW.Byrd,PresidentPhone:(336)-793-4488Fax:(336)[email protected]
JointheYadkinVal-leyChamberofCommerceTheYadkinValleyChamberof
Commerceisadynamicorganiza-tionthatpromotesapositivebusi-nessenvironment,facilitatescommunitybettermentandsup-portseconomicdevelopment.Formoreinformationabout
howjoiningtheChamberwillhelpyourbusiness,callusat526-1111.
Formoreinfo,contactYadkinValleyTourismAuthoritywww.visittheyadkinvalley.com
1-877-SavorYV(1-877-728-6798)
Page6—ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009—Page11
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Page 14—ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 —Page 3
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Sela Building Corporation joins the US GreenBuilding Council (USGBC) to promote moresustainable & environmentally friendlyconstruction projects.SelaBuildingCorporationhas joined theUSGBCin an effort to educate their clients about the ben-efits of greenbuilding. TheUSGBC is anon-profitorganization composed of over 15,000 organiza-tions from across the building industry commit-ted to expanding sustainable building practices.On January 7, 2009, Sela Building Corporation
became amember of the USGBC. TheUSGBCfocuses heavily on reducing the energy consump-tion, water use,materials use and waste producedby building projects. This partnership will allowSela Building to stay on the leading edge of greenbuilding technologies and will allow them to pro-mote theseoptions to their clients inboth the com-mercial and residential fields. Green building hasbecome a key part of the construction industryand will continue to grow in the years to come.
“Theoverall greenbuildingmarket (bothnon-res-idential and residential) is likely tomore thandouble from today’s $36-49 billion to $96-140 bil-lion by 2013”(Source:McGrawHill Construction(2009) Green Outlook 2009: Trends DrivingChange.)According to the Environmental Information
Administration (2008) EIA Annual Energy Out-look,“Buildings are oneof theheaviest consumersof natural resources and account for a significantportion of the greenhouse gas emissions that af-fect climate change”. Sela Building realizes that bypromoting green building and sustainable designthat we can begin to make the necessary steps to-ward reducing the environmental impact of build-ings in our area.
(left to right) Corey McDonough, Crissy Prevette, Robin Hiatt, Phillip Ratley
Sela Building Corporation joins the American Insti-tute of Architects (AIA) to stay up to date withcurrent design trends and industry leading con-tract documents.Sela Building Corporation has joined the AIA inan effort to keep up to date with current designtrends and contract documents. Membership inthe AIA offers a vast pool of resources to help youcompete in today’smarket andkeeps you informedof critical professional issues that may challengeyour success.In November 2008, Sela Building Corporation
became amember of theAIA. TheAIAhas one ofthemost recognized and accepted sets of contractdocuments in the building industry. “For more
than120 years,AIA contract documents havebeenthe mainstay of the construction industry featur-ing a comprehensive suite of contractual docu-ments that address the full spectrumof design andconstruction projects, large and small.”www.aia.org/contractdocs/index)By utilizing their partnership with the AIA, Sela
Building Corporation will strive to continue tooffer clients current design ideas and clear docu-ments tomake your constructionproject a successfrom your vision to reality.
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?Tomake sure the YadkinValley Chamber of Commerce is serving you to the best of its abil-
ity, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamberoffice at 336-526-1111 or send an email to:
Proudly Serving theYadkin Valley area since 1987
“The area’s only local employment service”1810 North Bridge Street, Suite #102 • 835-6030
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Fibrowatt Emissions will meet North Carolina standardsWhen Fibrowatt first announced in 2007 that
it was considering building a plant in SurryCounty, the Blue Ridge Environmental DefenseLeague (BREDL) tookahard-line stanceongbe-fore it knew much about Fibrowatt: “Not here,not there, not anywhere.”That is not a sustainable answer. Not for our
economy, not for our environment and not forour energy needs.Now, BREDL has issued an air modeling re-
port designed to raise concerns about Fi-browatt’s emissions. BREDL used two differentmodeling techniques (computer calculations ofground-level emissions) to estimate air qualityimpacts and draw conclusions.Based on the er-rors in this report, it is apparent that BREDLdoesn’t have the expertise to perform such ananalysis.The report is not accurate or credible asit relies on faulty assumptions, omits key infor-mation and distorts the facts.Here are a few examples of where BREDL’s
analysis is misleading and in some cases justplainwrong: _ BREDLbased its evaluation on a
simple air-dispersion model from the U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency. This is a short-term screeningmodel – a very conservative toolthat is not appropriate for fully evaluating theimpacts of our plants and determining if theymeet North Carolina regulatory standards.The BREDL report fails to acknowledge that a
Fibrowatt plant wouldmeet North Carolina airtoxics standards – even for chromium – usingBREDL’s conservative screening tool.The reportdid not include the full results of this screeningmodel.BREDL used a second model, referred to as a
“worst case spreadsheet,”that is simply not validfor this type of analysis. The worst case spread-sheet appears to be intended for evaluatingground-level releases, not emissions from astack. Since the emissions data used by BREDLin this model is for stack emissions, the resultsare irrelevant.The BREDLmodeling does not rely on actual
metals emissions from Fibrowatt’s Minnesotaplant, but uses conservative estimates that Fi-
browatt made years ago when permitting theplant.Actual testing conducted formetals emis-sions at the Minnesota plant shows that emis-sions are 10 to 95 times lower than the levelsused in the BREDL analysis. Using this actualtesting data would show that each of themetalsemissions – including arsenic and chromium –are more than 100 times below the applicableNorth Carolina standard.BREDL’s analysis is based on a 55-megawatt
plant. Fibrowatt expects to build a smaller 40-megawatt plant in SurryCounty.Emissions andambient impacts would be noticeably lowerfroma smaller plant.Perhaps thesemistakes area result of BREDL’s inexperience in performingcomplex air dispersion modeling and analysis.Or maybe BREDL manipulated the results tojustify its opposition toFibrowatt.Eitherway, theportrayal of Fibrowatt’s air quality impacts issimply wrong.We have offered to meet representatives of
BREDL to show them where their conclusionsare unsupported by the facts. They have not re-
sponded. When we attempted to explain theseinaccuracies at BREDLmeetings onMay11- 12,our representatives were not allowed to speak.Fibrowatt iswilling tobe judgedon the facts byfair-mindedpeople.Wewill submit our plans tothe environmental regulators who work for theState of North Carolina and we are confidentthat our emissionswillmeetNorthCarolina’s airquality standards. It is important to rememberthat Fibrowatt cannot get a permit to operateuntil state regulators are completely satisfied thatour plant will meet North Carolina’s rigorousenvironmental standards.Whenwe submit our evidence to the state, we
invite BREDL to do the same. Let thestate judge who is right.For further information on the Fibrowatt’s re-
view of the BREDL report, please contact TerryWalmsley at (267) 352-6589 or [email protected]
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
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NEWCHAMBER MEMBERS
Aaron's Sales & Lease471 CC Camp Rd.Elkin, NC 28621Benjamin Weaner, General Man-ager/PrinciplePhone: (336) 835-3225Fax: (336) [email protected]
Laser Logics3461 Parker RoadBoonville, NC 27011Diane Matthews, PresidentPhone: (336) 961-6870Fax: (336) [email protected]
Members Credit Union827 N. Bridge St.Elkin, NC 28621Saborah Robinson, Branch ManagerPhone: (336) 526-0373Fax: (336) 526-0643Matt Davis, Director of Public Re-lationsPhone: (336) 748-4804Fax: (336) 748-4838
MenaRick Vineyard & Winery LLC328 Luffman Rd.Ronda, NC 28670-8602Rick Wampler, OwnerFilomena Wampler, OwnerPhone: (336) [email protected]
My eBatch.comPO Box 1903Burlington, NC 27215John Burton, PresidentRich Brenner, Managing PartnerPhone: (336) 269-2273Fax: (336) [email protected]@myebacth.comwww.Myebatch.com
Signature Resources105 West Main St.Elkin, NC 28621David SimmsPhone: (336) 835-2046Fax: (336) 835-1729
David SimmsPhone: (336) 835-3023Joseph FerraroPhone: (336) [email protected]
Southern Community Bank- Dob-son BranchP.O. Box 678Dobson, NC 27017-0678Kevin O'NeilPhone: (336) 386-8116
State Employees Credit Union1300 N Bridge St.PO Box 346Elkin, NC 28621Phone: (336) 835-3344Fax: (336) 835-4114Becky Childers, VP/CEMissy Newman,Teller Services ManagerStephanie Thornburg, [email protected] of Dobson Tourism Devel-opment AuthorityP.O. Box 351
Dobson, NC 27017Ed Shelton, ChairPhone: (336) 789-4143Fax: (336) 356-8962
Yadkin Valley Wine Tours6390 Shallowford Rd.Lewisville, NC 27023John W. Byrd, PresidentPhone: (336)-793-4488Fax: (336) [email protected]
Join the Yadkin Val-ley Chamberof CommerceThe Yadkin Valley Chamber of
Commerce is a dynamic organiza-tion that promotes a positive busi-ness environment, facilitatescommunity betterment and sup-ports economic development.For more information about
how joining theChamberwill helpyour business, call us at 526-1111.
For more info, contactYadkin Valley Tourism Authoritywww.visittheyadkinvalley.com
1-877-SavorYV (1-877-728-6798)
Page 6—ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009—Page 11
Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence1947-2007
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Signature Resources Grand Openingin Historic Downtown Elkin
Left to right: Chamber Chair Jerry Randle, Matthew Ferraro, David Ferraro Sr., D. Joseph Ferraro Jr.,David Simms Sr.
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SelaBuildingCorporationjoinstheUSGreenBuildingCouncil(USGBC)topromotemoresustainable&environmentallyfriendlyconstructionprojects.SelaBuildingCorporationhasjoinedtheUSGBCinanefforttoeducatetheirclientsabouttheben-efitsofgreenbuilding.TheUSGBCisanon-profitorganizationcomposedofover15,000organiza-tionsfromacrossthebuildingindustrycommit-tedtoexpandingsustainablebuildingpractices.OnJanuary7,2009,SelaBuildingCorporation
becameamemberoftheUSGBC.TheUSGBCfocusesheavilyonreducingtheenergyconsump-tion,wateruse,materialsuseandwasteproducedbybuildingprojects.ThispartnershipwillallowSelaBuildingtostayontheleadingedgeofgreenbuildingtechnologiesandwillallowthemtopro-motetheseoptionstotheirclientsinboththecom-mercialandresidentialfields.Greenbuildinghasbecomeakeypartoftheconstructionindustryandwillcontinuetogrowintheyearstocome.
“Theoverallgreenbuildingmarket(bothnon-res-identialandresidential)islikelytomorethandoublefromtoday’s$36-49billionto$96-140bil-lionby2013”(Source:McGrawHillConstruction(2009)GreenOutlook2009:TrendsDrivingChange.)AccordingtotheEnvironmentalInformation
Administration(2008)EIAAnnualEnergyOut-look,“Buildingsareoneoftheheaviestconsumersofnaturalresourcesandaccountforasignificantportionofthegreenhousegasemissionsthataf-fectclimatechange”.SelaBuildingrealizesthatbypromotinggreenbuildingandsustainabledesignthatwecanbegintomakethenecessarystepsto-wardreducingtheenvironmentalimpactofbuild-ingsinourarea.
(lefttoright)CoreyMcDonough,CrissyPrevette,RobinHiatt,PhillipRatley
SelaBuildingCorporationjoinstheAmericanInsti-tuteofArchitects(AIA)tostayuptodatewithcurrentdesigntrendsandindustryleadingcon-tractdocuments.SelaBuildingCorporationhasjoinedtheAIAinanefforttokeepuptodatewithcurrentdesigntrendsandcontractdocuments.MembershipintheAIAoffersavastpoolofresourcestohelpyoucompeteintoday’smarketandkeepsyouinformedofcriticalprofessionalissuesthatmaychallengeyoursuccess.InNovember2008,SelaBuildingCorporation
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than120years,AIAcontractdocumentshavebeenthemainstayoftheconstructionindustryfeatur-ingacomprehensivesuiteofcontractualdocu-mentsthataddressthefullspectrumofdesignandconstructionprojects,largeandsmall.”www.aia.org/contractdocs/index)ByutilizingtheirpartnershipwiththeAIA,Sela
BuildingCorporationwillstrivetocontinuetoofferclientscurrentdesignideasandcleardocu-mentstomakeyourconstructionprojectasuccessfromyourvisiontoreality.
IsYourListingUp-to-Date?TomakesuretheYadkinValleyChamberofCommerceisservingyoutothebestofitsabil-
ity,pleasetakeamomentandcheckyourlistingatwww.yadkinvalley.org.
Ifanychangesneedtobemade,callthechamberofficeat336-526-1111orsendanemailto:
ProudlyServingtheYadkinValleyareasince1987
“Thearea’sonlylocalemploymentservice”1810NorthBridgeStreet,Suite#102•835-6030
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FibrowattEmissionswillmeetNorthCarolinastandardsWhenFibrowattfirstannouncedin2007that
itwasconsideringbuildingaplantinSurryCounty,theBlueRidgeEnvironmentalDefenseLeague(BREDL)tookahard-linestanceongbe-foreitknewmuchaboutFibrowatt:“Nothere,notthere,notanywhere.”Thatisnotasustainableanswer.Notforour
economy,notforourenvironmentandnotforourenergyneeds.Now,BREDLhasissuedanairmodelingre-
portdesignedtoraiseconcernsaboutFi-browatt’semissions.BREDLusedtwodifferentmodelingtechniques(computercalculationsofground-levelemissions)toestimateairqualityimpactsanddrawconclusions.Basedontheer-rorsinthisreport,itisapparentthatBREDLdoesn’thavetheexpertisetoperformsuchananalysis.Thereportisnotaccurateorcredibleasitreliesonfaultyassumptions,omitskeyinfor-mationanddistortsthefacts.HereareafewexamplesofwhereBREDL’s
analysisismisleadingandinsomecasesjustplainwrong:_BREDLbaseditsevaluationona
simpleair-dispersionmodelfromtheU.S.En-vironmentalProtectionAgency.Thisisashort-termscreeningmodel–averyconservativetoolthatisnotappropriateforfullyevaluatingtheimpactsofourplantsanddeterminingiftheymeetNorthCarolinaregulatorystandards.TheBREDLreportfailstoacknowledgethata
FibrowattplantwouldmeetNorthCarolinaairtoxicsstandards–evenforchromium–usingBREDL’sconservativescreeningtool.Thereportdidnotincludethefullresultsofthisscreeningmodel.BREDLusedasecondmodel,referredtoasa
“worstcasespreadsheet,”thatissimplynotvalidforthistypeofanalysis.Theworstcasespread-sheetappearstobeintendedforevaluatingground-levelreleases,notemissionsfromastack.SincetheemissionsdatausedbyBREDLinthismodelisforstackemissions,theresultsareirrelevant.TheBREDLmodelingdoesnotrelyonactual
metalsemissionsfromFibrowatt’sMinnesotaplant,butusesconservativeestimatesthatFi-
browattmadeyearsagowhenpermittingtheplant.Actualtestingconductedformetalsemis-sionsattheMinnesotaplantshowsthatemis-sionsare10to95timeslowerthanthelevelsusedintheBREDLanalysis.Usingthisactualtestingdatawouldshowthateachofthemetalsemissions–includingarsenicandchromium–aremorethan100timesbelowtheapplicableNorthCarolinastandard.BREDL’sanalysisisbasedona55-megawatt
plant.Fibrowattexpectstobuildasmaller40-megawattplantinSurryCounty.Emissionsandambientimpactswouldbenoticeablylowerfromasmallerplant.PerhapsthesemistakesarearesultofBREDL’sinexperienceinperformingcomplexairdispersionmodelingandanalysis.OrmaybeBREDLmanipulatedtheresultstojustifyitsoppositiontoFibrowatt.Eitherway,theportrayalofFibrowatt’sairqualityimpactsissimplywrong.Wehaveofferedtomeetrepresentativesof
BREDLtoshowthemwheretheirconclusionsareunsupportedbythefacts.Theyhavenotre-
sponded.WhenweattemptedtoexplaintheseinaccuraciesatBREDLmeetingsonMay11-12,ourrepresentativeswerenotallowedtospeak.Fibrowattiswillingtobejudgedonthefactsbyfair-mindedpeople.WewillsubmitourplanstotheenvironmentalregulatorswhoworkfortheStateofNorthCarolinaandweareconfidentthatouremissionswillmeetNorthCarolina’sairqualitystandards.ItisimportanttorememberthatFibrowattcannotgetapermittooperateuntilstateregulatorsarecompletelysatisfiedthatourplantwillmeetNorthCarolina’srigorousenvironmentalstandards.Whenwesubmitourevidencetothestate,we
inviteBREDLtodothesame.Letthestatejudgewhoisright.ForfurtherinformationontheFibrowatt’sre-
viewoftheBREDLreport,pleasecontactTerryWalmsleyat(267)[email protected]
Visitthechamberonline...www.yadkinvalley.org
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Page 10 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 7
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
1124 N. Bridge St.336-835-2559
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Become a Chamber Champion!One payment covers your expenses for Chamber activities, tickets, booth rentals and sponsorships
for the entire year. For full details contact Laurette Leagon 336-526-1111.
2009 CHAMBER CHAMPIONS
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Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Mount Airy’s
recently received the 2009 “Best of the Mountains, Best Year-round Living” award
from the editors and staff of Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes.“ The community’s exceptionalyear-round outdoor recreationalopportunities was a significantattribute that propelled WhiteSulphur Springs to the top of thelist of eligible developments,”The company said in a writtenstatement announcing theaward. “The location, at the baseof the Blue Ridge Mountains,provides much milder wintersthan most mountain propertiesand gentle mountain breezeskeep summers comfortable, al-lowing residents a year-roundopportunity to enjoy the out-doors and the community.
The award represents the sec-ond consecutive “Best of theMountains” award for WhiteSulphur Springs, just five min-utes from downtown MountAiry. While the 2009 award wasbased on “Best Year-round Living,” the 2008 desig-nation focused on “Best New Community Plan,”recognizing owner and developer Burke Robert-son’s vision “to embrace and re-create the simplerlife.”
The development features 92 wooded hillsidehome sites on the former site of a turn-of-the-century resort hotel, and its location in the heart of
the Yadkin Valley Wine Region ofNorth Carolina and its proximity tothe Blue Ridge Parkway offers theopportunity for year-round out-door activities.
“White Sulphur Springs isn’t justsomeone’s dream or a plan still onthe drawing board. Most of ouramenities have been here for cen-turies,” said Robertson.
The Ararat River, the still-flowingmineral rich springs, the 7.5-acrefront lawn, views, trails and hun-dreds of native plants are just as theywere when the White SulphurSprings Hotel was thriving morethan a century ago, the developersaid. Paved roads, undergroundutilities, view tunnels, hiking trailsand Mount Airy white granite are inplace awaiting the completion of thecommunity pavilion with outdoorkitchen and fire pit, the spring
house and planned rental cabins.“You just have to visit to really understand how
unique White Sulphur Springs really is,” saidRobertson. “We are creating more than a develop-ment. We are creating a community. A return to aplace and time when neighbors were friends andfamily was treasured. Or as I like to say, it is a tasteof the simpler life.”
Chatham Employees’ CreditAssociation, Members CreditUnion Announce Merger
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association andMembers Credit Union Merge, Expanding Servicesto North Carolina’s Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin Coun-ties.
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association’s(CECA) Board of Directors have unanimouslyvoted to merge operations into Winston-Salembased Members Credit Union. The move dramat-ically expands service offerings to CECA members,while expanding the credit union’s field of mem-bership to anyone who lives, works, worships, orgoes to school in Surry, Wilkes, or Yadkin County.
"Members Credit Union thrives in small com-munities that value friendly, local service, betterrates, and fewer fees," comments Jack V. Braswell,Jr., President/CEO. "This merger allows the entireYadkin Valley to experience the credit union dif-ference first-hand."
CECA was chartered in 1941 to serve ChathamManufacturing Company employees, retirees, andtheir families. The not-for-profit financial cooper-ative grew to over $6.1 million in assets, servingnearly 800 members. As Members Credit Union,the financial institution will serve over 52,000members and nearly 500 employer groups withtwenty full-service branches.
Members will notice some familiar faces whenthe credit union’s Elkin branch opens at 827 NorthBridge Street on July 1. CECA Manager SaborahRobinson will become Branch Manager at Mem-bers Credit Union’s new Elkin office, while BrendaOliver will serve as teller. CECU Chairman NelsonLowe will join Members Credit Union’s Board ofDirectors.
"We were looking for a merger partner that
would expand services to our members, whilemaintaining our credit union’s personal touch,"says Robinson. "Although Members Credit Unionis much bigger, they have managed to hold true tothe credit union philosophy of ‘people helpingpeople’."
The $225 million Members Credit Union waschartered in 1953 to serve employees of McLeanTrucking Company. Though headquartered inWinston-Salem, the credit union has blossomed insmall, North Carolina manufacturing cities fromMorganton and Lenoir in the West, to Hope Millsand Clinton in the East. As one of the first financialinstitutions in the state to offer free checking ac-counts, online banking, online bill-pay, and largescale social media initiatives, the credit union hasstayed at the forefront of innovation and technol-ogy, while nurturing its members-first mentality.
The official merger date will be June 30, 2009,with a Grand Opening celebration, complete withfree food, beverages, and children’s activities to takeplace on Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 AM -2:00PM. The official ribbon-cutting event will be heldon Monday, July 20, at 11:00 AM.
About Members Credit Union Members Credit Union has been providing per-
sonal financial services to our 51,000 memberssince 1953. The credit union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution providing morethan 480 companies with financial services fortheir employees with administrative offices inWinston-Salem, NC, and 20 anches throughoutNorth Carolina. www.memcu.com
Page 2 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009— Page 15
2009 Yadkin Valley Chamber Executive Com-mittee, Board of Directors & Staff
Executive Committee
Jerry RandleBelkChair of the BoardMichael WilsonFairfield Inn & Suites by MarriottChair ElectMike HesterWestPoint Home, IncPast ChairDon TrippelHugh Chatham Memorial HospitalTreasurerRobin TurnerR.E. Turner and AssociatesAssistant TreasurerJim EverettEverett & Everett P.L.L.CLegal CouncilSam LusterSouthern Community BankVice Chair of Organizational
Improvements Lori GwynHugh Chatham Memorial HospitalVice Chair of Community
BettermentMike HesterWest Point HomeVice Chair of Travel & Tourism Gambill AldridgeBasin Creek RealtyVice Chair of Economic
DevelopmentSusan WhiteTown of ElkinVice Chair of Public AffairsJohnsie HudspethCentury 21 Hudspeth PropertiesAmbassadors Club
Board Members
Ex-Officio Board Members
Consultants
Cicely McCullochDowntown Elkin, IncDennis ThompsonSurry County ManagerBobby ToddYadkin County Economic Development
Chamber Staff
Laurette Leagon, President/CEOMisty Matthews, Office & Tourism ManagerJennifer Blackburn, Jonesville Welcome CenterGlenda Gilliam, Jonesville Welcome CenterHeidi Hall, Jonesville Welcome CenterBarbara Lyon, Jonesville Welcome CenterBonnie Martin, Jonesville Welcome CenterSteve Martin, Jonesville Welcome Center 105 Winston Road, Jonesville, NC • 336-526-4600
Jim Doll, Agent
Mitchell Hodges, Agent
Josh Oakes, Agent
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., FarmBureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc., Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS
Jennifer BlackburnYadkin Valley Bank2009 Board MemberBrent CornelisonTown of Elkin2009 Board MemberOtis Gillette Wachovia2009 Board MemberEdna MartinJonesville Commissioner2009 Board Member Angela MastinHometown Mortgage Lending2009 Board MemberJessie MericaiLevel by Weyerhaeuser2009 Board MemberJohn HolcombElkin Town Manager2009 Board MemberRonny WhiteDuke Energy2009 Board MemberRick CaudleG&B Energy2010 Board MemberDennis Lowe2010 Board MemberPhillip RatleySela Building2010 Board MemberRosy BeverlyYadkin Valley Craft Guild2011 Board MembersScott BuffkinTown of Jonesville2011 Board MembersNathan LewisPhillips Van Heusen2011 Board MemberTravis WilmothBB&T2011 Board Member
Lestine HutchensMayor – Town of ElkinLindbergh SwaimMayor – Town of Jonesville
Support Your Local Chamber.
Join Today. For More Information, Call 526-1111
or Visit www.YadkinValley.org
ne of the best ways for a Chamber ofCommerce to better serve their mem-bers is to LISTEN. And through ournewly developed Yadkin Valley Am-
bassadors were are doing just that. 13 activechamber members are volunteering their timeto meet with all our chamber members and gettheir opinions on what the chamber is doingright, what we can do better and what newservices or programs we could offer that wouldhelp businesses grow.The Yadkin Valley Ambassadors welcome andwant your feedback. This is your opportunity, asa chamber member, to have your voice heard, sowhen your ambassador calls or comes by, pleasetake the time to talk with them, ask questionsand let them give you some ideas on how theChamber’s existing programs, services and net-
working opportunities can make a difference toYOUR bottom line.
2009-10 Yadkin Valley Ambassadors:Gambill Aldridge– Basin Creek RealtyRosy Beverly– Yadkin Valley Craft GuildAngel Haynes– Workforce CarolinaMike Hester– Westpoint HomeLestine Hutchens– Town of Elkin MayorJerry Randle – BelkJeanette Hendrick– Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital FoundationGreg Sidden – Farm Bureau InsuranceSam Luster– Sothern Community BankTravis Wilmoth– BB&TMichael Wilson– Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott Otis Gillette– Wachovia
O
Chamber Ambassadorsare here to serve you
Chair- Johnsie Hudspeth, Vice Chair- Misty Matthews
www.visittheyadkinvalley.com
Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital Golf ClassicScheduled for August 20th
The 18th annual Hugh Chatham Memorial Hos-pital Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, August20th at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin. Theproceeds from this year’s tournament will benefitthe construction project at Hugh Chatham Me-morial Hospital.Dr. James Harrell, Sr., Chairman of the Founda-
tion Board of Directors, stated: “The golf classic isvital to our fundraising efforts and brings in golfersfrom outside the community. This is a great op-portunity to enjoy a round of golf at CedarbrookCountry Club and contribute to our non-profithospital.”
Tournament Chairman, Jeff Seaford, HCMHHuman Resources Director, added: “Many hoursof planning and hard work go into preparing for
the golf classic. We are looking forward to a greattournament this year and I encourage our golfersand sponsors to register early.”
The golf classic has been a true success story forthe hospital and Foundation. Registration formscan be obtained from the Human Resources officelocated on Johnson Ridge Road or from the Foun-dation office located at the hospital. Forms mayalso be downloaded from the hospital’s website:www.hughchatham.org. For additional informa-tion on the Golf Classic, you are invited to contactJeff Seaford, Human Resources Director at (336)527-7662 or Jeannette Hendrick, Foundation Di-rector, at (336) 527-7457.
Sean and Patricia McRitchiereceive the Chamber’s 2009Rebel Good Award
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Four years ago the Yadkin Valley Chamber ofCommerce created an award to recognize superiorwork in promoting the Yadkin Valley. This awardhonors Rebel Good, longtime editor and publisherof The Tribune and now editor of The Messenger.
Through the newspapers and his civic activities,Rebel has been extremely effective in promotingour community in the areas of economic develop-ment, education and tourism. He had a vision ofwhat a wine festival could do to promote tourismin the Yadkin Valley, chairing the first two wine fes-tivals and setting the stage for what is recognized asthe state's premier wine festival.
In previous years this award has been bestowedupon Ed and Charlie Shelton, Jack Kroustalis,Frank and Lenna Hobson and last year, DerrillRice.
The 2009 winner is a couple that has a deep af-fection for our corner of the Yadkin Valley and aclear vision for a vibrant North Carolina wine in-dustry. Sean and Patricia McRitchie have spentmost of their lives growing grapes and makingwines for others. Now they also do so for them-selves. Sean's wines for his and other wineries haveearned numerous top honors, both regionally andnationally.
Sean’s father was a winemaker in California andOregon and later helped start the viticulture pro-gram at Surry Community College. The wine-making bug bit Sean early. In addition to workingin the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, heworked at renowned wineries in many of theworld’s premier regions, including Alsace-Lor-
raine, Napa, and Australia. In 1998 his adventurer’sheart led him to North Carolina where he was in-volved in the establishment of a large vineyard andwinery in the Yadkin Valley and later founded awinery and vineyard consulting business with wife,Patricia.
Patricia initially took a different career path as acriminal attorney and judge. After marrying Seanand starting a family, it soon became evident thata life among the vines and barrels was a better fitfor the young growing family, so she changed herfocus and for the last 15 years has specialized as abusiness and legal consultant for the viticulture in-dustry.
Patricia was also one of the driving forces in theestablishment of the Yadkin Valley Appellation —consisting of Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, as well as por-tions of four others. The appellation, the state'sfirst, allows vineyards in the region to bottle theirwines under a label promoting its production fromYadkin Valley grapes.
In 2004 Sean and Patricia planted their first fiveacres of grapes on the flanks of the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains. The doors of the McRitchieWinery and Ciderworks opened in time for the2006 harvest and the tasting room opened in Mayof 2007.
Please visit Sean and Patricia McRitchie atMcRitchie Winery and Ciderworks located inThurman just off Highway 21 North and congrat-ulate them on this well-deserved award.
Left to right Sean McRitchie, Patricia McRitchie, Rebel Good, Chamber Chair Jerry Randle
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:36 PM Page 4
Page 16 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009
www.hughchatham.org
Here’s what else HCMH is bringing to our region
W
So thank you for helping us bring smiles to the families of our region. And to us, too.
Dr. Heineris a Board Certified Obstetri-cian/Gynecologist with over 13 years expe-rience. He has delivered well over 4,000babies and cares for both normal and highrisk pregnancies. He is also highly skilledpelvic surgeon.
Melissa Tharpeis a Board CertifiedWomen’s Health Nurse Practitioner withover 10 years of Obstetrics and Gynecologyexperience.
Providing Excellent Women’s Health Care
336-835-2283
Raffaldini Vineyards Wins ThreeGold Medals at Lodi Interna-tional Wine Competition
Five wines from Raffaldini Vineyards received atotal of 14 awards at the Lodi International WineCompetition in Lodi, Cal., held March 8-9, 2009 Gold medals were awarded to the 2007 Bella Misto,2007 SPQR and 2007 Sangiovese Riserva. The 2007 Bella Misto and 2007 Sangiovese Riservawere awarded medals by judges from each tastepreference category; Hypersensitive, Sensitive andTolerant. “These categories are based upon re-search and procedures developed by Drs. MichaelO'Mahony, Rie Ishii, University of California,Davis, and Tim Hanni, MW”: About the Competition Courtesy www.lodi-wineawards.com
“The Lodi International wine awards is the firstand only judging to use a new evaluation method-ology that takes into account issues of flavor dis-tortion and palate fatigue that often occurs attastings and judgings where many wines are eval-uated over a long and extended session.”
The Lodi International Wine Awards differenti-ates among three principal categories or segmentsbased on sensory sensitivity, wine value/rating sys-tems and stylistic preferences:
Tolerant tasters -- who tend to favor dry, high-in-tensity, assertive wines.
Sensitive tasters -- the median group with a ratherbroad range of preferences.
Hyper-sensitive tasters -- who tend to have anaversion to bitterness and favor delicacy over in-tensity. They often prefer some degree of sweetnessin their wines.
You can find out what your unique TasteSQ is bygoing to their web site.
About Raffaldini VineyardsNestled in the Yadkin Valley Region of North
Carolina, family-owned Raffaldini Vineyardsbrings Old World charm to the Old North State.Known as “Chianti in the Carolinas” Raffaldinicurrently produces both varietal wines and blendswith its signature wines being Vermentino, PinotGrigio, Sangiovese, Sangiovese Riserva and Mon-tepulciano. Raffaldini hosts public and privateevents throughout the yearwww.raffaldini.com,call 336.835.9463 or email [email protected] formore information.
Page 8 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009
We provide comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care
with that personal touch.
Let Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe, and the staff
at Blue Ridge Women’s Center offer the individual treatment you deserve.
Accepting new patients in both Obstetrics and Gynecology!
150 Parkwood Drive, Elkin • Call 336-835-5945
“Where All Women are Special”
Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 9
Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe
The 8th annual Yadkin Valley WineFestival was held at Elkin MunicipalPark in Elkin, NC, on May 16th, 2009.Participating were over 20 winerieswhich are all located in the Yadkin Val-ley, NC appellation. Some of the winer-ies participating are so new that theyhave not yet been listed in the brochuresthat have been printed for 2009. TheYadkin Valley was the first named andapproved appellation in North Carolina.
While the prediction was for 60%chance of rain, the day was beautifulmost of the day, with light rain just start-ing in the last half hour of the festivaltime. The crowd was good and, as al-ways has been the case in the past, one ofthe best groups of wine lovers I haveseen at any festival.
They were moderate, well behaved,
and very interested in learning aboutand tasting new wines. This is my fa-vorite wine festival, by far, for that veryreason.
The really nice thing about this festi-val is that it is free to those not tastingwine. For those folks, there is music,many arts and crafts booths and ex-hibits, food booths, and a nice place tosocialize. So, if your group is mixed inthat some don’t drink, or there are chil-dren, there is no fee for them to comewith you. It is a very good deal indeed.If you are tasting wine, the fee this yearwas $16 in advance and $20 at the gate.This is a great value for the many and
varied wines you are able to sample.From the “Lady of the Grape” Blog
I am with “Dogs on the Run” foodvendor and we worked the Wine Festival
this past weekend. Just wanted to letyou know how much fun we had and weare already looking forward to next year.We had positive feedback from cus-
tomers who thanked us for keeping thefood prices reasonable. We told themthat they really need to thank the com-mittee that worked so hard to put theevent together. In our case, our foodprices are set according to the fees wehave to pay to work an event. Whenevent organizers keep the entry feeswithin reason, we can pass that along toour customers. Hopefully you haveheard these positive comments alreadyfrom the attendees of the event.
Thank you again for allowing us toparticipate in the event.
Angela Lane Buddy Lucas
Dogs on the Run
Susan and I thoroughly enjoyed Sat-urday at the Wine Festival. It was abeautiful day and the city park was agreat site. The festival was well organ-ized, good vendors and the tastingsweren't bad either. We did our part tosupport the wineries and vendors!
We're looking forward to a return visitto visit some of the wineries and seemore of Elkin.
Thanks again, Rob Turner Senior Credit Officer Triad Region Winston-Salem, NC
Sid Proctor, owner of Weathervane.
Mark Greene, owner of Elkin Creek Vineyards
takes a break with daughter Victoria.
Shaggin’ to the Legends of Beach
Gambill Aldridge takes a well-deserved break fromhis grape stomping duties to enjoy the festival withdaughter Emma Grace and wife Amy.
Festive Eyewear
Gray Burchette shows that pork and chicken
really do go together!
Images and Opinions of the 8th Annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:34 PM Page 2
Page 16 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009
www.hughchatham.org
Here’s what else HCMH is bringing to our region
W
So thank you for helping us bring smiles to the families of our region. And to us, too.
Dr. Heineris a Board Certified Obstetri-cian/Gynecologist with over 13 years expe-rience. He has delivered well over 4,000babies and cares for both normal and highrisk pregnancies. He is also highly skilledpelvic surgeon.
Melissa Tharpeis a Board CertifiedWomen’s Health Nurse Practitioner withover 10 years of Obstetrics and Gynecologyexperience.
Providing Excellent Women’s Health Care
336-835-2283
Raffaldini Vineyards Wins ThreeGold Medals at Lodi Interna-tional Wine Competition
Five wines from Raffaldini Vineyards received atotal of 14 awards at the Lodi International WineCompetition in Lodi, Cal., held March 8-9, 2009 Gold medals were awarded to the 2007 Bella Misto,2007 SPQR and 2007 Sangiovese Riserva. The 2007 Bella Misto and 2007 Sangiovese Riservawere awarded medals by judges from each tastepreference category; Hypersensitive, Sensitive andTolerant. “These categories are based upon re-search and procedures developed by Drs. MichaelO'Mahony, Rie Ishii, University of California,Davis, and Tim Hanni, MW”: About the Competition Courtesy www.lodi-wineawards.com
“The Lodi International wine awards is the firstand only judging to use a new evaluation method-ology that takes into account issues of flavor dis-tortion and palate fatigue that often occurs attastings and judgings where many wines are eval-uated over a long and extended session.”
The Lodi International Wine Awards differenti-ates among three principal categories or segmentsbased on sensory sensitivity, wine value/rating sys-tems and stylistic preferences:
Tolerant tasters -- who tend to favor dry, high-in-tensity, assertive wines.
Sensitive tasters -- the median group with a ratherbroad range of preferences.
Hyper-sensitive tasters -- who tend to have anaversion to bitterness and favor delicacy over in-tensity. They often prefer some degree of sweetnessin their wines.
You can find out what your unique TasteSQ is bygoing to their web site.
About Raffaldini VineyardsNestled in the Yadkin Valley Region of North
Carolina, family-owned Raffaldini Vineyardsbrings Old World charm to the Old North State.Known as “Chianti in the Carolinas” Raffaldinicurrently produces both varietal wines and blendswith its signature wines being Vermentino, PinotGrigio, Sangiovese, Sangiovese Riserva and Mon-tepulciano. Raffaldini hosts public and privateevents throughout the yearwww.raffaldini.com,call 336.835.9463 or email [email protected] formore information.
Page 8 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009
We provide comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care
with that personal touch.
Let Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe, and the staff
at Blue Ridge Women’s Center offer the individual treatment you deserve.
Accepting new patients in both Obstetrics and Gynecology!
150 Parkwood Drive, Elkin • Call 336-835-5945
“Where All Women are Special”
Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 9
Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe
The 8th annual Yadkin Valley WineFestival was held at Elkin MunicipalPark in Elkin, NC, on May 16th, 2009.Participating were over 20 winerieswhich are all located in the Yadkin Val-ley, NC appellation. Some of the winer-ies participating are so new that theyhave not yet been listed in the brochuresthat have been printed for 2009. TheYadkin Valley was the first named andapproved appellation in North Carolina.
While the prediction was for 60%chance of rain, the day was beautifulmost of the day, with light rain just start-ing in the last half hour of the festivaltime. The crowd was good and, as al-ways has been the case in the past, one ofthe best groups of wine lovers I haveseen at any festival.
They were moderate, well behaved,
and very interested in learning aboutand tasting new wines. This is my fa-vorite wine festival, by far, for that veryreason.
The really nice thing about this festi-val is that it is free to those not tastingwine. For those folks, there is music,many arts and crafts booths and ex-hibits, food booths, and a nice place tosocialize. So, if your group is mixed inthat some don’t drink, or there are chil-dren, there is no fee for them to comewith you. It is a very good deal indeed.If you are tasting wine, the fee this yearwas $16 in advance and $20 at the gate.This is a great value for the many and
varied wines you are able to sample.From the “Lady of the Grape” Blog
I am with “Dogs on the Run” foodvendor and we worked the Wine Festival
this past weekend. Just wanted to letyou know how much fun we had and weare already looking forward to next year.We had positive feedback from cus-
tomers who thanked us for keeping thefood prices reasonable. We told themthat they really need to thank the com-mittee that worked so hard to put theevent together. In our case, our foodprices are set according to the fees wehave to pay to work an event. Whenevent organizers keep the entry feeswithin reason, we can pass that along toour customers. Hopefully you haveheard these positive comments alreadyfrom the attendees of the event.
Thank you again for allowing us toparticipate in the event.
Angela Lane Buddy Lucas
Dogs on the Run
Susan and I thoroughly enjoyed Sat-urday at the Wine Festival. It was abeautiful day and the city park was agreat site. The festival was well organ-ized, good vendors and the tastingsweren't bad either. We did our part tosupport the wineries and vendors!
We're looking forward to a return visitto visit some of the wineries and seemore of Elkin.
Thanks again, Rob Turner Senior Credit Officer Triad Region Winston-Salem, NC
Sid Proctor, owner of Weathervane.
Mark Greene, owner of Elkin Creek Vineyards
takes a break with daughter Victoria.
Shaggin’ to the Legends of Beach
Gambill Aldridge takes a well-deserved break fromhis grape stomping duties to enjoy the festival withdaughter Emma Grace and wife Amy.
Festive Eyewear
Gray Burchette shows that pork and chicken
really do go together!
Images and Opinions of the 8th Annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:34 PM Page 2
Page 10 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 7
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
1124 N. Bridge St.336-835-2559
INDUSTRIALAssembly • General Labor
Light Industrial • Manufacturing
HOSPITALITYBanquet Servers • Housekeeping
Dishwashers • Bartenders
OFFICEAdmin. Assistants • General Office
Date Entry • Customer Service
PROFESSIONALAccounting • MortgageOffice Managers • Sales
JOBS JOBS JOBS!LET SELECT STAFFING
Find The Position That’s Right For You!Great Benefits • Flexible Hours • Referral Bonus
We Can Help You Find That Perfect JobApply in Person
947 North Bridge Street, Elkin (336) 526-3552EOE/No Fee
www.selectstaffing.com
Become a Chamber Champion!One payment covers your expenses for Chamber activities, tickets, booth rentals and sponsorships
for the entire year. For full details contact Laurette Leagon 336-526-1111.
2009 CHAMBER CHAMPIONS
Best Bank in Town since 1872
Look No Further…We’re Just the Place You’re Looking For!
• Free Deluxe Complimentary Breakfast Buffet
• Restaurants & Multiplay Cinema Nearby
• Evening Snacks• Complimentary Coffee Available 24 hrs• On-Site Fitness Center• Business Center• Refrigerator and Microwave In Every Room
For Advanced ReservationsCall 336-835-1994 or 1-800-426-7866
I-77, exit 82, turn west behind Wendy’s, Jonesville/Elkin
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237 Winston Rd., Jonesville, NC 28642(336) 835-3434 • 800-233-3719
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12 MONTHS SAME AS CASH ON A NEW AIRCONDITIONING OR HEATING SYSTEM
27 YEARS EXPERIENCELicensed and Insured NC17204 We Service All Brands
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Mount Airy’s
recently received the 2009 “Best of the Mountains, Best Year-round Living” award
from the editors and staff of Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes.“ The community’s exceptionalyear-round outdoor recreationalopportunities was a significantattribute that propelled WhiteSulphur Springs to the top of thelist of eligible developments,”The company said in a writtenstatement announcing theaward. “The location, at the baseof the Blue Ridge Mountains,provides much milder wintersthan most mountain propertiesand gentle mountain breezeskeep summers comfortable, al-lowing residents a year-roundopportunity to enjoy the out-doors and the community.
The award represents the sec-ond consecutive “Best of theMountains” award for WhiteSulphur Springs, just five min-utes from downtown MountAiry. While the 2009 award wasbased on “Best Year-round Living,” the 2008 desig-nation focused on “Best New Community Plan,”recognizing owner and developer Burke Robert-son’s vision “to embrace and re-create the simplerlife.”
The development features 92 wooded hillsidehome sites on the former site of a turn-of-the-century resort hotel, and its location in the heart of
the Yadkin Valley Wine Region ofNorth Carolina and its proximity tothe Blue Ridge Parkway offers theopportunity for year-round out-door activities.
“White Sulphur Springs isn’t justsomeone’s dream or a plan still onthe drawing board. Most of ouramenities have been here for cen-turies,” said Robertson.
The Ararat River, the still-flowingmineral rich springs, the 7.5-acrefront lawn, views, trails and hun-dreds of native plants are just as theywere when the White SulphurSprings Hotel was thriving morethan a century ago, the developersaid. Paved roads, undergroundutilities, view tunnels, hiking trailsand Mount Airy white granite are inplace awaiting the completion of thecommunity pavilion with outdoorkitchen and fire pit, the spring
house and planned rental cabins.“You just have to visit to really understand how
unique White Sulphur Springs really is,” saidRobertson. “We are creating more than a develop-ment. We are creating a community. A return to aplace and time when neighbors were friends andfamily was treasured. Or as I like to say, it is a tasteof the simpler life.”
Chatham Employees’ CreditAssociation, Members CreditUnion Announce Merger
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association andMembers Credit Union Merge, Expanding Servicesto North Carolina’s Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin Coun-ties.
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association’s(CECA) Board of Directors have unanimouslyvoted to merge operations into Winston-Salembased Members Credit Union. The move dramat-ically expands service offerings to CECA members,while expanding the credit union’s field of mem-bership to anyone who lives, works, worships, orgoes to school in Surry, Wilkes, or Yadkin County.
"Members Credit Union thrives in small com-munities that value friendly, local service, betterrates, and fewer fees," comments Jack V. Braswell,Jr., President/CEO. "This merger allows the entireYadkin Valley to experience the credit union dif-ference first-hand."
CECA was chartered in 1941 to serve ChathamManufacturing Company employees, retirees, andtheir families. The not-for-profit financial cooper-ative grew to over $6.1 million in assets, servingnearly 800 members. As Members Credit Union,the financial institution will serve over 52,000members and nearly 500 employer groups withtwenty full-service branches.
Members will notice some familiar faces whenthe credit union’s Elkin branch opens at 827 NorthBridge Street on July 1. CECA Manager SaborahRobinson will become Branch Manager at Mem-bers Credit Union’s new Elkin office, while BrendaOliver will serve as teller. CECU Chairman NelsonLowe will join Members Credit Union’s Board ofDirectors.
"We were looking for a merger partner that
would expand services to our members, whilemaintaining our credit union’s personal touch,"says Robinson. "Although Members Credit Unionis much bigger, they have managed to hold true tothe credit union philosophy of ‘people helpingpeople’."
The $225 million Members Credit Union waschartered in 1953 to serve employees of McLeanTrucking Company. Though headquartered inWinston-Salem, the credit union has blossomed insmall, North Carolina manufacturing cities fromMorganton and Lenoir in the West, to Hope Millsand Clinton in the East. As one of the first financialinstitutions in the state to offer free checking ac-counts, online banking, online bill-pay, and largescale social media initiatives, the credit union hasstayed at the forefront of innovation and technol-ogy, while nurturing its members-first mentality.
The official merger date will be June 30, 2009,with a Grand Opening celebration, complete withfree food, beverages, and children’s activities to takeplace on Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 AM -2:00PM. The official ribbon-cutting event will be heldon Monday, July 20, at 11:00 AM.
About Members Credit Union Members Credit Union has been providing per-
sonal financial services to our 51,000 memberssince 1953. The credit union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution providing morethan 480 companies with financial services fortheir employees with administrative offices inWinston-Salem, NC, and 20 anches throughoutNorth Carolina. www.memcu.com
Page 2 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009— Page 15
2009 Yadkin Valley Chamber Executive Com-mittee, Board of Directors & Staff
Executive Committee
Jerry RandleBelkChair of the BoardMichael WilsonFairfield Inn & Suites by MarriottChair ElectMike HesterWestPoint Home, IncPast ChairDon TrippelHugh Chatham Memorial HospitalTreasurerRobin TurnerR.E. Turner and AssociatesAssistant TreasurerJim EverettEverett & Everett P.L.L.CLegal CouncilSam LusterSouthern Community BankVice Chair of Organizational
Improvements Lori GwynHugh Chatham Memorial HospitalVice Chair of Community
BettermentMike HesterWest Point HomeVice Chair of Travel & Tourism Gambill AldridgeBasin Creek RealtyVice Chair of Economic
DevelopmentSusan WhiteTown of ElkinVice Chair of Public AffairsJohnsie HudspethCentury 21 Hudspeth PropertiesAmbassadors Club
Board Members
Ex-Officio Board Members
Consultants
Cicely McCullochDowntown Elkin, IncDennis ThompsonSurry County ManagerBobby ToddYadkin County Economic Development
Chamber Staff
Laurette Leagon, President/CEOMisty Matthews, Office & Tourism ManagerJennifer Blackburn, Jonesville Welcome CenterGlenda Gilliam, Jonesville Welcome CenterHeidi Hall, Jonesville Welcome CenterBarbara Lyon, Jonesville Welcome CenterBonnie Martin, Jonesville Welcome CenterSteve Martin, Jonesville Welcome Center 105 Winston Road, Jonesville, NC • 336-526-4600
Jim Doll, Agent
Mitchell Hodges, Agent
Josh Oakes, Agent
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., FarmBureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc., Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS
Jennifer BlackburnYadkin Valley Bank2009 Board MemberBrent CornelisonTown of Elkin2009 Board MemberOtis Gillette Wachovia2009 Board MemberEdna MartinJonesville Commissioner2009 Board Member Angela MastinHometown Mortgage Lending2009 Board MemberJessie MericaiLevel by Weyerhaeuser2009 Board MemberJohn HolcombElkin Town Manager2009 Board MemberRonny WhiteDuke Energy2009 Board MemberRick CaudleG&B Energy2010 Board MemberDennis Lowe2010 Board MemberPhillip RatleySela Building2010 Board MemberRosy BeverlyYadkin Valley Craft Guild2011 Board MembersScott BuffkinTown of Jonesville2011 Board MembersNathan LewisPhillips Van Heusen2011 Board MemberTravis WilmothBB&T2011 Board Member
Lestine HutchensMayor – Town of ElkinLindbergh SwaimMayor – Town of Jonesville
Support Your Local Chamber.
Join Today. For More Information, Call 526-1111
or Visit www.YadkinValley.org
ne of the best ways for a Chamber ofCommerce to better serve their mem-bers is to LISTEN. And through ournewly developed Yadkin Valley Am-
bassadors were are doing just that. 13 activechamber members are volunteering their timeto meet with all our chamber members and gettheir opinions on what the chamber is doingright, what we can do better and what newservices or programs we could offer that wouldhelp businesses grow.The Yadkin Valley Ambassadors welcome andwant your feedback. This is your opportunity, asa chamber member, to have your voice heard, sowhen your ambassador calls or comes by, pleasetake the time to talk with them, ask questionsand let them give you some ideas on how theChamber’s existing programs, services and net-
working opportunities can make a difference toYOUR bottom line.
2009-10 Yadkin Valley Ambassadors:Gambill Aldridge– Basin Creek RealtyRosy Beverly– Yadkin Valley Craft GuildAngel Haynes– Workforce CarolinaMike Hester– Westpoint HomeLestine Hutchens– Town of Elkin MayorJerry Randle – BelkJeanette Hendrick– Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital FoundationGreg Sidden – Farm Bureau InsuranceSam Luster– Sothern Community BankTravis Wilmoth– BB&TMichael Wilson– Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott Otis Gillette– Wachovia
O
Chamber Ambassadorsare here to serve you
Chair- Johnsie Hudspeth, Vice Chair- Misty Matthews
www.visittheyadkinvalley.com
Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital Golf ClassicScheduled for August 20th
The 18th annual Hugh Chatham Memorial Hos-pital Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, August20th at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin. Theproceeds from this year’s tournament will benefitthe construction project at Hugh Chatham Me-morial Hospital.Dr. James Harrell, Sr., Chairman of the Founda-
tion Board of Directors, stated: “The golf classic isvital to our fundraising efforts and brings in golfersfrom outside the community. This is a great op-portunity to enjoy a round of golf at CedarbrookCountry Club and contribute to our non-profithospital.”
Tournament Chairman, Jeff Seaford, HCMHHuman Resources Director, added: “Many hoursof planning and hard work go into preparing for
the golf classic. We are looking forward to a greattournament this year and I encourage our golfersand sponsors to register early.”
The golf classic has been a true success story forthe hospital and Foundation. Registration formscan be obtained from the Human Resources officelocated on Johnson Ridge Road or from the Foun-dation office located at the hospital. Forms mayalso be downloaded from the hospital’s website:www.hughchatham.org. For additional informa-tion on the Golf Classic, you are invited to contactJeff Seaford, Human Resources Director at (336)527-7662 or Jeannette Hendrick, Foundation Di-rector, at (336) 527-7457.
Sean and Patricia McRitchiereceive the Chamber’s 2009Rebel Good Award
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Four years ago the Yadkin Valley Chamber ofCommerce created an award to recognize superiorwork in promoting the Yadkin Valley. This awardhonors Rebel Good, longtime editor and publisherof The Tribune and now editor of The Messenger.
Through the newspapers and his civic activities,Rebel has been extremely effective in promotingour community in the areas of economic develop-ment, education and tourism. He had a vision ofwhat a wine festival could do to promote tourismin the Yadkin Valley, chairing the first two wine fes-tivals and setting the stage for what is recognized asthe state's premier wine festival.
In previous years this award has been bestowedupon Ed and Charlie Shelton, Jack Kroustalis,Frank and Lenna Hobson and last year, DerrillRice.
The 2009 winner is a couple that has a deep af-fection for our corner of the Yadkin Valley and aclear vision for a vibrant North Carolina wine in-dustry. Sean and Patricia McRitchie have spentmost of their lives growing grapes and makingwines for others. Now they also do so for them-selves. Sean's wines for his and other wineries haveearned numerous top honors, both regionally andnationally.
Sean’s father was a winemaker in California andOregon and later helped start the viticulture pro-gram at Surry Community College. The wine-making bug bit Sean early. In addition to workingin the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, heworked at renowned wineries in many of theworld’s premier regions, including Alsace-Lor-
raine, Napa, and Australia. In 1998 his adventurer’sheart led him to North Carolina where he was in-volved in the establishment of a large vineyard andwinery in the Yadkin Valley and later founded awinery and vineyard consulting business with wife,Patricia.
Patricia initially took a different career path as acriminal attorney and judge. After marrying Seanand starting a family, it soon became evident thata life among the vines and barrels was a better fitfor the young growing family, so she changed herfocus and for the last 15 years has specialized as abusiness and legal consultant for the viticulture in-dustry.
Patricia was also one of the driving forces in theestablishment of the Yadkin Valley Appellation —consisting of Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, as well as por-tions of four others. The appellation, the state'sfirst, allows vineyards in the region to bottle theirwines under a label promoting its production fromYadkin Valley grapes.
In 2004 Sean and Patricia planted their first fiveacres of grapes on the flanks of the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains. The doors of the McRitchieWinery and Ciderworks opened in time for the2006 harvest and the tasting room opened in Mayof 2007.
Please visit Sean and Patricia McRitchie atMcRitchie Winery and Ciderworks located inThurman just off Highway 21 North and congrat-ulate them on this well-deserved award.
Left to right Sean McRitchie, Patricia McRitchie, Rebel Good, Chamber Chair Jerry Randle
ON SPREAD:Layout 1 6/23/09 2:36 PM Page 4
NEWCHAMBER MEMBERS
Aaron's Sales & Lease471 CC Camp Rd.Elkin, NC 28621Benjamin Weaner, General Man-ager/PrinciplePhone: (336) 835-3225Fax: (336) [email protected]
Laser Logics3461 Parker RoadBoonville, NC 27011Diane Matthews, PresidentPhone: (336) 961-6870Fax: (336) [email protected]
Members Credit Union827 N. Bridge St.Elkin, NC 28621Saborah Robinson, Branch ManagerPhone: (336) 526-0373Fax: (336) 526-0643Matt Davis, Director of Public Re-lationsPhone: (336) 748-4804Fax: (336) 748-4838
MenaRick Vineyard & Winery LLC328 Luffman Rd.Ronda, NC 28670-8602Rick Wampler, OwnerFilomena Wampler, OwnerPhone: (336) [email protected]
My eBatch.comPO Box 1903Burlington, NC 27215John Burton, PresidentRich Brenner, Managing PartnerPhone: (336) 269-2273Fax: (336) [email protected]@myebacth.comwww.Myebatch.com
Signature Resources105 West Main St.Elkin, NC 28621David SimmsPhone: (336) 835-2046Fax: (336) 835-1729
David SimmsPhone: (336) 835-3023Joseph FerraroPhone: (336) [email protected]
Southern Community Bank- Dob-son BranchP.O. Box 678Dobson, NC 27017-0678Kevin O'NeilPhone: (336) 386-8116
State Employees Credit Union1300 N Bridge St.PO Box 346Elkin, NC 28621Phone: (336) 835-3344Fax: (336) 835-4114Becky Childers, VP/CEMissy Newman,Teller Services ManagerStephanie Thornburg, [email protected] of Dobson Tourism Devel-opment AuthorityP.O. Box 351
Dobson, NC 27017Ed Shelton, ChairPhone: (336) 789-4143Fax: (336) 356-8962
Yadkin Valley Wine Tours6390 Shallowford Rd.Lewisville, NC 27023John W. Byrd, PresidentPhone: (336)-793-4488Fax: (336) [email protected]
Join the Yadkin Val-ley Chamberof CommerceThe Yadkin Valley Chamber of
Commerce is a dynamic organiza-tion that promotes a positive busi-ness environment, facilitatescommunity betterment and sup-ports economic development.For more information about
how joining theChamberwill helpyour business, call us at 526-1111.
For more info, contactYadkin Valley Tourism Authoritywww.visittheyadkinvalley.com
1-877-SavorYV (1-877-728-6798)
Page 6—ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009—Page 11
Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence1947-2007
202 West Spring StreetElkin, North Carolina 28621
Phone: 336-835-3135 Fax: 336-835-3756220 North Bridge Street, Jonesville (beside Jonesville Shopping Center)
Owned & Operated by Barbara NewmanOpen: Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm, Saturday 8-12 noon
Call 835-6748 For More Information
For all your cooking needsWhether it’s a rehearsal dinner, wedding reception,
holiday dinner, birthday or holiday cakes and sweets,or whatever the need... contact us today!
We offer a full catering service from 25 to 500 people and rent partyand wedding supplies, tables, table cloths and fountains.
BUSINESS CARDDISPLAY...
The Chamber is offeringmember businesses an opportu-
nity to display their business cards and brochures in theVis-
itor Center. Chamber members may bring a supply of
business cards and brochures to the Chamber office for dis-
play in ourVisitorCenter.This service is free to allChamber
members and is another benefit of being a member of the
Elkin Jonesville Chamber of Commerce.
Signature Resources Grand Openingin Historic Downtown Elkin
Left to right: Chamber Chair Jerry Randle, Matthew Ferraro, David Ferraro Sr., D. Joseph Ferraro Jr.,David Simms Sr.
Want to cut cost andhelp the environment?Call today for free costanalysis for your facil-ity! Kyocera printersdo not have toner car-tridges and consist ofone type of plastic thatare IDed for easy recy-cling, and even can beburned without harm-ful emissions. Stan-dard toner cartridgesconsists of over 100materials includingplastic, rubber, foam,brass, copper, and aluminum that are too expen-sive to be dismantled, so are consigned to a landfill.Kyocera printers drum lives are over 300,000 im-pressions, compared to standard drums longevity
of around 31,000 impres-sions. Average cost perpage on Kyocera printersis $0.015 compared tostandard cartridge basedprinters that’s average costper page is $0.06. On topof that, Document Imag-ing Solutions will provideall service required duringyour printers lifecycle. Av-erage response time of 2.5hours. If interested in sav-ing money for your facil-ity and helping theenvironment call Billy
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Page14—ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009—Page3
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SelaBuildingCorporationjoinstheUSGreenBuildingCouncil(USGBC)topromotemoresustainable&environmentallyfriendlyconstructionprojects.SelaBuildingCorporationhasjoinedtheUSGBCinanefforttoeducatetheirclientsabouttheben-efitsofgreenbuilding.TheUSGBCisanon-profitorganizationcomposedofover15,000organiza-tionsfromacrossthebuildingindustrycommit-tedtoexpandingsustainablebuildingpractices.OnJanuary7,2009,SelaBuildingCorporation
becameamemberoftheUSGBC.TheUSGBCfocusesheavilyonreducingtheenergyconsump-tion,wateruse,materialsuseandwasteproducedbybuildingprojects.ThispartnershipwillallowSelaBuildingtostayontheleadingedgeofgreenbuildingtechnologiesandwillallowthemtopro-motetheseoptionstotheirclientsinboththecom-mercialandresidentialfields.Greenbuildinghasbecomeakeypartoftheconstructionindustryandwillcontinuetogrowintheyearstocome.
“Theoverallgreenbuildingmarket(bothnon-res-identialandresidential)islikelytomorethandoublefromtoday’s$36-49billionto$96-140bil-lionby2013”(Source:McGrawHillConstruction(2009)GreenOutlook2009:TrendsDrivingChange.)AccordingtotheEnvironmentalInformation
Administration(2008)EIAAnnualEnergyOut-look,“Buildingsareoneoftheheaviestconsumersofnaturalresourcesandaccountforasignificantportionofthegreenhousegasemissionsthataf-fectclimatechange”.SelaBuildingrealizesthatbypromotinggreenbuildingandsustainabledesignthatwecanbegintomakethenecessarystepsto-wardreducingtheenvironmentalimpactofbuild-ingsinourarea.
(lefttoright)CoreyMcDonough,CrissyPrevette,RobinHiatt,PhillipRatley
SelaBuildingCorporationjoinstheAmericanInsti-tuteofArchitects(AIA)tostayuptodatewithcurrentdesigntrendsandindustryleadingcon-tractdocuments.SelaBuildingCorporationhasjoinedtheAIAinanefforttokeepuptodatewithcurrentdesigntrendsandcontractdocuments.MembershipintheAIAoffersavastpoolofresourcestohelpyoucompeteintoday’smarketandkeepsyouinformedofcriticalprofessionalissuesthatmaychallengeyoursuccess.InNovember2008,SelaBuildingCorporation
becameamemberoftheAIA.TheAIAhasoneofthemostrecognizedandacceptedsetsofcontractdocumentsinthebuildingindustry.“Formore
than120years,AIAcontractdocumentshavebeenthemainstayoftheconstructionindustryfeatur-ingacomprehensivesuiteofcontractualdocu-mentsthataddressthefullspectrumofdesignandconstructionprojects,largeandsmall.”www.aia.org/contractdocs/index)ByutilizingtheirpartnershipwiththeAIA,Sela
BuildingCorporationwillstrivetocontinuetoofferclientscurrentdesignideasandcleardocu-mentstomakeyourconstructionprojectasuccessfromyourvisiontoreality.
IsYourListingUp-to-Date?TomakesuretheYadkinValleyChamberofCommerceisservingyoutothebestofitsabil-
ity,pleasetakeamomentandcheckyourlistingatwww.yadkinvalley.org.
Ifanychangesneedtobemade,callthechamberofficeat336-526-1111orsendanemailto:
ProudlyServingtheYadkinValleyareasince1987
“Thearea’sonlylocalemploymentservice”1810NorthBridgeStreet,Suite#102•835-6030
®
FibrowattEmissionswillmeetNorthCarolinastandardsWhenFibrowattfirstannouncedin2007that
itwasconsideringbuildingaplantinSurryCounty,theBlueRidgeEnvironmentalDefenseLeague(BREDL)tookahard-linestanceongbe-foreitknewmuchaboutFibrowatt:“Nothere,notthere,notanywhere.”Thatisnotasustainableanswer.Notforour
economy,notforourenvironmentandnotforourenergyneeds.Now,BREDLhasissuedanairmodelingre-
portdesignedtoraiseconcernsaboutFi-browatt’semissions.BREDLusedtwodifferentmodelingtechniques(computercalculationsofground-levelemissions)toestimateairqualityimpactsanddrawconclusions.Basedontheer-rorsinthisreport,itisapparentthatBREDLdoesn’thavetheexpertisetoperformsuchananalysis.Thereportisnotaccurateorcredibleasitreliesonfaultyassumptions,omitskeyinfor-mationanddistortsthefacts.HereareafewexamplesofwhereBREDL’s
analysisismisleadingandinsomecasesjustplainwrong:_BREDLbaseditsevaluationona
simpleair-dispersionmodelfromtheU.S.En-vironmentalProtectionAgency.Thisisashort-termscreeningmodel–averyconservativetoolthatisnotappropriateforfullyevaluatingtheimpactsofourplantsanddeterminingiftheymeetNorthCarolinaregulatorystandards.TheBREDLreportfailstoacknowledgethata
FibrowattplantwouldmeetNorthCarolinaairtoxicsstandards–evenforchromium–usingBREDL’sconservativescreeningtool.Thereportdidnotincludethefullresultsofthisscreeningmodel.BREDLusedasecondmodel,referredtoasa
“worstcasespreadsheet,”thatissimplynotvalidforthistypeofanalysis.Theworstcasespread-sheetappearstobeintendedforevaluatingground-levelreleases,notemissionsfromastack.SincetheemissionsdatausedbyBREDLinthismodelisforstackemissions,theresultsareirrelevant.TheBREDLmodelingdoesnotrelyonactual
metalsemissionsfromFibrowatt’sMinnesotaplant,butusesconservativeestimatesthatFi-
browattmadeyearsagowhenpermittingtheplant.Actualtestingconductedformetalsemis-sionsattheMinnesotaplantshowsthatemis-sionsare10to95timeslowerthanthelevelsusedintheBREDLanalysis.Usingthisactualtestingdatawouldshowthateachofthemetalsemissions–includingarsenicandchromium–aremorethan100timesbelowtheapplicableNorthCarolinastandard.BREDL’sanalysisisbasedona55-megawatt
plant.Fibrowattexpectstobuildasmaller40-megawattplantinSurryCounty.Emissionsandambientimpactswouldbenoticeablylowerfromasmallerplant.PerhapsthesemistakesarearesultofBREDL’sinexperienceinperformingcomplexairdispersionmodelingandanalysis.OrmaybeBREDLmanipulatedtheresultstojustifyitsoppositiontoFibrowatt.Eitherway,theportrayalofFibrowatt’sairqualityimpactsissimplywrong.Wehaveofferedtomeetrepresentativesof
BREDLtoshowthemwheretheirconclusionsareunsupportedbythefacts.Theyhavenotre-
sponded.WhenweattemptedtoexplaintheseinaccuraciesatBREDLmeetingsonMay11-12,ourrepresentativeswerenotallowedtospeak.Fibrowattiswillingtobejudgedonthefactsbyfair-mindedpeople.WewillsubmitourplanstotheenvironmentalregulatorswhoworkfortheStateofNorthCarolinaandweareconfidentthatouremissionswillmeetNorthCarolina’sairqualitystandards.ItisimportanttorememberthatFibrowattcannotgetapermittooperateuntilstateregulatorsarecompletelysatisfiedthatourplantwillmeetNorthCarolina’srigorousenvironmentalstandards.Whenwesubmitourevidencetothestate,we
inviteBREDLtodothesame.Letthestatejudgewhoisright.ForfurtherinformationontheFibrowatt’sre-
viewoftheBREDLreport,pleasecontactTerryWalmsleyat(267)[email protected]
Visitthechamberonline...www.yadkinvalley.org
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NEW CHAMBERMEMBERS Aaron'sSales&Lease471CCCampRd.Elkin,NC28621BenjaminWeaner,GeneralMan-ager/PrinciplePhone:(336)835-3225Fax:(336)[email protected]
LaserLogics3461ParkerRoadBoonville,NC27011DianeMatthews,PresidentPhone:(336)961-6870Fax:(336)[email protected]
MembersCreditUnion827N.BridgeSt.Elkin,NC28621SaborahRobinson,BranchManagerPhone:(336)526-0373Fax:(336)526-0643MattDavis,DirectorofPublicRe-lationsPhone:(336)748-4804Fax:(336)748-4838
MenaRickVineyard&WineryLLC328LuffmanRd.Ronda,NC28670-8602RickWampler,OwnerFilomenaWampler,OwnerPhone:(336)[email protected]
MyeBatch.comPOBox1903Burlington,NC27215JohnBurton,PresidentRichBrenner,ManagingPartnerPhone:(336)269-2273Fax:(336)[email protected]@myebacth.comwww.Myebatch.com
SignatureResources105WestMainSt.Elkin,NC28621DavidSimmsPhone:(336)835-2046Fax:(336)835-1729
DavidSimmsPhone:(336)835-3023JosephFerraroPhone:(336)[email protected]
SouthernCommunityBank-Dob-sonBranchP.O.Box678Dobson,NC27017-0678KevinO'NeilPhone:(336)386-8116
StateEmployeesCreditUnion1300NBridgeSt.POBox346Elkin,NC28621Phone:(336)835-3344Fax:(336)835-4114BeckyChilders,VP/CEMissyNewman,TellerServicesManagerStephanieThornburg,FSOIelkin@ncsecu.orgTownofDobsonTourismDevel-opmentAuthorityP.O.Box351
Dobson,NC27017EdShelton,ChairPhone:(336)789-4143Fax:(336)356-8962
YadkinValleyWineTours6390ShallowfordRd.Lewisville,NC27023JohnW.Byrd,PresidentPhone:(336)-793-4488Fax:(336)[email protected]
JointheYadkinVal-leyChamberofCommerceTheYadkinValleyChamberof
Commerceisadynamicorganiza-tionthatpromotesapositivebusi-nessenvironment,facilitatescommunitybettermentandsup-portseconomicdevelopment.Formoreinformationabout
howjoiningtheChamberwillhelpyourbusiness,callusat526-1111.
Formoreinfo,contactYadkinValleyTourismAuthoritywww.visittheyadkinvalley.com
1-877-SavorYV(1-877-728-6798)
Page6—ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009ChamberNewsletter,Summer2009—Page11
Celebrating60YearsofExcellence1947-2007
202WestSpringStreetElkin,NorthCarolina28621
Phone:336-835-3135Fax:336-835-3756220NorthBridgeStreet,Jonesville(besideJonesvilleShoppingCenter)
Owned&OperatedbyBarbaraNewmanOpen:Monday-Friday8am-6pm,Saturday8-12noon
Call835-6748ForMoreInformation
ForallyourcookingneedsWhetherit’sarehearsaldinner,weddingreception,
holidaydinner,birthdayorholidaycakesandsweets,orwhatevertheneed...contactustoday!
Weofferafullcateringservicefrom25to500peopleandrentpartyandweddingsupplies,tables,tableclothsandfountains.
BUSINESSCARDDISPLAY...
TheChamberisofferingmemberbusinessesanopportu-
nitytodisplaytheirbusinesscardsandbrochuresintheVis-
itorCenter.Chambermembersmaybringasupplyof
businesscardsandbrochurestotheChamberofficefordis-
playinourVisitorCenter.ThisserviceisfreetoallChamber
membersandisanotherbenefitofbeingamemberofthe
ElkinJonesvilleChamberofCommerce.
SignatureResourcesGrandOpeninginHistoricDowntownElkin
Lefttoright:ChamberChairJerryRandle,MatthewFerraro,DavidFerraroSr.,D.JosephFerraroJr.,DavidSimmsSr.
Wanttocutcostandhelptheenvironment?Calltodayforfreecostanalysisforyourfacil-ity!Kyoceraprintersdonothavetonercar-tridgesandconsistofonetypeofplasticthatareIDedforeasyrecy-cling,andevencanbeburnedwithoutharm-fulemissions.Stan-dardtonercartridgesconsistsofover100materialsincludingplastic,rubber,foam,brass,copper,andaluminumthataretooexpen-sivetobedismantled,soareconsignedtoalandfill.Kyoceraprintersdrumlivesareover300,000im-pressions,comparedtostandarddrumslongevity
ofaround31,000impres-sions.AveragecostperpageonKyoceraprintersis$0.015comparedtostandardcartridgebasedprintersthat’saveragecostperpageis$0.06.Ontopofthat,DocumentImag-ingSolutionswillprovideallservicerequiredduringyourprinterslifecycle.Av-erageresponsetimeof2.5hours.Ifinterestedinsav-ingmoneyforyourfacil-ityandhelpingtheenvironmentcallBilly
Kuhltodayat(704)[email protected]
NEW MEMBER DocumentImagingSolutions,Inc.2454DavieAve.
Statesville,N.C.28625704-873-5419866-855-3472
FAX704-402-1004
Page 14—ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 ChamberNewsletter, Summer 2009 —Page 3
Comfort Inn1633 Winston RoadJonesville, NC 28642
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Sela Building Corporation joins the US GreenBuilding Council (USGBC) to promote moresustainable & environmentally friendlyconstruction projects.SelaBuildingCorporationhas joined theUSGBCin an effort to educate their clients about the ben-efits of greenbuilding. TheUSGBC is anon-profitorganization composed of over 15,000 organiza-tions from across the building industry commit-ted to expanding sustainable building practices.On January 7, 2009, Sela Building Corporation
became amember of the USGBC. TheUSGBCfocuses heavily on reducing the energy consump-tion, water use,materials use and waste producedby building projects. This partnership will allowSela Building to stay on the leading edge of greenbuilding technologies and will allow them to pro-mote theseoptions to their clients inboth the com-mercial and residential fields. Green building hasbecome a key part of the construction industryand will continue to grow in the years to come.
“Theoverall greenbuildingmarket (bothnon-res-idential and residential) is likely tomore thandouble from today’s $36-49 billion to $96-140 bil-lion by 2013”(Source:McGrawHill Construction(2009) Green Outlook 2009: Trends DrivingChange.)According to the Environmental Information
Administration (2008) EIA Annual Energy Out-look,“Buildings are oneof theheaviest consumersof natural resources and account for a significantportion of the greenhouse gas emissions that af-fect climate change”. Sela Building realizes that bypromoting green building and sustainable designthat we can begin to make the necessary steps to-ward reducing the environmental impact of build-ings in our area.
(left to right) Corey McDonough, Crissy Prevette, Robin Hiatt, Phillip Ratley
Sela Building Corporation joins the American Insti-tute of Architects (AIA) to stay up to date withcurrent design trends and industry leading con-tract documents.Sela Building Corporation has joined the AIA inan effort to keep up to date with current designtrends and contract documents. Membership inthe AIA offers a vast pool of resources to help youcompete in today’smarket andkeeps you informedof critical professional issues that may challengeyour success.In November 2008, Sela Building Corporation
became amember of theAIA. TheAIAhas one ofthemost recognized and accepted sets of contractdocuments in the building industry. “For more
than120 years,AIA contract documents havebeenthe mainstay of the construction industry featur-ing a comprehensive suite of contractual docu-ments that address the full spectrumof design andconstruction projects, large and small.”www.aia.org/contractdocs/index)By utilizing their partnership with the AIA, Sela
Building Corporation will strive to continue tooffer clients current design ideas and clear docu-ments tomake your constructionproject a successfrom your vision to reality.
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?Tomake sure the YadkinValley Chamber of Commerce is serving you to the best of its abil-
ity, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamberoffice at 336-526-1111 or send an email to:
Proudly Serving theYadkin Valley area since 1987
“The area’s only local employment service”1810 North Bridge Street, Suite #102 • 835-6030
®
Fibrowatt Emissions will meet North Carolina standardsWhen Fibrowatt first announced in 2007 that
it was considering building a plant in SurryCounty, the Blue Ridge Environmental DefenseLeague (BREDL) tookahard-line stanceongbe-fore it knew much about Fibrowatt: “Not here,not there, not anywhere.”That is not a sustainable answer. Not for our
economy, not for our environment and not forour energy needs.Now, BREDL has issued an air modeling re-
port designed to raise concerns about Fi-browatt’s emissions. BREDL used two differentmodeling techniques (computer calculations ofground-level emissions) to estimate air qualityimpacts and draw conclusions.Based on the er-rors in this report, it is apparent that BREDLdoesn’t have the expertise to perform such ananalysis.The report is not accurate or credible asit relies on faulty assumptions, omits key infor-mation and distorts the facts.Here are a few examples of where BREDL’s
analysis is misleading and in some cases justplainwrong: _ BREDLbased its evaluation on a
simple air-dispersion model from the U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency. This is a short-term screeningmodel – a very conservative toolthat is not appropriate for fully evaluating theimpacts of our plants and determining if theymeet North Carolina regulatory standards.The BREDL report fails to acknowledge that a
Fibrowatt plant wouldmeet North Carolina airtoxics standards – even for chromium – usingBREDL’s conservative screening tool.The reportdid not include the full results of this screeningmodel.BREDL used a second model, referred to as a
“worst case spreadsheet,”that is simply not validfor this type of analysis. The worst case spread-sheet appears to be intended for evaluatingground-level releases, not emissions from astack. Since the emissions data used by BREDLin this model is for stack emissions, the resultsare irrelevant.The BREDLmodeling does not rely on actual
metals emissions from Fibrowatt’s Minnesotaplant, but uses conservative estimates that Fi-
browatt made years ago when permitting theplant.Actual testing conducted formetals emis-sions at the Minnesota plant shows that emis-sions are 10 to 95 times lower than the levelsused in the BREDL analysis. Using this actualtesting data would show that each of themetalsemissions – including arsenic and chromium –are more than 100 times below the applicableNorth Carolina standard.BREDL’s analysis is based on a 55-megawatt
plant. Fibrowatt expects to build a smaller 40-megawatt plant in SurryCounty.Emissions andambient impacts would be noticeably lowerfroma smaller plant.Perhaps thesemistakes area result of BREDL’s inexperience in performingcomplex air dispersion modeling and analysis.Or maybe BREDL manipulated the results tojustify its opposition toFibrowatt.Eitherway, theportrayal of Fibrowatt’s air quality impacts issimply wrong.We have offered to meet representatives of
BREDL to show them where their conclusionsare unsupported by the facts. They have not re-
sponded. When we attempted to explain theseinaccuracies at BREDLmeetings onMay11- 12,our representatives were not allowed to speak.Fibrowatt iswilling tobe judgedon the facts byfair-mindedpeople.Wewill submit our plans tothe environmental regulators who work for theState of North Carolina and we are confidentthat our emissionswillmeetNorthCarolina’s airquality standards. It is important to rememberthat Fibrowatt cannot get a permit to operateuntil state regulators are completely satisfied thatour plant will meet North Carolina’s rigorousenvironmental standards.Whenwe submit our evidence to the state, we
invite BREDL to do the same. Let thestate judge who is right.For further information on the Fibrowatt’s re-
view of the BREDL report, please contact TerryWalmsley at (267) 352-6589 or [email protected]
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
Project2:Layout 1 6/23/09 3:22 PM Page 2
Page 10 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 7
Visit the chamber online... www.yadkinvalley.org
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Become a Chamber Champion!One payment covers your expenses for Chamber activities, tickets, booth rentals and sponsorships
for the entire year. For full details contact Laurette Leagon 336-526-1111.
2009 CHAMBER CHAMPIONS
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Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Mount Airy’s
recently received the 2009 “Best of the Mountains, Best Year-round Living” award
from the editors and staff of Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes.“ The community’s exceptionalyear-round outdoor recreationalopportunities was a significantattribute that propelled WhiteSulphur Springs to the top of thelist of eligible developments,”The company said in a writtenstatement announcing theaward. “The location, at the baseof the Blue Ridge Mountains,provides much milder wintersthan most mountain propertiesand gentle mountain breezeskeep summers comfortable, al-lowing residents a year-roundopportunity to enjoy the out-doors and the community.
The award represents the sec-ond consecutive “Best of theMountains” award for WhiteSulphur Springs, just five min-utes from downtown MountAiry. While the 2009 award wasbased on “Best Year-round Living,” the 2008 desig-nation focused on “Best New Community Plan,”recognizing owner and developer Burke Robert-son’s vision “to embrace and re-create the simplerlife.”
The development features 92 wooded hillsidehome sites on the former site of a turn-of-the-century resort hotel, and its location in the heart of
the Yadkin Valley Wine Region ofNorth Carolina and its proximity tothe Blue Ridge Parkway offers theopportunity for year-round out-door activities.
“White Sulphur Springs isn’t justsomeone’s dream or a plan still onthe drawing board. Most of ouramenities have been here for cen-turies,” said Robertson.
The Ararat River, the still-flowingmineral rich springs, the 7.5-acrefront lawn, views, trails and hun-dreds of native plants are just as theywere when the White SulphurSprings Hotel was thriving morethan a century ago, the developersaid. Paved roads, undergroundutilities, view tunnels, hiking trailsand Mount Airy white granite are inplace awaiting the completion of thecommunity pavilion with outdoorkitchen and fire pit, the spring
house and planned rental cabins.“You just have to visit to really understand how
unique White Sulphur Springs really is,” saidRobertson. “We are creating more than a develop-ment. We are creating a community. A return to aplace and time when neighbors were friends andfamily was treasured. Or as I like to say, it is a tasteof the simpler life.”
Chatham Employees’ CreditAssociation, Members CreditUnion Announce Merger
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association andMembers Credit Union Merge, Expanding Servicesto North Carolina’s Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin Coun-ties.
Chatham Employees’ Credit Association’s(CECA) Board of Directors have unanimouslyvoted to merge operations into Winston-Salembased Members Credit Union. The move dramat-ically expands service offerings to CECA members,while expanding the credit union’s field of mem-bership to anyone who lives, works, worships, orgoes to school in Surry, Wilkes, or Yadkin County.
"Members Credit Union thrives in small com-munities that value friendly, local service, betterrates, and fewer fees," comments Jack V. Braswell,Jr., President/CEO. "This merger allows the entireYadkin Valley to experience the credit union dif-ference first-hand."
CECA was chartered in 1941 to serve ChathamManufacturing Company employees, retirees, andtheir families. The not-for-profit financial cooper-ative grew to over $6.1 million in assets, servingnearly 800 members. As Members Credit Union,the financial institution will serve over 52,000members and nearly 500 employer groups withtwenty full-service branches.
Members will notice some familiar faces whenthe credit union’s Elkin branch opens at 827 NorthBridge Street on July 1. CECA Manager SaborahRobinson will become Branch Manager at Mem-bers Credit Union’s new Elkin office, while BrendaOliver will serve as teller. CECU Chairman NelsonLowe will join Members Credit Union’s Board ofDirectors.
"We were looking for a merger partner that
would expand services to our members, whilemaintaining our credit union’s personal touch,"says Robinson. "Although Members Credit Unionis much bigger, they have managed to hold true tothe credit union philosophy of ‘people helpingpeople’."
The $225 million Members Credit Union waschartered in 1953 to serve employees of McLeanTrucking Company. Though headquartered inWinston-Salem, the credit union has blossomed insmall, North Carolina manufacturing cities fromMorganton and Lenoir in the West, to Hope Millsand Clinton in the East. As one of the first financialinstitutions in the state to offer free checking ac-counts, online banking, online bill-pay, and largescale social media initiatives, the credit union hasstayed at the forefront of innovation and technol-ogy, while nurturing its members-first mentality.
The official merger date will be June 30, 2009,with a Grand Opening celebration, complete withfree food, beverages, and children’s activities to takeplace on Saturday, July 18, from 10:00 AM -2:00PM. The official ribbon-cutting event will be heldon Monday, July 20, at 11:00 AM.
About Members Credit Union Members Credit Union has been providing per-
sonal financial services to our 51,000 memberssince 1953. The credit union is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution providing morethan 480 companies with financial services fortheir employees with administrative offices inWinston-Salem, NC, and 20 anches throughoutNorth Carolina. www.memcu.com
Page 2 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009 — Page 15
2009 Yadkin Valley Chamber Executive Com-mittee, Board of Directors & Staff
Executive Committee
Jerry Randle Belk Chair of the BoardMichael Wilson Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Chair ElectMike Hester WestPoint Home, Inc Past ChairDon Trippel Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital TreasurerRobin Turner R.E. Turner and Associates Assistant TreasurerJim Everett Everett & Everett P.L.L.C Legal CouncilSam Luster Southern Community Bank Vice Chair of Organizational
Improvements Lori Gwyn Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Vice Chair of Community
BettermentMike Hester West Point Home Vice Chair of Travel & Tourism Gambill Aldridge Basin Creek Realty Vice Chair of Economic
DevelopmentSusan White Town of Elkin Vice Chair of Public AffairsJohnsie Hudspeth Century 21 Hudspeth Properties Ambassadors Club
Board Members
Ex-Officio Board Members
Consultants
Cicely McCulloch Downtown Elkin, IncDennis Thompson Surry County ManagerBobby Todd Yadkin County Economic Development
Chamber Staff
Laurette Leagon, President/CEOMisty Matthews, Office & Tourism ManagerJennifer Blackburn, Jonesville Welcome CenterGlenda Gilliam, Jonesville Welcome CenterHeidi Hall, Jonesville Welcome CenterBarbara Lyon, Jonesville Welcome CenterBonnie Martin, Jonesville Welcome CenterSteve Martin, Jonesville Welcome Center105 Winston Road, Jonesville, NC • 336-526-4600
Jim Doll, Agent
Mitchell Hodges, Agent
Josh Oakes, Agent
An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., FarmBureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc., Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS
Jennifer Blackburn Yadkin Valley Bank 2009 Board MemberBrent Cornelison Town of Elkin 2009 Board MemberOtis Gillette Wachovia 2009 Board MemberEdna Martin Jonesville Commissioner 2009 Board Member Angela Mastin Hometown Mortgage Lending 2009 Board MemberJessie Merica iLevel by Weyerhaeuser 2009 Board MemberJohn Holcomb Elkin Town Manager 2009 Board MemberRonny White Duke Energy 2009 Board MemberRick Caudle G&B Energy 2010 Board MemberDennis Lowe 2010 Board MemberPhillip Ratley Sela Building 2010 Board MemberRosy Beverly Yadkin Valley Craft Guild 2011 Board MembersScott Buffkin Town of Jonesville 2011 Board MembersNathan Lewis Phillips Van Heusen 2011 Board MemberTravis Wilmoth BB&T 2011 Board Member
Lestine Hutchens Mayor – Town of ElkinLindbergh Swaim Mayor – Town of Jonesville
Support Your Local Chamber.
Join Today. For More Information, Call 526-1111
or Visit www.YadkinValley.org
ne of the best ways for a Chamber ofCommerce to better serve their mem-bers is to LISTEN. And through ournewly developed Yadkin Valley Am-
bassadors were are doing just that. 13 activechamber members are volunteering their timeto meet with all our chamber members and gettheir opinions on what the chamber is doingright, what we can do better and what newservices or programs we could offer that wouldhelp businesses grow.The Yadkin Valley Ambassadors welcome andwant your feedback. This is your opportunity, asa chamber member, to have your voice heard, sowhen your ambassador calls or comes by, pleasetake the time to talk with them, ask questionsand let them give you some ideas on how theChamber’s existing programs, services and net-
working opportunities can make a difference toYOUR bottom line.
2009-10 Yadkin Valley Ambassadors:Gambill Aldridge – Basin Creek RealtyRosy Beverly – Yadkin Valley Craft GuildAngel Haynes – Workforce CarolinaMike Hester – Westpoint HomeLestine Hutchens – Town of Elkin MayorJerry Randle – BelkJeanette Hendrick – Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital FoundationGreg Sidden – Farm Bureau InsuranceSam Luster – Sothern Community BankTravis Wilmoth – BB&TMichael Wilson – Fairfield Inns and Suites by Marriott Otis Gillette – Wachovia
O
Chamber Ambassadorsare here to serve you
Chair- Johnsie Hudspeth, Vice Chair- Misty Matthews
www.visittheyadkinvalley.com
Hugh Chatham MemorialHospital Golf ClassicScheduled for August 20th
The 18th annual Hugh Chatham Memorial Hos-pital Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, August20th at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin. Theproceeds from this year’s tournament will benefitthe construction project at Hugh Chatham Me-morial Hospital.Dr. James Harrell, Sr., Chairman of the Founda-
tion Board of Directors, stated: “The golf classic isvital to our fundraising efforts and brings in golfersfrom outside the community. This is a great op-portunity to enjoy a round of golf at CedarbrookCountry Club and contribute to our non-profithospital.”
Tournament Chairman, Jeff Seaford, HCMHHuman Resources Director, added: “Many hoursof planning and hard work go into preparing for
the golf classic. We are looking forward to a greattournament this year and I encourage our golfersand sponsors to register early.”
The golf classic has been a true success story forthe hospital and Foundation. Registration formscan be obtained from the Human Resources officelocated on Johnson Ridge Road or from the Foun-dation office located at the hospital. Forms mayalso be downloaded from the hospital’s website:www.hughchatham.org. For additional informa-tion on the Golf Classic, you are invited to contactJeff Seaford, Human Resources Director at (336)527-7662 or Jeannette Hendrick, Foundation Di-rector, at (336) 527-7457.
Sean and Patricia McRitchiereceive the Chamber’s 2009Rebel Good Award
Is Your Listing Up-to-Date?To make sure the Yadkin Valley Chamber
of Commerce is serving you to the best of its ability, please take a moment and check your listing at www.yadkinvalley.org.
If any changes need to be made, call the chamber office at
336.526.1111 or send an email to [email protected]
Four years ago the Yadkin Valley Chamber ofCommerce created an award to recognize superiorwork in promoting the Yadkin Valley. This awardhonors Rebel Good, longtime editor and publisherof The Tribune and now editor of The Messenger.
Through the newspapers and his civic activities,Rebel has been extremely effective in promotingour community in the areas of economic develop-ment, education and tourism. He had a vision ofwhat a wine festival could do to promote tourismin the Yadkin Valley, chairing the first two wine fes-tivals and setting the stage for what is recognized asthe state's premier wine festival.
In previous years this award has been bestowedupon Ed and Charlie Shelton, Jack Kroustalis,Frank and Lenna Hobson and last year, DerrillRice.
The 2009 winner is a couple that has a deep af-fection for our corner of the Yadkin Valley and aclear vision for a vibrant North Carolina wine in-dustry. Sean and Patricia McRitchie have spentmost of their lives growing grapes and makingwines for others. Now they also do so for them-selves. Sean's wines for his and other wineries haveearned numerous top honors, both regionally andnationally.
Sean’s father was a winemaker in California andOregon and later helped start the viticulture pro-gram at Surry Community College. The wine-making bug bit Sean early. In addition to workingin the vineyards of Oregon's Willamette Valley, heworked at renowned wineries in many of theworld’s premier regions, including Alsace-Lor-
raine, Napa, and Australia. In 1998 his adventurer’sheart led him to North Carolina where he was in-volved in the establishment of a large vineyard andwinery in the Yadkin Valley and later founded awinery and vineyard consulting business with wife,Patricia.
Patricia initially took a different career path as acriminal attorney and judge. After marrying Seanand starting a family, it soon became evident thata life among the vines and barrels was a better fitfor the young growing family, so she changed herfocus and for the last 15 years has specialized as abusiness and legal consultant for the viticulture in-dustry.
Patricia was also one of the driving forces in theestablishment of the Yadkin Valley Appellation —consisting of Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, as well as por-tions of four others. The appellation, the state'sfirst, allows vineyards in the region to bottle theirwines under a label promoting its production fromYadkin Valley grapes.
In 2004 Sean and Patricia planted their first fiveacres of grapes on the flanks of the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains. The doors of the McRitchieWinery and Ciderworks opened in time for the2006 harvest and the tasting room opened in Mayof 2007.
Please visit Sean and Patricia McRitchie atMcRitchie Winery and Ciderworks located inThurman just off Highway 21 North and congrat-ulate them on this well-deserved award.
Left to right Sean McRitchie, Patricia McRitchie, Rebel Good, Chamber Chair Jerry Randle
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Page 16 — Chamber Newsletter, Summer 2009
www.hughchatham.org
Here’s what else HCMH is bringing to our region
W
So thank you for helping us bring smiles to the families of our region. And to us, too.
Dr. Heiner is a Board Certified Obstetri-cian/Gynecologist with over 13 years expe-rience. He has delivered well over 4,000babies and cares for both normal and highrisk pregnancies. He is also highly skilledpelvic surgeon.
Melissa Tharpe is a Board CertifiedWomen’s Health Nurse Practitioner withover 10 years of Obstetrics and Gynecologyexperience.
Providing Excellent Women’s Health Care
336-835-2283
Raffaldini Vineyards Wins ThreeGold Medals at Lodi Interna-tional Wine Competition
Five wines from Raffaldini Vineyards received atotal of 14 awards at the Lodi International WineCompetition in Lodi, Cal., held March 8-9, 2009 Gold medals were awarded to the 2007 Bella Misto,2007 SPQR and 2007 Sangiovese Riserva. The 2007 Bella Misto and 2007 Sangiovese Riservawere awarded medals by judges from each tastepreference category; Hypersensitive, Sensitive andTolerant. “These categories are based upon re-search and procedures developed by Drs. MichaelO'Mahony, Rie Ishii, University of California,Davis, and Tim Hanni, MW”: About the Competition Courtesy www.lodi-wineawards.com
“The Lodi International wine awards is the firstand only judging to use a new evaluation method-ology that takes into account issues of flavor dis-tortion and palate fatigue that often occurs attastings and judgings where many wines are eval-uated over a long and extended session.”
The Lodi International Wine Awards differenti-ates among three principal categories or segmentsbased on sensory sensitivity, wine value/rating sys-tems and stylistic preferences:
Tolerant tasters -- who tend to favor dry, high-in-tensity, assertive wines.
Sensitive tasters -- the median group with a ratherbroad range of preferences.
Hyper-sensitive tasters -- who tend to have anaversion to bitterness and favor delicacy over in-tensity. They often prefer some degree of sweetnessin their wines.
You can find out what your unique TasteSQ is bygoing to their web site.
About Raffaldini VineyardsNestled in the Yadkin Valley Region of North
Carolina, family-owned Raffaldini Vineyardsbrings Old World charm to the Old North State.Known as “Chianti in the Carolinas” Raffaldinicurrently produces both varietal wines and blendswith its signature wines being Vermentino, PinotGrigio, Sangiovese, Sangiovese Riserva and Mon-tepulciano. Raffaldini hosts public and privateevents throughout the yearwww.raffaldini.com,call 336.835.9463 or email [email protected] formore information.
Page 8 — Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009
We provide comprehensive obstetrical and gynecological care
with that personal touch.
Let Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe, and the staff
at Blue Ridge Women’s Center offer the individual treatment you deserve.
Accepting new patients in both Obstetrics and Gynecology!
150 Parkwood Drive, Elkin • Call 336-835-5945
“Where All Women are Special”
Chamber Newsletter,Summer 2009— Page 9
Dr. John Venus, Nurse Practitioner Teresa Tharpe
The 8th annual Yadkin Valley WineFestival was held at Elkin MunicipalPark in Elkin, NC, on May 16th, 2009.Participating were over 20 winerieswhich are all located in the Yadkin Val-ley, NC appellation. Some of the winer-ies participating are so new that theyhave not yet been listed in the brochuresthat have been printed for 2009. TheYadkin Valley was the first named andapproved appellation in North Carolina.
While the prediction was for 60%chance of rain, the day was beautifulmost of the day, with light rain just start-ing in the last half hour of the festivaltime. The crowd was good and, as al-ways has been the case in the past, one ofthe best groups of wine lovers I haveseen at any festival.
They were moderate, well behaved,
and very interested in learning aboutand tasting new wines. This is my fa-vorite wine festival, by far, for that veryreason.
The really nice thing about this festi-val is that it is free to those not tastingwine. For those folks, there is music,many arts and crafts booths and ex-hibits, food booths, and a nice place tosocialize. So, if your group is mixed inthat some don’t drink, or there are chil-dren, there is no fee for them to comewith you. It is a very good deal indeed.If you are tasting wine, the fee this yearwas $16 in advance and $20 at the gate.This is a great value for the many and
varied wines you are able to sample.From the “Lady of the Grape” Blog
I am with “Dogs on the Run” foodvendor and we worked the Wine Festival
this past weekend. Just wanted to letyou know how much fun we had and weare already looking forward to next year.We had positive feedback from cus-
tomers who thanked us for keeping thefood prices reasonable. We told themthat they really need to thank the com-mittee that worked so hard to put theevent together. In our case, our foodprices are set according to the fees wehave to pay to work an event. Whenevent organizers keep the entry feeswithin reason, we can pass that along toour customers. Hopefully you haveheard these positive comments alreadyfrom the attendees of the event.
Thank you again for allowing us toparticipate in the event.
Angela Lane Buddy Lucas
Dogs on the Run
Susan and I thoroughly enjoyed Sat-urday at the Wine Festival. It was abeautiful day and the city park was agreat site. The festival was well organ-ized, good vendors and the tastingsweren't bad either. We did our part tosupport the wineries and vendors!
We're looking forward to a return visitto visit some of the wineries and seemore of Elkin.
Thanks again, Rob Turner Senior Credit Officer Triad Region Winston-Salem, NC
Sid Proctor, owner of Weathervane.
Mark Greene, owner of Elkin Creek Vineyards
takes a break with daughter Victoria.
Shaggin’ to the Legends of Beach
Gambill Aldridge takes a well-deserved break from his grape stomping duties to enjoy the festival with daughter Emma Grace and wife Amy.
Festive Eyewear
Gray Burchette shows that pork and chicken
really do go together!
Images and Opinions of the 8th Annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival
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