Innovation through Collaboration

In this episode of Community Convener, we're exploring how innovation and collaboration are creating new opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs, and the community throughout Henry County.

Leonard Robinson, Director of Membership for the Henry County Chamber, sits down with Tony Eierman of DaVinci's New York Style Pizza to discuss the launch of the Rolling Bites Initiative. Learn how this exciting collaboration is bringing food truck operators together, strengthening small businesses, and creating new opportunities for community engagement across the region.

Next, we celebrate the Chamber's 2025 Young Professional of the Year, Dr. Gabrielle Williams of Gateway Direct Health. Dr. Williams shares how her innovative approach to direct primary care is transforming the traditional patient-physician relationship by prioritizing accessibility, trust, and personalized healthcare.

Then, Laura Luker, Director of Tourism, joins us for this month's Tourism Trends segment to discuss the latest developments positioning Henry County as a growing destination for retail, hospitality, and visitor experiences, and what those trends mean for our local economy.

In this month's Member Minute, Leonard Robinson catches up with May Ambassador of the Month, Edith Greenwood of The Conception Studio, to recognize her outstanding commitment to serving fellow Chamber members and strengthening the business community.

Plus, we'll share the latest Chamber news, upcoming events, and opportunities to stay connected with everything happening across Henry County.

Explore upcoming Chamber events here: https://business.henrycounty.com/events/calendarcatgid/6

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email tarcher@henrycounty.com

Stay connected. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, & Instagram

☕So grab a coffee, and let's dive in!

🎙️ Community Convener is produced by Henry Chamber Media, bringing you conversations that connect business, community, and leadership throughout Henry County.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

And welcome back to Community Convener, the official podcast of the Henry County Chamber of Commerce, proudly powered by Georgia Power. I'm your host, Joseph Henning, President and CEO of the Henry Chamber. We have an exciting episode for you today, one that highlights the innovation, collaboration, and major milestones shaping the future of Henry County. Coming up in our catalytic conversation, our director of membership, Leonard Robinson, sits down with Tony Eierman from Da Vinci's New York Style Pizza for a fantastic discussion on the new Rolling Bites initiative and how it's creating synergy throughout our region. We also catch up with our newly named young professional of the year, Dr. Gabrielle Williams of Gateway Direct Health, who shares how she is disrupting the traditional patient-physician relationship in order to improve care. Then we turn to Laura Lucer, our Director of Tourism, who dives into the latest trends positioning Henry County as a premier retail and hospitality destination. And in this week's member minute, Leonard Robinson shines a spotlight on our May Ambassador of the Month, Edith Greenwood of the Conception Studio, to celebrate her exceptional service and leadership within our chamber community. We'll round out today's episode with vital member updates and a look at the major events coming up on the Chamber calendar. So grab your coffee and let's dive in.

SPEAKER_04 1:21

Welcome to this episode's Catalytic Conversation. I'm Leonard Robinson, membership director of the Henry County Chamber of Commerce. Tony, it's good to have you with us. For those who may not know you, tell us a little bit about yourself, Da Vinci's, and before we just kind of jump into what we're working on here today.

SPEAKER_03 1:37

Yeah, great. Thank you, Leonard. Um, my name is Tony Irman. I am the owner and operator of Da Vinci's Pizza, have been since September of 2024, took it over at that point in time. I am the fourth owner. The restaurant's been there, it has been a staple in Henry County since 2005. So it's got a 21-year history here coming up in September. So it's kind of been a landmark within the county. So looking to keep it a landmark and keep it going.

SPEAKER_04 2:01

Yeah, it's got a great reputation. So do you so far. Now, you recently launched something called Rolling Bites, the Rolling Bites Alliance. What is it? Where'd the idea come from?

SPEAKER_03 2:10

So Rolling Bites Alliance, the idea came from myself and another food truck owner, Kevin from Dos Carnale, sitting in the back corner of my booth and realizing that as we go to these different events, we're talking to other food truck owners and everybody's hearing the saying the same thing. Man, this is a hustle. Man, I'm trying to find someone to go next, where to go next and how to grow my business. We're like, you know what? The mantra of if you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go with a team. We're like, we need to build the team and find people that are like-minded that are able to share those resources. And what it basically what rolling bites is, is a collective of food truck owners and small businesses that want to go far and can work together and collaboratively work together to be stronger and be more successful. All right.

SPEAKER_04 2:48

So let's see. So if I'm a food truck owner and I'm listening to this today, why would I consider joining a Rolling Bites Alliance? What does being a part of this group actually look like?

SPEAKER_03 2:59

Being part of the group, you've got access to 30 different owners that have 30 different opinions, that have 30 different resources, 30 plus, I should say. Different resources, different opinions, different thoughts, different ways of doing business. So, for instance, myself, I consider myself to be a pretty financial heavy data analytic. I'm very analytical. Kevin from Dose Carnalis is very operational. We have another guy, Joe with Jonathan's, who is a cheerleader. He's the one that keeps everybody motivated, keeps everybody moving. So you've got all these different personalities. You've got Mike from Digga Dogs, who's an ex-police officer, so knows every rule and regulation for every county, for every city, what permits you have to have, things like that. So you have all those resources and you don't have to find that out. Sometimes find that out the hard way that if you're in the wrong spot or don't have the right permit, you could get a fine. Obviously, you're working day to day, dollar for dollar. You don't need that $100 fine or that $200 fine that could interrupt your business. All right. So now beyond helping food truck owners, how do you think this benefits Henry County? This benefits Henry County because we heard loud and strong that Henry County needed a place for people to gather and have a good time. With our food truck groups and the events that we do, we have the ability to have families come out, sit in the park, have food, have different types of food that they just don't have to order one thing and be able to enjoy themselves and have a good time. Uh we've seen this now twice. We're going on our third one. And Henry County, you know, needs that diversity. Henry County needs that ability to have different options and not just necessarily have to go to a brick and mortar place because we all know that the traffic in Henry County is a challenge. So getting to some places can be difficult. So we're trying to put ourselves in areas that are easier to get to, but also have 10 to 12 different variations of what you can get.

SPEAKER_04 4:30

All right, find a way to like serve food while you're driving and then we just follow you around. Just follow you around, right? Yeah, yeah, wait.

SPEAKER_03 4:35

Just throw it out the window. Yeah, you see what I'm saying. Yeah, so we can affect.

SPEAKER_04 4:38

Yeah, I think that'll definitely affect traffic. One thing I like seeing businesses come together so that they can build better together for themselves. What has your partnership with the chamber? What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Well, first of all, though, I mean, my partnership with the chamber has been fantastic. Obviously with you, Leonard. Um, you and I have, I think, drawn a very good professional relationship and also a personal relationship on that level too, of being able to just talk about things that are happening in this county. And with the resources that the chamber has as well, I find out more and have more support than I would if I was just out there on my own. And that support comes in a lot of different fashions. The different things that the chamber supports, the different groups, the different meetings, things like that, the networking meetings that the chamber holds as well, those have all been very influential and very helpful to me personally as a business owner, then also my business as well. I've seen that reflected in my businesses. So you're not just a pizza man.

SPEAKER_04 5:28

You you've got a business background, you've done lots of different levels of business. Where's the inspiration? I know the type of hours you're putting in. I know how much of a of a load this is to bear. Where's the energy? Where does this come from?

SPEAKER_03 5:41

The energy is a passion. It's more of just a passion to want to do this. I've spent half my corporate career living in the part of all about me, me, me, me, me, me. I want to be vice president. I want to be president, I want to be director, I want to be manager, I want those titles. I want that title. I was striving for the title. When I got the title, kind of like most professional athletes, when you get the title, then it's like, wow, that wasn't quite what I wanted. So it's it's more of a passion drive than anything. You know, I had an unfortunate event happen in my personal life and it changed my whole perspective. And I'm like, you know what? This is not all about me. And I don't like using the term leaving a legacy because that to me is egotistical. But I want to, I want to change something. I'm not sure what that something is yet, but I want I want something to change. And whether that's pointing me in this direction, I do believe things happen for a reason. I'm not much of a religious person, but I do believe things happen for a reason. And somehow I was pointed to buy this restaurant on a whim, then join create rolling bites with you know another food truck owner. Something, something's coming of that. I'm not sure what that something is yet, but something's down the road. Whether it's one month, one year, 10 years down the road, I don't know yet. But that's the drive. The drive is to figure out what that's gonna be and whether that takes 60, 80, 90 hours a week to get there, then that's what I'm gonna do.

SPEAKER_04 6:49

Okay, looks like you're getting it done. Now, looking ahead, where do you hope the Rolling Bites Alliance is a year from now? And what does success look like for rolling bites?

SPEAKER_03 6:59

That's a really good question because I haven't really thought about that because we've been so busy just trying to get it off the ground and get it launched. But as far as success is that every member has a steady, constant revenue stream every week that they want and they feel like they're successful. And part of their success was because of their membership in the rolling bites. Not just, I mean, obviously they have their own stuff too. They're independent businesses. But if rolling bites help them get that consistent business, I'll give you an example. One of the food trucks didn't know where to start finding, we'll call them gigs. Well, now with what we've established, we have things with the school, with schools. We have things with three apartment complexes that is just a rolling every Friday. They want a truck out there. We just finished a deal with inline plastics that we can use their parking lot three days a week, right off here off of uh, was that Constitution Boulevard?

SPEAKER_04 7:43

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:43

So we're gonna be starting putting food trucks right there on Constitution Boulevard to help solve this island, this food island issue with the warehouses. So these are to me, that's all success because now we're getting people that are making money that may have not been able to do that before. You know, they make this investment of $50, $60,000, $70,000 into these food trucks. And then after about four months, and you're like, I haven't made any money, it gets discouraged and they get very, very discouraged. We're trying to keep that discouragement from happening and say, keep going. You got it. We got you. We got your back. We'll get you other gigs, we'll get you a different event so you can make some money. And that's what's happening. Um, that's why I see on the new on the newer trucks. Those of us that have been established for a little while, it's just building our our calendar. I mean, my calendar has gotten insane.

SPEAKER_04 8:20

Yeah, your calendar sleep schedule as well. Yeah, there that doesn't exist. Let's see. Now tell me something. If someone wants to learn more, whether they're a food truck owner, they're an event organizer, or just someone who is supporting local food, where can they, where can they go? And are there any upcoming events or ways to connect with the Rolling Bites Alliance?

SPEAKER_03 8:40

Yeah, absolutely. So finally, took us a little bit, but finally we've got, well, I say finally, we started this in November of it's only been about eight months. So we we got our website up. So we have rollingbitesalliance.com, which we got our website up that shows all our members. It shows how to register with us, how to become a member, how to for coordinators, like you said, coordinators for them to contact us. Right now it's me, but we're working on that. And then on that site also has all our members and it has all their contact info. So there's like individual little business cards built into the site. So if they've got some particular thing that they want a dessert truck or they want a taco truck or a pizza truck, they can contact them directly as well. Now, as far as events that we've got, so from now until the end of the year, the fourth Friday of every month, we've got our food truck frenzy with Henry County Parks and Rec. Okay, that's the fourth Friday of every month. And what and is that at a particular location? We rotate the location. So the best thing to do is either pay attention to our website or our Facebook page. We have a Rolling Bites Alliance Facebook page as well, or even the Henry County Parks and Rec. They're publishing it as well where the event's gonna be. But it does go to different Henry County parks. So, like this month, we're at Avalon Park, right down the street. We've done Heritage Park, we're gonna do Tanger Station. Okay, yes. We're doing that next month. So we're moving it around the county to just kind of see the demographic of the different the different parts of the county and what draws the biggest attention. But also, we're gonna do a big thing at Nash Farm Park because uh Nash Farm is ginormous. We can do huge events there. So the great part is that with that partnership with Henry County Parks and Rec, we basically have access to 28 different county parks. 28 different county parks. Yep. That's enough in and of itself. Now, and there's more? There is more. So, like I said, now we've got this thing with over here by the inline plastics off of Constitution Drive. That's gonna be a hub for us to be able to just rotate trucks Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We're gonna start that pretty soon. We've got two apartment complexes where we're sitting out at that are close to roads where people can come find us or come find the different trucks that are out there that day. We're gonna work with the website to be able to put that out, say, hey, find this truck here this day, as soon as we can get some kind of calendar function within the website. The idea was just to get the information part done first. But that will be, hey, I want to book the truck. Where is Da Vinci's? Where is Diggity Dogs? Where is a cool cone? Where are these different trucks at today? And it'll plop them in where they're at.

SPEAKER_04 10:46

So there's more to come from rolling bites, is what I'm learning.

SPEAKER_03 10:50

Absolutely. We're not done yet. No way. We're just getting started.

SPEAKER_04 10:53

So now one of the things I really I like about the conversations that we have personally and professionally, it's very seldom when you answer me or when you're sharing something, is there it's the I component. You're normally looking at the overall bigger picture. As far as donations, charity, giving back, being a part of the community, what does that mean? How does that work for rolling bites?

SPEAKER_03 11:14

So one thing that I forgot to talk about with with the different events that we're doing, these Friday Food Truck Frenzies, is that every one of those, there is a subcategory of who we're donating to. So the first one that we did was for a friend's house, okay, right here in Henry County. The second one's for Impact Alliance. This third one is for, I forgive the name, but it's for school donations. So the police officer is going to be out there taking school donations, things like that. Every one of them we have plotted out for a different charity. The good thing is that every charity, there's no national charity. We're not doing United Way or things like that. These are all very local Henry County charities that we're doing and that we've picked. Keeping it in Henry County. Keeping it in Henry County. So for instance, I'll share this. We haven't published this yet, but we raised $1,300 for a friend's house, our very first food truck frenzy. This was a night that it was downpouring rain. I remember that. Nobody knew about it really, and we still raised $1,300. So to me, for them, that's that's a huge donation. I mean, their biggest thing is obviously Taste of Henry, which is coming in September. But to do that for them for their summertime so the kids could go out and do something, and we pay for that, that's that's the drive. The great part is as the membership, we put that in our bylaws that you have to donate. That is part of our DNA, that is part of what you do. The other part, too, is that with Luella High School, we're finalizing this today, actually, after I leave this meeting, we will be the number one title sponsor for Luella High School. Wow. I'm sorry, say that again. We will be the number one title sponsor for Luella High School. Congratulations. So they've wanted for years to build this Hall of Fame of all their students that have either gone on to college, collegiate ball, professional sports, whatever that might be. They've never had anybody be able to donate the money to do it. It's not a heck of a lot of money, but it's it's got some show some cash to it. As rolling bites, we decided that while we have our membership fees, we're gonna take on Luella High School, and that's gonna be our that's gonna be our charity of choice because we are a nonprofit as rolling bites. So that is gonna be finalized today where we will have the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Fame will be the Rolling Bites Hall of Fame at Luella. Each member will be able to put a little bit more money in to have their name called out as a member. And at this point, at the rate we're going, who knows, maybe someday we'll own the scoreboard.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

At some day, I can see one of these athletes coming back and making your program go to a whole nother level.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

I hope so. That's kind of the that's kind of the drive is to get these athletes back. I mean, as you know, there are some really good athletes that have come out of Henry County and some that have come out of Luella as well. But Luello is a pet project of mine. It was a Da Vinci's has always sponsored Luella. And I just took that over when I when I bought the restaurant. And I've got a great little relationship with their athletic director, their principal, their their other coaches, and I want to keep that going. And when we were able to bring this back, because I kept hearing from them that we can't raise money. Everybody we go to tells us, you know, tells us, here's some certificates for free oil changes or free sandwiches or this or that. That does them no good. They need cash. They need to buy helmets, they need to buy uniforms, they need to buy basketballs, footballs, soccer balls. Us as rolling bites decided that's what our lack of better term, pet project's gonna be. Okay. That's where we're gonna have our focus. Because of being a nonprofit, at the end of the year, we can't. The bank account really should be at zero. So Louella's gonna be the benefit of that.

SPEAKER_04 14:12

That's amazing. That's amazing. I'm not shocked. I'm not shocked because in my role as membership director, I've actually had restaurant owners come to me and go, hey, you know, I'm having trouble with my lunch menu. Um, I'm not really sure what's the best approach to take to X, Y, or Z regal in my restaurant. And actually, my main skill for restaurants is eating. And so I was able to refer to you. And on multiple occasions, you've stepped up and worked with other people that didn't benefit you toward helping them as far as their business is concerned. And I know you do work with uh youth as well.

SPEAKER_03 14:48

So tell me more about that. So that is again, that's a passion project. It's just something that kind of fell into my lap. And it's not one, I'm not one to say no. I'm gonna keep running with it and keep doing what I have to do to move forward. Again, I don't know what that end state is. I don't know what, but there's something telling me to do these things and to keep moving forward. And again, helping the small business owners that start in this food truck group. I mean, I'm no way an expert in food trucks. I mean, I started back in August this past year. So it's, you know, we're only talking about it. I'm only seven, six, seven months into this myself or eight months into. Well, I guess I'll be it almost a year. You know, I'm no, I'm no expert on food truck, but I'm I spend so much time in corporate America learning process and finance and things like that, that I think that's what the restaurant industry needs personally. So having that and going into working with these charitable donations, I mean, like a friend's house, that's another passion project for me. You go over there, you see what's going on over there. It doesn't take long to go just here's here's my checkbook, take it, yeah, type thing. Um, and then also this other these other groups that are that are around in Henry County. I mean, they're all fantastic charities. It's just a matter of getting the exposure and there's, you know, getting people to understand that. And if that's a way we can do that through going out into the community with these food trucks and then just advertising these different things. Um, when we did Impact Alliance, a lot of people didn't know that that even existed. And that's for recovering addicts, things like that. For people didn't realize that that's a charity here in Henry County that's trying to get off the ground. A lot of people don't know about a friend's house. You know, they hear about Taste of Henry benefiting a friend's house, but nobody spends the time to go check out what that actually is.

SPEAKER_04 16:08

So if we're not chasing the pizza truck around, what's the what what's the location for the the brick and mortar here?

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Uh so the brick and mortar for Da Vinci's is 1035 Highway 155. We're right down the street from Summit Racing. Everybody knows where J.R. Crickets is, but they don't know where I am, which is which is which is a little interesting to me. So I want to be the one that they know J.R. Crickets has got to go. You know where Da Vinci's is? That's where we are. I want to change I want to change that mantra around for some reason. But we're right, we're right off of 155, and we all know that the traffic on 155 is a challenge, but I promise you, you come see me, you'll want to fight that traffic to get what you get at DaVinci's.

SPEAKER_04 16:41

Well, DaVinci's has the reputation. Uh, you have the reputation. This has been an amazing opportunity to share here today with our audience. And is there anything more? Anything more you want to add before?

SPEAKER_03 16:52

The only thing I would say is check out the Rolling Bites Alliance website, check out Da Vinci's NY Style Pizza website, and then also all the fine people that are members of the Rolling Bites, please. There are a few of them that have brick and mortars, go see them. But also, some of the best food I've had is out of this group. I will tell you there's one that's got some fried catfish that'll knock you down. But I mean, some of the best food I've had is coming out of these trucks. It's not these brick and mortars, and it's not corporate chains either. These are all people that have put their passion, put their life into it. And I would just ask everybody who listens to this is to go support them. This isn't about me, it's about them.

SPEAKER_04 17:23

That's right. It's the Rolling Bites Alliance. Thanks so much. And uh, you can find more information at the Chamber of Commerce website. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

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SPEAKER_05 18:22

We all know that a thriving business community depends on strong civic foundations. But cutting through the national noise and understanding how things actually work here in Georgia, from the Gold Dome to our own county commission, can be a challenge. That's why you need to listen to the Citizens Playbook. Hosted by Henry County Chamber CEO Joseph Henning and State Court Judge Stephen Knights Jr., this 18-part audio series is a user manual for our democracy. It moves beyond abstract civics to make a meaningful impact right here in Henry County. You can find the Citizens Playbook wherever you get your podcasts. Get in the game. The Citizens Playbook is the guide you've been waiting for.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Well, welcome back to this episode's Tourism Trends, and Laura Lucer, Director of Tourism, is joining us today. Laura, welcome.

SPEAKER_06 19:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

And today we're going to talk about retail tourism.

SPEAKER_06 19:14

Correct. Back to school shopping.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Back to school shopping time. Then you got the holidays. So what's the general re overview of the retail opportunities here and what do we see?

SPEAKER_06 19:26

So overall, shopping is one of the main reasons people are actually visiting us. And whether it's, you know, your pass-through visitors or your dedicated people who are coming here to shop at Tanger or other some of the other large large retailers, we do have a lot of mixed-use shopping centers that, you know, may have your large big box stores as well as your smaller retailers. So shopping is something that we all have to do, whether it's for groceries or for, you know, our clothing or whatever. And so I think that we often assume when we talk about retail that we're talking about things like just like back to school shopping or your Christmas shopping, but it's actually a lot broader than that.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Well, and you had mentioned Tanger. Tanger outlets there in in Locust Grove. What attracts visitors to that location, you know, rather than, you know, I mean, I'm sure they've got stores in that closer to home.

SPEAKER_06 20:15

Well, they absolutely probably do. I think one of the things that really makes Tanger stand out is that it is a gathering of all of maybe more than 70 outlets out there. And so you can get a really wide range of brand name outlets. It is an outlet center, so a lot of times people are attracted to the outlet prices. Sure. Um, but also it's just not, I think to just call it a shopping center is maybe a little short-sighted because they do other things as well to bring people to the area. They do events, maybe a food truck event or a back to school shopping event, or they do pictures with the Easter Bunny or Wasanted. So maybe people are coming to do their pictures with the Easter bunny, but they're also going to buy their Easter outfit while they're there. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

So they've they've really figured out the you know, making retail a destination almost. I mean, there's there's an event, you know, and and then may maybe you're coming for the event, but the retail happens to be secondary to it.

SPEAKER_06 21:14

Aaron Powell I mean, in in fact, I'd say that data shows that in 2025, 12 percent of our total visitors were going to tanker last year. Wow. It's a huge percentage of our visitors. So they've figured out the formula for something. Aaron Powell That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

So we we talked too about back to school shopping, and and as that um, you know, we're a couple of days away from back to school in that. How can Henry County turn those trips into full visitor experience? What what you know, how how can we encourage them to stay longer, dine locally, um, do a little bit more than just the shop and stop?

SPEAKER_06 21:48

Well, I think shopping can be the gateway, oftentimes. We see a huge number of people coming from Warner Robbins. They're choosing to bypass Macon to come to Henry County.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

We s we suddenly figured that out, have we?

SPEAKER_06 22:02

We haven't exactly figured out why. But you know, they're choosing to bypass Macon and to come. And I'm sure some of that has to do with Tanger and the variety there, the outlets. But you know, they're coming and they're spending the whole day basically. And then they're coming back repeatedly. So there's something about Henry County that, particularly that Warner Robbins visitor who has choices, um, is is coming to Henry County. They're spending their day, they're eating locally. Um, and I think that that next step to your point is now marketing to those people to try to make sure that they know what else they could be doing so that maybe the next time they budget not just to shop and to eat, but to then go to Southern Bell or to shop and eat and then go to Hike a Panola or something else so that they're they're turning it into either a day or a weekend because they're already here. So how do we capitalize on that?

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Well, and I think to your point, if if you're getting off 75 there at Bill Garner and um you make that right trip at the stoplight and you head down into Tanger, like you pass a few things, but if this is a regular voyage for you, you know, maybe this is your sixth time, you're kind of tired of the McDonald's or Starbucks or whatever you're passing along that way. So yeah, how how can the listeners identify opportunities that they might be able to work with Tanger or any of our other retail establishers to partner up to be to kind of promote their business?

SPEAKER_06 23:23

Well Tanger does offer a lot of cross-promotional or or advertising opportunities, you know, they have billboards, they have signage, they have, I think, ads on their apps. So there's opportunities for people who are already incoming. Um but you know, also if there are ways from a tourism business perspective that we can help cross-promote that, one of the things is trying to get people to pass the McDonald's per se, and to go into the downtown Locust Grove area. There's phenomenal restaurants in downtown Locust Grove, but a lot of people think that the area ends with Tanger and they don't really go down to the end. And so kind of pulling people out and and I know Locust Grove does some ads trying to do that as well. So it's just that concerted effort with Locust Grove and with other partners to I think tell that story.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Yeah. Okay. When we look at some of these other, you know, non-tang your like the the brick and mortar retailers and that, what can they offer? What experience can they provide? What what can they do that's different from online shopping?

SPEAKER_06 24:20

Well, I think that a lot of times with some of your specialty retailers and let's use uh so makers on Maine that make soaps, Buff City soap, they make soap, you can actually touch and smell the product. And you can't do that online. And those are really big things, particularly when you're picking something like a scent. If you're gonna wash your clothes in some organic laundry detergent, you may want to know that you're gonna like that smell.

SPEAKER_08 24:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:42

But greater even just than that, both of those types of stores, they also offer classes. So it's an experience, it becomes an experienced attraction as well as shopping. And sometimes maybe you came for a ladies' night soap making or candle making class at Makers on Maine, but then you discovered it. And so now it's your go-to destination for organic soap. And I think, you know, you can it can go one or the other. You can go for the experience and then find the shopping or go for the shopping and find the experience. But Echo Park is kind of the same because they have their gift shop. And I don't think a lot of people know that they have a gift shop, and it is not just Echo Park merchandise, but it's also NASCAR and general racing merchandise. And but they're take but their tour runs out of there. So if you're going for a tour at the Speedway, you can also find some merchandise, or if you're going for merchandise, you can find a tour. And you know, those are things that unless you're in person, you're not going to discover, and then that's one way you can make your shopping experience an actual experiential. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 25:46

So if there's something that you enjoy, check out the the brick and mortar, and and more than likely you might find a class or some other activity that you can experience.

SPEAKER_06 25:56

A lot of our small and mom or pop places or even our specialty offer some sort of experiential type thing that you can only really do at those physical locations. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Well, and I think, you know, I think we we briefly mentioned Southern Bell, but like you've got the you pick experience in that they're all throughout, from the time they open to the time they close up for the holidays with the different fruits and and things like that. So I mean there's something for everybody to experience.

SPEAKER_06 26:19

Aaron Powell And you know, if you don't want to go out and you pick, you can just go to the market and get the pre-pick stuff, or you can get their canned products, canned goods, or you can get the pound cake. So, you know, there's a lot of things there that you can only do in person. And I'm sure that there are plenty of good preserves or fruit out in other places, but nothing quite light traffic, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

Tell me as as we get close to the end, tell me a little bit about some of the specialty retailers we have. I think people might be surprised to know that there's specialty retailers around Henry County. What makes them so different and unique?

SPEAKER_06 26:55

Aaron Ross Powell Well, I mean, we've talked about Echo Park and how they have a gift shop. So that's kind of one of those you don't expect. But Cavengers Horetown is another one. It is, for anybody who's who's not familiar, it is a giant Westernware store and it sells boots and hats and westernware attire, but it also sells horse tack and feed and buckets and stuff. So we know no matter what you're coming for in the Westernware or horse space, you can find it. But they also do something really unique where they do hat shaping. So if you have a cowboy hat and it needs to be shaped, they can do it there. Not not that not that many places can actually do that. Um, and so you can drop your hat off and go finish your shopping and come back. You can and we've actually been told that there are people that drop their hats off at Cavendars on their way, maybe say down to Florida, and then they pick it back up on their way back.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

And so there's just a lot I will tell you, I don't know if I shared this with you, but we have some some friends of ours from Illinois that the first year we moved down here, uh, they stopped because they they stopped there every year when they're coming home from from Florida, they stop at Cavendars, and so they stopped when we had dinner with them. But yeah, I mean it's it's amazing where they they pull from.

SPEAKER_06 28:08

Aaron Powell And and Cavendars is there's not that many. I think there's like four or maybe six in Georgia, and we were lucky enough to have one. So it's just one of those really specific things. And as you know, we are going to more digital, you talk about bookstores, you know, kind of struggling, and we have a local bookstore um where you can get books, but you can also find a gathering spot, a community gathering spot, because they do game nights and they do they have a podcast studio and so a bunch of other things that where these these retail establishments, like with Makers on Main or Bove City, where we're hosting events, they offer community spaces so that you can actually gather with other people with similar interest. And I think that that is uh an element of of specialized retail that may not be as clear until you're in the middle of it.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Yeah, and I and I think these are all great examples. And and I and I'm sure that you know we've got a couple others, but I think what I'm hearing is that these retailers are trying to differentiate themselves from the online stores. And these are things, you know, you can't take this experiential class in in soap making or candle making online. You can't have a community, uh, game night, or even um, you know, book discussions and stuff online necessarily. And so I think that's a it's a pretty great opportunity even for our local listeners to participate.

SPEAKER_06 29:26

Yeah. I mean, in places like Atlanta Trek, well, they're primarily a bike sales location, but you can rent bikes from them. And so if you are in Henry County and want to experience some of our trails, but you didn't bring your bike, you can rent one from Atlanta Trek. And then Summit Racing, you know, if you are a die-hard car fanatic and you are all about buying these parts for to kind of soup up or modify your vehicle, it's a huge, amazing facility, but they also do car shows and other types of events as well. And so it is so much more than just a place to buy something. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Okay, all right, thank you, thank you. Let me ask you as we wrap up then, what is one statistic about retail in Henry County, you know, Data Geek? What should it be that our listeners remember and and why does it matter?

SPEAKER_06 30:15

Well, when we look at our Placer AI data, of the top ten most visited places in Henry County in 2025, seven were shopping centers and they represented almost two million visitors. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

I like that. I like that. All right, thank you very much. We'll see you next month.

SPEAKER_06 30:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

You know the topic for next month?

SPEAKER_06 30:32

It's gonna be staycations.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

All right, all right. That sounds interesting.

SPEAKER_06 30:36

Yeah, lots to do here in Henry County.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

All right, all right. Thank you so much, Laura, and we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

No matter the size of your business, success in Henry County is built on the connections we make. But finding the right talent, partners, and resources, that takes time. Time you'd rather spend growing your business. That's why your Henry County Chamber is thrilled to introduce HenryHub.org, our brand new digital ecosystem built entirely for our local workforce and business community. We've brought together three powerful tools to help you succeed. First, the Gig Connector, connecting local businesses directly with regional freelancers and contractors for project-based work. Next, the Core Collective, a peer-to-peer mastermind space where owners solve real-world challenges together. And finally, the Skills Showcase, your hub for actionable, member-led tactical workshops. Whether you are a solopreneur looking to scale or a major employer recruiting close to home, henryhub. Claim your space today at henryhub.org. That's henryhub.work. Let's grow together.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Now it's time for our member minute. Today, Leonard Robinson sits down with our May Ambassador of the Month, Edith Greenwood, to highlight her service, her leadership, and her unwavering commitment to strengthening the Chamber community.

SPEAKER_04 32:02

All right, it's that time of the month again. I'm actually having the pleasure today to interview May's Ambassador of the Month from the Concepcion studio, Edith Greenwood. Edith, welcome. Thank you so much. Happy to be here today. Awesome. You are the May Ambassador of the Month. That's a lot of work that comes on your part. What does that mean to you to be the ambassador of the month?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

It means a lot to me. I started participating in the chamber, just coming to the different activities, ribbon cuttings, a year ago. And so I participated so much, I was like, you know what? Let me just continue on. Let me make it official. And it's important to support other businesses and other networks, you know, and just, you know, networking and getting involved. So I definitely enjoy it. And I like the team in itself, the other team members, other ambassadors as well, just working with everyone.

SPEAKER_04 32:53

Team is important. I think there's a saying, if you want to go fast, you go by yourself. If you want to go far, you go with a team. Now, tell me more about Edith Greenwood. I know the photographer, I know the person. We do get to spend a lot of time together. Are you from Georgia? How did you get to photography? Tell me more.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Okay, so I am from Georgia, and I have a background in computer information systems and in communications. So I started teaching at Southern Crescent Technical College. I was teaching computer classes and videography. And then it just came about. So every so often I would have to share my classroom with the photography teacher. And I was like, you know what? We do the same thing. And I just had this idea that dropping me to start my own business. So I kind of started that way in terms of doing photography and video. But at that time, I wasn't the conception studio. I was actually Greenwood photography and video. And I only did one thing. And that one thing was weddings. But over the course of time, people were like, can you do this for me? I switched over to doing working with businesses. And people were like, Can you do this? Because they knew I had a background in IT. Can you do this for me? Can you do graphics? Can you build a website for me? And then I kind of took those and rebranded myself. And now we're at the conception studio.

SPEAKER_04 34:05

The work that you do is miraculous. We've often spoken when someone speaks about you to say that camera's an extension of you. You do some amazing work. What what is that? Where does that come from? Where does that energy that you, whenever you show up, you've all you're always bringing it. Where does that come from, Edith?

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Thanks so much. That comes from that's just naturally me. Just naturally, you know, the energetic in me and also the Lord, too, though. You know, like the energy of the Lord in me. And and it's just naturally just my personality. But you know, people, when they buy your brand, they they're looking for, okay, are they loyal to you? Are they trustworthy? And basically they connect to, I call it, what I call it is um the face of the franchise. So when you think of the conception studio, you probably think of, you know what? I remember the young lady with, you know, everybody always called me the photographer lady. But like, you know, I think of, you know what, that company, they're pretty reliable and they're trustworthy. And I just love the energy. Like every time I go over there, I just have so much fun. And so the face of the franchise is what I like to call it. And that's just naturally who I am inside. I'm a people person. I love people, and it just flows out within my work.

SPEAKER_04 35:11

And it shows, it shows in your work. Okay, so photography lady, tell me, what should a new ambassador coming into the chamber, what do they need to know?

SPEAKER_00 35:20

I think a new ambassador coming into the chamber, the number one thing you should do is get involved. And not just in ribbon cuttings, but you have workshops, you have opportunities to volunteer, and definitely take advantage of the opportunities to volunteer. I mean, that's your opportunity to show your business what you do. That's your opportunity to just to get to know people on a personal level in relationships. Because relationships is what help you grow. Relationships is what help you make those connections of saying, oh, okay, yeah, you know what? I know that person, like I just said, trustworthy, valuing this, and just uh, you know, how you are as a brand within yourself. So you definitely should get involved in some form of the chamber, either workshops, volunteer. There's different events that you can attend. But number one thing, get involved.

SPEAKER_04 36:07

Okay, get involved. And I understand and I hear the no-like and trust. We certainly believe and we trade on that a lot around here. You've done really well. I've seen with some of the clients that you've worked with. Has the chamber legitimately benefited your business?

SPEAKER_00 36:21

Oh, absolutely. From working with nonprofits to so many different businesses here, from real estate agents, burger shops, law firms, I've had different avenues of businesses contact me through Henry County Chamber. And that's because what? Involvement. You just I that's the only the number one word to stand out for me today is get involved. Because that's what happened for me. I got involved. I was sitting there, I bought a membership and I was sitting on my membership for a minute. I'm like, you know what? I need nobody knows about the conception studio if you don't go out and begin to interact with people and network. And so, yes, involvement is the word.

SPEAKER_04 36:59

Involvement. All right, you heard it from Edith Greenwood here. Involvement is the word, and that helps us get to the know like and trust so that we can get people in front of you and make sure. I know it's important who you know, but it's also important who knows you, and we try to help with that a lot as much as we can. If someone wants to get in touch with you, if they need photography, if they just want to follow up with the person that we're talking to today, how do we find you?

SPEAKER_00 37:24

Yes, so if you are looking for photography, video, media services, web design, a Shopify account, you can find us at www.tcsconception.com. You can contact me by phone at 678-537-6462, and of course on Facebook and Instagram, TCS Conception.

SPEAKER_04 37:44

TCS Conception, Edith Greenwood, thank you so much. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

A huge thank you to Edith for her incredible dedication to our ambassador program. We are so grateful for the unique strengths and creativity she brings to every chamber event and member interaction. And because our business community is thriving, we have a second featured interview for you today. I recently sat down with the Chamber's Young Professional of the Year, Dr. Gabrielle Williams, to talk about her vision for disrupting traditional health care and delivering personalized wellness for her patients. Let's listen in. Welcome back to the show. Today we're talking about what it looks like to disrupt an industry from the inside out. Our guest today is a board certified family physician, an emory alumna, and the founder of Gateway Direct Health in Stockbridge. She was recently named the Henry County Chamber's Emerging Business Leader of the Year, and she's doing something most people thought was impossible: making healthcare simple, transparent, and dare I say, personal again. Dr. Gabrielle Williams, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_07 38:46

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me on.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Absolutely. Congratulations again on the winning. Thank you. Yeah, surprised?

SPEAKER_07 38:52

Yes, for sure. Leonard, Leonard, Leonard, Leonard.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

I really appreciate him for his mentoring and yeah, just he speaks highly of you and that whole health and wellness group that he's got. Yeah, I he loves that. So thank you for everything you do with that as well.

SPEAKER_07 39:08

Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

So let me start with this is a very traditional, high-volume medical world that you're in. Now you've opened up a direct primary care practice. For our listeners who are entrepreneurs, talk about that transition for you and what was the most terrifying part of leaving the safety of a hospital system to start your own membership-based practice?

SPEAKER_07 39:28

Yes, that's a great question. So I used to work in large healthcare organizations seeing 20, 25 people a day. And I got a lot of pushback from patients saying, Well, you made the schedule and you double booked and you have me out there waiting. I had to take the whole day off of work. Now it's taking. Because it was all me. It was my practice. Right.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

I I get those calls all the time. Why are you doing that? And I'm like, oh, I wish I had that power.

SPEAKER_07 39:57

If I could change it. And I just saw the trust between doctor and patient just crumble. I didn't understand because I was like, no, I actually do care about you. Like I'm trying to help you. Just helping you in the constraints that I have. Yeah. And so that led to compassion fatigue. That led to burnout, moral injury. And so I said, Well, I'm going to leave medicine. I'm going to work at McDonald's. I'm going to flip burgers. I'm not going to be person facing because I'm done. And my husband was like, Well, No. Yeah. He was like, Well, you're, you know, you're saying you don't like this. So what would you do to change? Right. He's very solution oriented. And so I said, Oh, well, I'll have a practice where my I will know my people, they'll pay a monthly fee. I'll be available to them when they need me. And I researched that and found out that it was called direct primary care. And the ease from going from large healthcare organization to direct primary care was pretty easy. I was like, I'm I'm doing it. Yeah. In order to stay in medicine, because we're losing doctors.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

The personal side, the emotion, the morale, the psychology, and everything. But also with that time constraint, you don't get to know the patients and really be able to get to the root of the problem. Tell me how that has changed with this.

SPEAKER_07 41:09

Because what time do you have to do that? If you only have five minutes to spend with people and tell them, hey, I can only address one issue.

SPEAKER_01 41:15

Yeah, yeah. I'm really concerned about your high blood pressure. That's what we're going to deal with today. You'll have to come back. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 41:20

Absolutely. And if you try to schedule to come back.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

Good luck.

SPEAKER_07 41:23

I'm glad you understand.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

Because I was like, Oh yeah, I'm recovering healthcare too. So yeah, I understand. Oh, really? Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_07 41:29

So yeah. So all of these things add up to disrupt the relationship. And um yeah, I had to go.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

I'm curious. Have you seen that satisfaction level from your patients? How would you compare that to those that were complaining with the power you had when you controlled the scheduling?

SPEAKER_07 41:47

Right. So as I reflect, I see the disconnect that I had with people because I, again, it was very transactional, very reactive. Okay, your blood pressure is high, then we'll do something about it. You don't have any issues, I'll see you some other time. Now I have people who say, Oh, I'm healthy, I won't need to come in as often in the membership practice. Those are the same ones that are dealing with anxiety, depression, things that don't necessarily have a number attached to it that you're able to compensate well enough to function, but it's actually causing dysfunction internally.

SPEAKER_01 42:19

Yeah. It's it's kind of that when you see somebody and you say, How you doing? And fine. And you know, six months down the road, they've crashed. But for six months you've asked them, How are you? and they've been fine. And you didn't press any further. But now exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 42:32

Exactly. Now I say, so I have a for the wellness appointment, that's the first appointment. How's your nutrition? How's your sleep? How's your relationship? Do you feel safe in your relationship? Right? Do you feel supported? How's your physical activity? How's your nutrition? What's the family history? You know, are there things that are running the family that we need to look out for? Like there's more time.

SPEAKER_01 42:52

This this strikes me more of almost holistic versus versus band-aid.

SPEAKER_07 42:58

What?

SPEAKER_01 42:59

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 43:02

That's exactly what we're going for. More holistic, lifestyle-based, preventative care, proactive care.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

Yeah. How does that work for a small business or an entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_07 43:13

Ooh, great question. Those are the people I'm trying to reach.

SPEAKER_01 43:16

Okay. Um, what is what's what's the advantage for them? Let's sell. Yes, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_07 43:20

Before I do that, let me tell you a quick story. So I've had many of entrepreneurs who have run themselves to the ground, literally, and lose their business because of a health issue. I had a hairdresser who had a stroke. And we know disability money is not the same as entrepreneur money. I've had a truck driver who lost his business because he was waiting in or in order to get this abdominal issue resolved. Unfortunately, it was too late, went to the ICU, lost his business, then turned to alcohol. And so having a health issue is not just, oh, I have high blood pressure. Like there's things that we need to do to take care of it. So as entrepreneurs, I see that they work hard and are willing to sacrifice, willing to do what's necessary. For the business, but that same tenacity is not is not towards their own personal health. So that's the benefit of having a primary care doctor is someone who's gonna help you with the parts where you're blind so that you have blind uh fold on so that you can be productive in your business and actually enjoy the business that you're building.

SPEAKER_01 44:19

Well, and I think quite often we see this entrepreneur mindset because they want the flexibility to be able to be with their family, to do the things in life that we all want to do and not wait until we're 65 or 67 to do. But part of that stress we we take is that one of one of maybe two incomes in the family. Um, you know, we're we're we're trying to figure out the ways of going. You know, right now we're dealing with inflation, economy, tariffs, whatever you want to put on the plate. Yes. And so we throw that all into the backpack, throw it on our back, and take off and then crash. And so we're really not able to spend all that time with our family and take care of our family. And so you come in and and and you almost as as the concierge, as as a as that person's personal physician, are able to take all the pieces that they have, dig deeper, and get them back on the path.

SPEAKER_07 45:14

That's exactly right. And the studies show, I'm biased, so but I can say independent studies show that when you have a primary care doctor, not only do you live longer, but you live well. You're healthier. Again, it's hard for us to manage all the roles that we have. We do have to delegate. So that's my job is to help delegate the health portion the same way that someone would hire a coach, the same way they would get a mentor, again, to help to figure out those blind spots and in order to help support them and get them to the place that they need to go. And as well as for entrepreneurs, health insurance is pretty expensive. And so, this model, although we're not replacing health insurance, this model at least provides primary care services. So not only do I take care of your high blood pressure diabetes, but also I do pap smears, I do gynecologic care, menopause care, weight loss, all like this model allows me to really practice what I've trained, and that's a whole breadth of medicine. Yeah. If I can't, for some reason, you know, I can't do surgery, right? But at least I'm gonna get you to the point where we manage and we'll treat as much as we can until we until you refer to a specialist. And then for small businesses that are not able to provide health insurance for their staff members, they can use it, they can provide this direct time care model for their staff members so that they can give a benefit and help keep their people.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

That is that HSA eligible? Of course it is. All right, so there's another one. That's right. That's right. So let's let's go over to this Emerging Business Leader Award. And um, when you look at Henry County, the landscape in Henry County, what brings you here? Why is this the right place, the right time, the right location for you to launch this practice and to be able to be named Emerging Business Leader?

SPEAKER_07 46:52

Have you seen Henry County, good traffic? Have you seen the apartment buildings and all the houses? So it's a I'm pretty sure one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia. And for good reason, um, we are far enough from the city and close enough to the city. The award, what it means to me is a recognition of the work that I've done. Sometimes it's hard to see it when you're in the trenches. You're like, man, I'm still not meeting whatever lofty goal I have. And getting that award truly in the moment I was like, oh wow, like I am doing something. I am, I am providing good care. Although I know I am, but it it was nice to be recognized.

SPEAKER_01 47:27

External validation doesn't hurt every once in a while.

SPEAKER_07 47:29

Right. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

So you've built a brand that feels very accessible as you look at the next 12 to 24 months. What is your big, hairy, audacious goal that you see for Gateway Direct Health?

SPEAKER_07 47:40

Big, hairy, audacious goal.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

You have to say that really slow too, because otherwise it does sound weird.

SPEAKER_07 47:47

All right, big, hairy, audacious goal specifically is to get more small businesses on board to provide this benefit for their employees because they are losing out employees all the time because they're not able to provide benefits. And I just I know it's an extra target. Like, I'm I'm not gonna pretend like I'm saving you money, maybe eventually, but your people need it, right? Instead of having to rehire and keep rehiring people, your people need something, some kind of anchor to the job. As much as they love the people, I'm sure, love the duties, love the money, they also need some security. Yeah. And I want to get more small businesses. Again, Henry County is growing. There's a lot of small businesses, and so I want to be able to help.

SPEAKER_01 48:27

Tell me then, share with me so that we can share with the listeners what is this process look like? How do they get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_07 48:34

Great question. So you can go to gateway direct health.com/slash services and you can scroll, look at the the benefits that we have and click sign up. After signing up, we will give you a call to schedule your initial wellness appointment. And during that appointment, we'll address your concerns as well as make sure from a wellness standpoint you're doing well. And we'll come up with a personalized plan of how we're gonna get you to the place that you're that you want to. What are your goals? And then we will monitor and just again get to know you, know your dog, know your family. Man, it's like having a doctor in the family. What that used to be a thing, and it is now at Gateway Direct Help.

SPEAKER_01 49:11

This is one of my favorite questions that I ask everybody. What is one book, podcast, Substack? You know, what what's one of what's one that you just think was the greatest thing to get you to where you're at? What would you recommend for our listeners?

SPEAKER_07 49:28

Not from a business standpoint, but from personal and spiritual, The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips helps us recognize our the importance of our mental health and emotional health and addressing those things so that we can live well in other areas of our lives. The Garden Within. The Garden Within. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 49:44

Thank you. Yes, of course. Uh it's it's always exciting to get the answers from people because uh then we go back and we we're like, oh, I gotta read that. I gotta go read, I gotta go listen to that podcast. Yes, yes. And when you've got Henry County Traffic, you can get a lot of podcasts. Final question. What is one health habit you wish every busy professional would start tomorrow?

SPEAKER_07 50:05

Get up and move. So that means I just did a content video like uh recorded today, like any way that you can get activity, do it. So when you are getting sitting down on a chair, don't use your hands, use your thighs, use your core to sit down, use your core to get up, don't use your hands. Pick up when you're picking up something off the floor, stretch, get up and move. Because unfortunately, occupations like especially if we're sitting down a lot, it will take away your health.

SPEAKER_01 50:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 50:34

Quickly.

SPEAKER_01 50:35

Well, and I think too, that you know, that's a great recommendation, not just for that individual's health, but I think from the workplace, it gives you the opportunity to walk around and greet people. Instead of sending that email, you can go talk to them. Get up walk around.

SPEAKER_08 50:52

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 50:53

Trinity and I do that a lot, but it's only because our office is right next to each other.

SPEAKER_07 50:56

So it's really yeah, like very far for you to, you know, you get your steps.

SPEAKER_01 51:00

Otherwise, I forget what I was going over there for.

SPEAKER_07 51:02

You get your steps in.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

Thank you. Anything you want to share with the the listeners?

SPEAKER_07 51:06

Yeah, if you're if you're looking for better care, you're tired of being pushed to the side and rushed. This is the practice for you, I promise.

SPEAKER_01 51:15

Good. Good. Thank you. Dr. Williams, thank you, thank you, thank you. Literally a gateway. This is amazing. This is this is great. Innovation in healthcare is exactly what moves our community forward. Moving on, we have several exciting updates from across our chamber family. A massive thank you to our phenomenal sponsors who helped us welcome more than 400 new educators to Henry County Schools last week. The feedback from school administration and the teachers themselves has been overwhelmingly positive. Our brand new 18-episode podcast series featuring myself and Judge Stephen Knights Jr. officially launched on Independence Day. Every Saturday, a new episode drops, featuring engaging conversations on civic knowledge, skills, and public disposition. Head over to citizensplaybook.buzzsprout.com to subscribe and follow along. Ready to network? Henry Business Builders meets every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. right here in the Business Resource Center at the Chamber. We're also thrilled to announce that HenryHub.work is officially live. This is the Chamber's dedicated digital platform designed to bring independent professionals, freelancers, and businesses together to grow skills, share talent, and get work done. Let's use it to support and grow our local economy together. And congratulations to our chamber members who recently participated in the Better Business Bureau's Breakthrough Accelerator, a 12-week high-impact program for small businesses ready to scale. Further congratulations to Severin Bryan with SEBTalks Money for placing second in the pitch competition out of more than 30 participants. For more details on these stories, be sure to check out the member news section on our website. Now let's look at what's coming up on the chamber calendar. Congratulations to the 30 business leaders selected for the Leadership Henry class of 2026-2027. The program year officially kicks off with Welcome Lunch on Tuesday, August 11th. Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 2027 Flex program, which gives high school students the opportunity to launch real businesses, develop leadership skills, and connect with mentors. The entire business community is invited to Discover Flex, an informational breakfast on Thursday, August 20th at 9 a.m. Come hear inspiring stories from last year's participants and see how you can become a mentor or sponsor. And as a reminder, Youth Leadership Henry applications close August 21st at 4 p.m. If you have a rising sophomore in Henry County, go on to Youth LeadershipHenry.com for more details. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 25th at 9 a.m. The Henry County Chamber and United Way of Greater Atlanta are hosting the third installment of this vital four-parts collaborative series designed to engage banks, lenders, and community stakeholders. This session will examine the everyday challenges local families and employers face focusing specifically on public-private partnerships to facilitate childcare support and on-site facility models, both of which are critical priority areas for our regional economic growth. Join us August 27th at The Canopy at Westridge for our next business after hours. Come experience the exceptional hospitality that has quickly become a signature of the Canopy at Westridge while connecting with fellow chamber members and business professionals from across the county. Enjoy great food, engaging conversation, and a closer look at this premier senior living community. Also, Bridge Henry County Connect returns on Thursday, September 10th to the Business Resource Center. Running a small business comes with no shortage of questions, and Bridge is designed to connect you directly with experts for one-on-one strategy sessions from access to capital to growth strategy. Get the answers you need to move forward with confidence. And finally, secure your spot for the Chamber's annual golf classic on Monday, September 28th at the beautiful Heron Bay Golf Club. Presented by Snapping Shoals EMC, sponsorships and team registrations are filling up fast. Contact Leonard Robinson today to secure your place on the green. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of Community Convener broadcasting from our Georgia Power studio. If you're interested in learning more about our exclusive membership benefits, including our new digital ecosystem at henryhub.org or exploring sponsorship opportunities like Flex and the Golf Classic, give our team a call at 770-957-5786 or visit us online at henrycounty.com. And we'll be back on Monday, August 3rd with another episode featuring more strategic conversations, regional insights, and ways to stay connected. Until next time, stay inspired, stay engaged, and keep growing with us at the Henry County Chamber of Commerce.