Chamber Hosts Annual Meeting
The Greater Vidalia Chamber held their annual meeting on Friday, February 7, during which the Chamber recognized Board Member Ricky Mitchell for his dedication to the Chamber, and passed the gavel to Ricky’s wife Nissa Mitchell to serve as the 2025 Greater Vidalia Chamber Chairwoman.
2024 Greater Vidalia Chamber Chairwoman Stephacontinued from page
nie Williams was unable to host the meeting because of illness, but Chamber Chair-Elect Tres Herrin fulfilled the role, as he began the meeting to recognize retiring board members Trent Williams, Aries Haygood, and Allen Crump. “It’s been a pleasure to have you on the Board,” he told the men.
Herrin then presented the Chamber Chair Award. “Every year, the Board Chair is given the privilege, honor, and opportunity to recognize someone in the community who has stepped up and given above and beyond what they should have in service to the Board, service to the Chamber, and service to the community,” he explained.
Though unable to attend the event, former Chairwoman Williams shared some remarks after the event on her decision to present the award to Chamber Board of Directors Member Ricky Mitchell. “Each year the Chair is allowed the opportunity to also present a Chair Award to a member who they feel has put in a great deal of effort to make our business community stronger,” she began. “I haven’t had the honor of knowing this person on a very personal level, but I’ve watched him in action and my husband says he’s brilliant. I have really been impressed by his commitment to our community.”
She continued, “What I’ve observed is that he pays attention to details, he asks tough questions when they need to be asked, he’s a risk taker in a good way, and he knows how to run a business really well-although I’m pretty sure half of his success is due to his really smart wife. He owns a successful, thriving business that probably could have been anywhere, but he chose to grow it here in Toombs County. He was instrumental in the creation of the Entrepreneurial Center, which is a project that I am very proud to be connected to.”
“He is either incredibly humble or incredibly no nonsense, because I’ve been told if he knew he was receiving this award he probably would not have come [to the meeting]. But I believe no one deserves it more,” she emphasized.
Following the recognition of Ricky Mitchell, Chair-Elect Tres Herrin officially passed the gavel of Chamber Board leadership to Ricky’s wife Nissa Mitchell, who will lead the Chamber for the next year. “She is going to do a great job for us,” Herrin assured.
Mitchell spoke to the attendees about her intentions in this new role. “We are in a digital world that continued from page
easily allows the personal touch to be missed. Our members are the backbone of the Chamber. If we don’t have any members, we don’t have a Chamber. Every member in our directory is a star, and it’s our job to help that star shine. In 2025, I’d like for our focus to be on reaching out to our members to remind them just how much we appreciate their continued support and how we can help them shine. Happy and supported members will help us attract new members – that’s the best form of advertising, and it costs nothing,” she explained.
In addition to this, Mitchell spoke of her admiration of outgoing Chairwoman Williams, as she remarked, “Well, I hate that Stephanie is not here tonight. I know that she is very upset about that. She was a great chair [of the board]; she’s a great friend, and she is definitely a leader. I hate that she’s not here to receive our thanks for her leadership over this past year.”
She recognized the past Chamber chairs and current board members in the audience, as she shared her gratitude for the individuals. “This a volunteer position – it is a nonpaid position. So, I appreciate what you do to help support this community,” she emphasized.
The meeting then concluded for a time of live music and networking, as local performers The Common Band entertained attendees throughout the night.
Following the event, outgoing Chairwoman Williams shared her reflection of her time leading the Chamber Board with The Advance.
“We had a tornado, then we had a drought, then we had a tropical storm, then a hurricane, a flood and a snowstorm. Now it’s 80 degrees in February. Just out of curiosity, has anyone felt the earth shake yet? If so, I’m headed for the hills,” she began with a laugh. “Seriously, it has been a challenging year for us as business owners and operators. However, through these unfortunate circumstances, our communities have become resilient and cohesive, supporting each other on every level. Even two sisters, Vidalia and Lyons, who occasionally love to quarrel, got on the same page to make our community safer and stronger. Through the hardship, I believe we’ve become a better community and a better chamber. As we navigated through the chaos, you should know, this staff has done an excellent job of keeping the chamber on track and moving forward, and I witnessed two cultures at the Chamber that really stood out to me: commitment to teamwork and commitment to growth. And I just want to take a moment to touch on those.”
She continued, sharing that last year her daughter made the decision to join a sorority. Williams said that she never was a member of Greek Life in college, and honestly believed that it was just a way to “have a good time on [the] parents’ dime.” But after a conversation with Williams’s friend Jennifer Evans, who told Williams that joining a sorority was one of the best things she did in college because of the networking opportunities, connection, and encouragement, Williams supported the endeavor.
“So, we let Emma join the sorority, and then a strange thing happened: she began to blossom. It showed me how important being a part of a group with a common goal really is. She now has a very diverse group of friends that encourage her through different areas like study groups, bible study groups, recreational groups, mentoring in her field of study. For all of their differences, the common goal within this organization is to help the girls be successful in life,” she added.
“As I watched her grow, I began to see the correlation to the chamber,” Williams shared. “We are a fraternity of diverse businesses with the common goal of being successful. We all have something that we can bring to the table. It may seem like the dollars you give to support the chamber are just for fun on your company’s dime, but if you get involved and take a closer look, you’ll see that the chamber’s programming and tools are all designed to create a pathway to business success. Making this area and beyond a better place to do business is always at the core of what we do. But your input, your participation, your being a part of our Membership team is really what makes the Chamber work.”
Williams said that one thing she witnessed this year was the Chamber’s commitment to growth. “We are not a stagnant Chamber. This welloiled machine passed our REACH goals this year, we had excellent attendance at our programmed events despite Mother Nature, and we finally saw the opening of our Greater Vidalia Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. Now I know there are still people in the community who do not fully understand what the Center does. As a business owner who once struggled with figuring out how to start a business, where to find resources for my products, who to call for shipping advice, etc., I can tell you this Center is a life and timesaver.”
She continued, “The hardest part of owning a business is getting it started and this is also where great ideas often die. People get frustrated with the lack of information available, not knowing how to test their product without investing in a brick and mortar, and the lack of guidance on implementing systems like tracking inventory and financials. It can feel confusing and hopeless, and promising entrepreneurs often just give up. This is where the Center can really be beneficial. Because it is essentially a support system for beginners. The center is also for anyone who already has a longstanding business because we offer tools that can help you run more efficiently, and we are always looking for mentors.”
She encouraged the audience to visit the Center and become connected with what they do in the community, as she said the project has been “near and dear” to her heart. “You will be pleasantly surprised to see what an incredible gem our Chamber leaders have created right here in our community,” she assured.
Williams ended her address by thanking the Chamber leadership for all of their help. “So even with the challenges we’ve faced, it has been an excellent year at the chamber. I’d like to thank this incredible staff who have helped me understand the value of Membership even more. I told them in the beginning that I would need reminders of places to be and when to be there and they did not disappoint,” she emphasized. “Everyone needs a Dana Brown in their board room saying ‘psst….don’t forget to mention such and such’ or an Amber [O’Connor] that answers a text on the spot, or a Debbie [Evans] level-headed friend who’s full of encouragement or a Michele [Johnson] who is a complete Boss Babe. And let’s not forget Ann [Owens]. Everyone needs an Ann in their life. Period. These ladies have been great inspiration for me, and an excellent example of how a well run Chamber should look. So thank you to this team for caring so much about your business community. And thank you to the members I served with for allowing me the opportunity to lead you. I have enjoyed every meeting and every relationship that this experience has afforded.”
After sharing her reflection, Williams also spoke on her excitement for the future of the Chamber, as she said, “Nissa Mitchell will do an exceptional job leading this chamber forward in 2025.”
OUTGOING MEMBERS – Greater Vidalia Chamber Chair-Elect Tres Herrin (left) presents outgoing Chamber Board Member Allen Crump (right) with a plaque as a way of thanking him for his service. Fellow outgoing board members Trent Williams and Aries Haygood were unable to attend the event.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
CHAMBER CHAIR AWARD – Greater Vidalia Chamber Board Member Ricky Mitchell was presented with the Chamber Chair Award for his dedication to the community. L to R: Ricky Mitchell, Chamber Chair-Elect Tres Herrin.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
