Outgoing Chamber President- Lisa Fussell

I trust that everyone enjoyed a safe and blessed holiday! I'd like to extend a heartfelt "Thank You" for the opportunity to serve you the past few years as your Chamber President.
I am very proud of the accomplishments of the Chamber's past few years. We have enjoyed monthly networking meetings with great attendance, wonderful conversations and informative speakers. The Chamber-After-Hour socials have been outstanding from an "attendance" standpoint, but also enlightening for many as we have visited various business locations (some having been in operation for MANY years, and for a lot of Chamber Members, the first opportunity to visit them personally). I’ve seen so much passion for this town. From the volunteers who help at the events to the unwavering business owners who donate to every little event we organize.
The web site has become a valuable resource internally for members to reach out to one another, administratively to address member needs and more re-
recently a valuable tool for the community (business and residential) to have an easy reference for reputable business resources within the county.
Our 2008 Board of Directors have diligently volunteered their time and efforts to help our Chamber grow . We are very fortunate in the new members that have stepped up and assumed new roles, thus bringing fresh ideas and prospective to the leadership team. As we move into 2009, we are also looking at becoming leaders within the county as it relates to enhancing our tourism efforts. Working with Economic Development, Wallace 100 Committee and The Duplin Tourism Authority, we hope to attract some bus tours as well as many visitors to our beautiful, nostalgic, friendly town.
Perhaps the largest accomplishment of the past few years has been the growth of the Christmas at Twilight. This has become a full downtown tradition. With the help of sponsors, and many volunteers, we can only look forward to bigger and better experiences as other community, social and business groups tie in their events to this festive weekend to kick off the holiday shopping season. Many memories are made as families watch their little loved ones perform with such splendor.
As I step down on January 20, 2009 as your President, I find myself in a very emotional position. My experience here has allowed me to grow and learn so much. There’s no way I can show my gratitude and appreciation. …I didn’t do anything by myself. I always had a wonderful team to work with. Transitioning our Chamber office to the newly renovated Depot was the highlight of my tenure. I've seen it transform over time from a small corner of the old RCA Realty office to the water building near the Town Hall with a part time director to the
absolutely fabulous office now at the Depot with a full time Executive Director allowing us to be the "full-time" open door to Wallace. With all of the exciting progression we have seen and are seeing, I am certain that our Chamber will continue to progress to higher levels. Shelia Young will lead the charge next year and the Chamber could not be in better hands along with Lou Powell, Executive Director and our new Board of Directors.
With that, I once again want to thank everyone for the opportunity to serve you. Economically, most of us are looking for a much more positive 2009. This should motivate us all to take an extra step to support fellow business leaders within our own local business community. We likely always needed one another, but now it's obvious we do!
Thank you

Lisa