
By Kay Whatley, Editor
Area Chambers of Commerce, business groups, and local businesses/organizations hold educational events and provide free business training or networking opportunities. Events listed below may take place in the five-county area — Franklin, Nash, Johnston, Wake, Wilson counties — or beyond in Edgecombe, Wayne, and other eastern NC counties.
Events are listed in date order, bottom-to-top. Events may be added; send notices to the Editor.
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Thursday, August 23, 2018 @ 6:30-8:30pm
For those considering opening a small business, this free two-hour seminar covers basics. Held at South East Regional Library, 908 Seventh Avenue, Garner NC. See details on the Raleigh SCORE website.
Young Professionals Monthly Meetup
Thursday, August 23, 2018 @ 8:30-9:30am
Knightdale Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals gatherings offer the opportunity to connect and engage with young professionals in the Knightdale area. Exchange information/ideas and keep Knightdale thriving. Gather at The Coffee Chamber, 903 Smithfield Road, Knightdale NC. See event details and register here.
Coffee and Conversation
Friday, August 10, 2018 @ 8-9am
Join the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, 301 E Main Street, Clayton NC. Bring business cards and prepare a verbal 20-second commercial for this networking event. The Huebner Family McDonald’s provides breakfast and coffee. Event is free, but registration is requested.
Business After Hours: Studio TK
Thursday, August 9, 2018 @ 5:30-7pm
Join the Clayton Chamber of Commerce for food and drinks at this BAH event sponsored and hosted by Studio TK, located at 3940 US-70 BUS W, Clayton NC. Bring business cards to swap and enter to win a door prize. See details and register via the Clayton Chamber’s event page.
Business After Hours: The Tennie Group, LLC
Thursday, August 9, 2018 @ 5:30-7:30pm
Make plans to join this free-to-attend BAH event at The Tennie Group, 3005 Village Park Drive, Knightdale NC. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, there’s a chance to win a raffle prize, and best of all it’s a chance to network in a business-friendly environment. With questions, contact the Knightdale Chamber of Commerce at 919.266.4603 or via email. The Knightdale Chamber calendar is online here.
Twin-Counties Education and Business Leaders’ Summit
Thursday, August 9, 2018 @ 7:15-11am (program 8am)
This free business event includes breakfast, presentations, and networking. Location is Edgecombe Community College, Keihin Auditorium, 2009 W Wilson Street, Tarboro NC. See details, flyer, and register via this EventBrite page. With questions contact Pamela Gould at 252.446.0113 or via email.
First Friday Coffee
Friday, August 3, 2018 @ 8-9am
Join the group for networking, meet neighbors and local business people at The Nashville Exchange, 229 W Washington Street, Nashville NC. This event is organized by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. The chamber website is nashvillencchamber.org.
The August coffee sponsor/presenter is MGD Realty.
Business After Hours: Vinventions
Thursday, August 2, 2018 @ 5:30-7pm
Join the Zebulon Chamber of Commerce for this free networking event for Chamber members and guests. Take a tour of Vinventions’ state-of-the-art facility and connect with others. For safety, closed-toed shoes are required for the tour. Vinventions is located at 400 Vintage Park Drive, Zebulon NC. With questions, email Christine Stanco via email.
SCORE Workshops
Some business-educational events are organized by SCORE at area locations. SCORE — the Service Corps of Retired Executives — is a nonprofit association dedicated to “helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.” More information about SCORE is online at www.score.org.
NC Small Business Center Network
In addition to opportunities listed, North Carolina’s community colleges offer free business workshops across the state. Find free “Small Business Center Network” classes by searching at www.ncsbc.net. Topics cover finance, marketing, fundraising, and general business/nonprofit issues alongside specialized classes such as food business creation.
Area Chambers/Organizations
The list below includes business organizations in or near the five-county area of North Carolina. Regular chamber member meetings or semi-closed leads group meetings are not included above, but may be found via the links below. Check with, or join, your local Chamber to find out more about regular meetings near your business.
- Bailey Chamber of Commerce — baileychamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/baileychamberofcommerce)
- Business Alliance of North Carolina — businessalliancenc.com
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BusinessAllianceofNC)
- Clayton Chamber of Commerce — www.claytonchamber.com
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Clayton-Chamber-of-Commerce-327576612814)
- Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce — www.farmvillencchamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/farmvillencchamber)
- Greater Franklin County Chamber — www.franklin-chamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheGreaterFranklinCountyChamber)
- Greater Smithfield-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce — www.smithfieldselma.com
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/smithfieldselmachamber)
- Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce — www.greenvillenc.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GPCChamber)
- Knightdale Chamber of Commerce — www.knightdalechamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/KnightdaleChamberofCommerce)
- Nashville Chamber of Commerce — nashvillencchamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/nashvillencchamber)
- Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce — www.rockymountchamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/rockymountchamber)
- Rolesville Chamber of Commerce — rolesvillechamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/rolesvillechamber)
- Spring Hope Area Chamber of Commerce — www.facebook.com/SpringHopeChamberOfCommerce
- Tarboro Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce — www.discoveredgecombe.com
(Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/tarboroedgecombe, www.facebook.com/Discover-Edgecombe-1470928686487184)
- Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce — wakeforestchamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WakeForestAreaChamberofCommerce)
- Wendell Chamber of Commerce — www.wendellchamber.com
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WendellChamberOfCommerce)
- Wilson Chamber of Commerce — www.wilsonncchamber.com
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Wilson-Chamber-of-Commerce-81297209199) - Zebulon Chamber of Commerce — zebulonchamber.org
(Facebook page: www.facebook.com/zebulonchamber)
Ed. Note: Events may be added, update, and this article revised. Be sure to register with meeting organizer(s) to ensure you receive cancellation or postponement notices directly from them.
Business information gathered from public notices shared by chambers and others. If a business event is missing, email details to Kay Whatley at The Grey Area News.