Emerging Leaders Summer Institute Now Accepting Applications

The Greater Florence Chamber is now accepting applications for the 2023 Emerging Leaders Summer Institute. Emerging Leaders is a program designed to generate professional training and development, mentorship, community engagement and recruitment opportunities.

The purpose is to identify, develop and empower “Emerging Leaders”, specifically minorities, small business owners and innovative professionals poised to move into the next level of community and business leadership.

For more information, click here.

One Child At A Time To Host Spring Swing” Charity Fundraiser Golf Tournament

The Golf Tournament in Florence you don’t want to miss benefiting One Child At A Time will be held on April 27th, with the shotgun start at 10am.
Sponsored by Toyota of Florence.

Join Founder and CEO Glenda Skipper as she partners with Florence Toyota at the Country Club of South Carolina to bring you Spring Swing to benefit a worthy cause saving children. HELP STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

For more information, click here.

8th Annual Flo-Town 5K Set for April 29th

Join the City of Florence at the 8th Annual Flo-Town 5K event, April 29th beginning at 9 a.m. Walk-ups are welcome and registration starts at 8 a.m.

Registration is open!

For more information, click here.

Fellows In Education Visit North Vista Elementary School

On Tuesday, April 5th, the Fellows in Education class of 2022-2023 enjoyed a visit to North Vista Elementary School. Principal, Mrs. Sharon Dixon, and her staff shared the school’s mission to cultivate students of character by enhancing skills that encourage problem-solving, goal setting, and learning for a lifetime. We enjoyed visits to multiple classrooms and various student sessions.

The Fellows in Education Program is designed to improve education for students by involving local leaders in the atmosphere and experiences that our students share each day. The program seeks to create a community of leaders that can share firsthand knowledge and help collaborate with policymakers and the community on the educational concerns of the future.

Fellows In Education is a joint program between Florence School District One, The School Foundation and The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

To view photos from the day, click here.

Junior Leadership Florence Participates In Education Day Session

Our Junior Leadership Florence County class of 20022-2023 held their Education Day session on April 4, at Francis Marion University.

Special thanks to Leadership Florence County Program, the Florence Chamber of Commerce, FMU and Florence County 4-H for making the opportunity possible for our youth.

Free Virtual Workshop Hosted By SCORE: Trademarks – Branding Essentials for Small Business

This free virtual event is brought to you by SCORE Grand Strand. The workshop will be held on Thursday, April 20th from 12:00 – 1:00 pm and will highlight the importance of selecting a strong business name, how to make sure the name is clear to use, and the necessary procedures for protecting your brand.

To register, click here.

Free Shred Event Coming to Florence Center

The Better Business Bureau has partnered with the Florence Center to bring a free shred event to Florence on Monday, April 17th from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.  Bring your old receipts, statements and other personal documents to one of our no-cost shred events. In an effort to shred your sensitive documents in a timely manner, Attendees are limited to (3) three boxes (copy paper box or smaller) or three bags (kitchen trash bag or smaller) per vehicle. Before shredding, there is no need to remove binders, binder clips, paper clips, staples, rubber bands, or CDs/DVDs.

Cherokee Road Piggly Wiggly Enters New Era

The Piggly Wiggly on Cherokee Road, once the smaller sibling of the now-closed Florence Mall location, ceremonially reopened on Wednesday after extensive renovations.

The grocery store now has expanded meat, produce and frozen food selections, a bakery, sushi stand, floral department and deli that has the “best fried chicken in the world,” according to store operator Marty Massey.

“We have widened our selection of merchandise tenfold,” Massey said. “This store was neglected for a long time, so we put our resources in the store, and it’s been overwhelmingly successful.”

The store stayed open during renovation, and even without everything ready, the store doubled sales year over year, he said. Renovations began in June after the Florence Mall location’s landlord did not renew the lease, forcing the store to close and employees to move to the Cherokee Road location.

To celebrate the remodeling, the store held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 5th that was attended by many in the community.

Holding the scissors for the ribbon cutting are Lynn Willard, owner of Lowcountry Grocers, left, and Marty Massey, store operator, right. Teresa Myers Ervin, mayor of Florence, is on the far left, and Mike Miller, Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce president, stands behind her. Attending but not pictured was Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler.

To read the full story, click here.

Small Business Week Lunch & Learn

Join the Florence Chamber, First Bank and the South Carolina Department of Commerce for an opportunity to network and obtain valuable resources of information for maintaining, growing and developing your business.

The lunch & learn will be held on Tuesday, May 2nd from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Florence Chamber.  The cost is $10 per person.  The keynote speaker will be Sonja Barkley, Manager of Small Business at SC Department of Commerce.  She will speak on the State of Small & Minority Business and our sponsor, First Bank, will give a presentation on Business Banking Services.

To register, click here.

Hoppin’ Around FloTown – City Wide Scavenger Hunt

Hoppin’ Around Flo-Town, hosted by the City of Florence’s Recreation, Athletics & Sports Tourism Department, has returned!

Clues were posted on March 31st. Use the clues to find giant Easter Eggs in 10 different locations. Scan each egg’s unique QR code and fill out the short form for an entry to win one of several prizes! The more eggs you find the more likely you are to win.

For additional information and updates, be sure to visit the Department’s Facebook page.