Leadership Florence Participates In Florence County Legislative Day

The Greater Florence Chambers 2024 Leadership Florence Class spent the entire day Wednesday, March 6th, in Columbia, SC for Florence County Legislative Day.

The class visited the offices of Governor Henry McMaster and met with Lt. Governor Pamela Evette. The group later toured the State House and heard from the Florence delegation and Speaker of the House and were recognized on the House floor by the Florence delegation.

The group went on to visit SLED Headquarters and learned about their mission and law enforcement goals for the state of South Carolina.

The class ended the legislative visit with a reception at the Columbia Museum of Art.

To view photos from the day, click here.

Helping Florence Flourish Announces WinShape Camp

Helping Florence Flourish welcomes WinShape Camp back to First Presbyterian Church in Florence July 1st-5th!  Campers who have completed grades K5-5th can enjoy sports, creative play, worship and more! Get more details on this week of fun, faith and fellowship at https://camps.winshape.org/day-camps/florence-sc-2/!  Registration is open now. The first 50 registrants get $35 off initial child’s registration.  Email helpingflorenceflourish@gmail.com if you have any questions.

To view the full flyer, click here.

Junior Leadership Florence County Visits Columbia For Government Day

The Junior Leadership Florence County Class experienced a day in Columbia for the annual State Government Session and South Carolina 4-H Youth Development Legislative Day at the State House.

Students were able to network with Mr. Jonathan Eckstrom, Director of Cabinet Affairs for the Governor’s Office, Mr. Cody Simpson, Executive Assistant to the Governor, SC Court if Appeals, Judge Jay Vinson, the Florence County Legislative Delegation (Senator Mike Reichenbach, Representative Phillip Lowe, Representative Robert Williams, Representative Roger Kirby, Representative Jay Jordan, and Representative Terry Alexander).

A special thanks to Leadership Florence County Program staff, the Florence Chamber of Commerce, Francis Marion University and Florence County 4-H for making the JLFC opportunity possible for our area youth.

We also would like to thank the South Carolina 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program for hosting a beautiful luncheon and special thanks JLFC Advisory Board Members, Mrs. Celia Urquhart, Pee Dee Regional Director for U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham, Superintendent, Dr. Neal Vincent, Florence County School District Two and Mr. Reace Shird, 4-H Volunteer/Florence School District Two for their help chaperoning the trip.

To view more photos from the day, click here.

Honda Talon 1000R And GE HealthCare MRI Scanner Still In The Hunt

Nearly 100,000 votes from around the state were cast during the Top Sixteen Coolest Things Made in South Carolina Manufacturing Madness Contest. Two Florence County produced products have been able to advance to the top 8 level after all that voting.

Let’s help the Honda Talon 1000R and the Signa Hero MRI Scanner from GE Healthcare compete for the big title this year by voting for them at scmanufacturingmadness.com/vote/

Voting for the Top Eight begins today, Monday, March 11 and runs through Thursday, March 14. Vote every day!

Unity with the Community Happening April 20th

Unity with the Community is back and better than ever! This initiative is all about fostering strong relationships between our community and law enforcement.

Here’s what you can expect: Connect with local service-based organizations, Network and build relationships and Learn about FPD Community outreach programs.

We’re thrilled to have the following organizations joining us: All 4 Autism, Circle Park Behavioral Health, City of Florence Recreation and Community Services Dept., Lighthouse Ministries, Beacon of Light Institute for Vets, Veteran Administration, Florence County Library, Housing Authority of Florence, Florence-Darlington Tech, S.C. Works, S.C. Dept. Child Advocacy, S.C. Vocational Rehab, The Salvation Army, The Care House, McDonald’s, Texas Roadhouse, U.S. Airforce.

To view the full flyer, click here.

Ard Trucking Announces Business After Hours

The Florence Chamber invites you to join us for an after-hours event hosted by Ard Trucking on Thursday, April 4th from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. The event will be held at 4130 Alligator Rd and will feature great food, drinks and networking.  Be sure to bring lots of business cards! RSVP by clicking the link here to register online.

Hotels, Restaurants And Tourism May Be Getting Tax Relief

We understand that the U.S. Senate may take up the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act in the coming weeks. This legislation, if passed into law, would mean major tax savings for hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality and tourism businesses by extending federal tax provisions like bonus depreciation and expanded business interest deductibility. Taken together, these policies support our industry’s ability to weather crises and invest for the future. Many chamber of commerce and state restaurant organizations have contacted both Sens. Graham’s and Scott’s offices, stating favorable positions on the bill.

To read the full story, click here.

2023 Ambassador Of The Year Award Presented

The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce held their Ambassador Luncheon recently at the Florence Country Club. In attendance were about 40 Ambassadors. During the luncheon Jay Lavrinc Director of Membership Relations presented awards to the Ambassador of the year, Michael Hinson (center), second place Jennifer Greene (right), and third place Susan Evans (left). The Ambassador group helps the Chamber with ribbon cuttings, welcoming new businesses, various events and membership.

A special thanks to all the Ambassadors for their help and community involvement.

Sweet Tooth Joins Chamber

Karen Dawkins (owner) Sweet Tooth, along with her family, staff, and Ambassadors, cut their ribbon joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, March 5th.

Sweet Tooth is made from scratch bakery! At Sweet Tooth their products are made in-house with fresh local ingredients. Their baked goods and lunch items are made with real butter and cream because they know you can tell the difference in the first bite. For a quick lunch pick-up, they offer homemade soups Monday-Friday, chicken salad and pimento cheese made in-house daily along with salads and wraps. As far as the bakery goes, they offer cake slices, cheesecake, brownies, bars, cookies, cake pops, deluxe cookies, cupcakes and MORE!

To read the full story, click here.

GO Mortgage Featured On ChamberLink Radio

Greg O’Connor and Ray Taylor of GO Mortgage, was the Chamber’s radio guest on ChamberLink Radio this past weekend.

You can catch the conversation each Sunday from 12:00 – 12:30 pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.

This radio program is brought to you by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.