Chamber Connection for 3/19 by Butch Burney

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Spots are filling up for the 33rd Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, coming to Sulphur Springs Country Club on Friday, April 8.

The tournament format is a six-person scramble, with the low net team putting their names on the trophy.

There are two tee times: 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The morning group is limited to 18 teams, while the afternoon group can have 25 teams maximum. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register early to get your choice of tee times.

Registration is $750 per team, and that includes three carts, 12 mulligans, six meals, range balls, company banner on hole No. 1 and sponsor list recognition.

If you aren’t a golfer, there are are also opportunities to contribute goody bag items, raffle prizes, and hole sponsorships.

To register, go to the Chamber website at HopkinsChamber.org or call the office at 903-885-6515.

Showing Love to Kids Kingdom

Plans are coming together to re-fit and rehab Kids Kingdom in Buford Park.

This year’s Leadership Class has adopted the rehabilitation of Kids Kingdom, everyone’ favorite playground as its class project. And just like when it was constructed 25 years ago, everyone is invited to help.

The Leadership Class has designated the weekend of April 22-24 as work days to re-stain all the wood in Kids Kingdom. It will be professionally powerwashed before that weekend to prepare for the staining.

The class is also planning to replace and/or repair the equipment, such as the handicap swing, chains, swings, tires, etc. for the playground, restore the ground mulch and install lighting for safety and security.

The class needs your help not only with the physical part of the restoration but also the financial part. A cornhole tournament and silent auction is scheduled for March 26 at Backstory Brewery. There are also sponsorship levels for businesses/corporations that might want to pay for specific items for Kids Kingdom.

For cornhole registration or sponsorship, go to the chamber website at HopkinsChamber.org or call the chamber at 903-885-6515.

There will also be a grand re-opening hamburger lunch at Kids Kingdom sometime in May when the work is complete.

Thanks in advance for helping showing love to Kids Kingdom.

Patriot Sporting Challenge

The 4th Annual Lake Fork Patriot Sporting Challenge will be the day after the Chamber Golf Tournament, so you can make it a whole sporting weekend.

The Patriot Sporting Challenge, on April 9, is a special one-day event benefiting the families of military heroes with a morning competition of shooting, golfing and fishing and a celebration of patriotism.

Each four-person team competes in two of the sporting challenges (shooting, golfing and fishing), and they all come together that evening at the Hopkins County Civic Center for a

dinner and address from keynote speaker Greg Stube, Green Beret. Following that, there will be a concert/dance by Cooper Wade and band.

That evening’s support of patriotism is open to the public for $600 for a table for eight. The evening includes casino games, a reception, raffles and drawings and a catered dinner along with the concert and dance.

All proceeds from the event go to the Folds of Honor, a nonprofit providing education scholarships to the children and spouses of those killed or disabled in action.

For more information, go to PatriotSportingChallenge.org, email PatriotSportingChallenge@gmaila.com or text to 817-296-8985.

Lights of Life Gala

The Hopkins County Healthcare Foundation’s Lights of Life Gala is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Civic Center. This year’s theme, “Under the Big Top,” reflects the foundation;s desire for some fun and frivolity after a long season of hardship. The gala promises to be another dazzling evening of fine dining, dancing and bidding on amazing live and silent auction items.

Money raised from the gala will go toward purchasing a 4D video sonogram machine and five state-of-the-art labor and delivery beds for CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital.

For more information, contact Foundation Executive Director Shannon Barker at 903-438-4799.

Marketing Strategy

Marketing expert Melissa Forziat will be in Sulphur Springs on Thursday, March 31, for an in-person presentation on how to Create a Profitable Marketing Strategy. Her visit is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center at Paris Junior College.

Forziat will speak at 5 p.m. March 31 at City Hall. There is no charge for the event, but registration is requested. To sign-up, call the Chamber at 903-885-6515 or email Butch@HopkinsChamber.org.

The session will talk about how to build a marketing funnel for your business to grow the relationships with your audience and generate more sales. You will discover how to build more sales, referrals and loyalty from your audience.

Grow and Go

The Chamber has a vacancy in one of our Grow and Go offices. The Grow and Go is a business incubator that is designed to help small businesses get off the ground.

The 10 ½ x 12 ½ office is housed in the Chamber building at 110 Main Street. The rent is $250 per month for the first year, and that price includes use of the Chamber wifi and printer. If you’re interested, contact me at Butch@HopkinsChamber.org or call 903-885-6515.

Business After Hours

You can get your green on on St. Patrick’s Day when The Plant Niche will host the next Business After Hours, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17.

Business After Hours is a time to network and socialize in an informal setting.

The Plant Niche is located at 222 Tomlinson St. The event is free and open to the public.

Night With Champions

Texas A&M-Commerce is hosting a Night With Champions, celebrating student-athlete success and the university’s transition to Division I on Friday, April 8, at the Rayburn Student Center. The event starts at 5:15 with a VIP reception and the program begins at 7 p.m. Proceeds

support student-athlete scholarships. For more information, contact Lion Athletics at 903-468-8760 or email Donovan.Burriss@tamuc.edu.

Business of the Week

The Plant Niche is the Business of the Week for March 9. Keep up with our Business of the Week by following the Chamber on Instagram, Facebook and by visiting our website.

Contributed by Butch Burney

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