The Chamber of Commerce that works with businesses in all 13 CSRA counties in Georgia, stretching from Wilkes to Jenkins to Hancock, is preparing for a busy year.
The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce (GABCC) will tackle the year ahead with a kickoff event on Feb. 26. Ronic West, President and co-founder of GABCC, told ABD that their programs run from February through December. The kickoff event is the organization’s traditional opening each year.
“We run a heavy program. Once we start running, we run at least three to four activities a month,” she said. “We will be at Greater Augusta Day (in Atlanta). We’ll also be at the Black Chambers Day of Georgia next week in Atlanta. We’re already starting to advocate for the community. It’s a lot of changes on a federal level, so it’s going to be a fast, heavy year, especially with the politics.”
Among the major events, GABCC has joined with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a forum, something they do every year when there is a mayoral election.
West said attending the kick-off event can benefit any level of business owner.
“If you’ve been in business for 20 years, you’ve been in business 10 years, starting a business,” she explained. “A lot of things are shifting. A lot of people were laid off. We still don’t know the accurate number. So, a lot of people don’t think about starting their business. Come learn from the chamber, come hear what we got going on. Networking with other entrepreneurs. You’ll hear from all the leaders, and you’ll hear about what the chamber will be doing this year. We’ll have a strategic focus on artificial intelligence and cyber security.”
There will also be information about the Small Business Revitalization (SBR) Grant Program that is beginning this year. It provides resources, training, and financial assistance to minority-owned and small businesses.
“The applications are already open. They can go to our website, click on programs, and get to that site to fill out that application,” West said. “It is going to be one of our intensive programs. It will be a weeklong program of classes, two classes every night. It’ll go from accounting to services and so forth. At the end of that, they will receive a grant.”
This program is designed for business owners who meet the following criteria:
- Business is located in Georgia
- Business is for-profit
- Fewer than 500 employees
- Business began operating on or before March 3, 2020
- Must provide tax documentation for each year in operation
- Business experienced financial loss during the COVID-19 pandemic
West said the kick-off event is not only for current GABCC members. It can also serve as a welcome to non-members who want to learn more about the organization.
The event will run 6 – 8 p.m. on Feb. 26. It will be held at Summer House Realty and Venue at 2735 Washington Rd.
Additional information and registration are available under the “Events” tab at www.mygabc.org/
