Albany Area Chamber of Commerce to host state of the community luncheon

ALBANY — As part of its continuing effort to bring together important members of Albany and Dougherty County’s civic and business leadership, the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce will soon host its annual State of the Community luncheon.

Scheduled for Aug. 12, the luncheon, which will take place at Albany State University’s L. Orene Hall, is designed to allow members of the business community and community members at large an opportunity to hear from leadership with the city of Albany, Dougherty County and the Dougherty County School System.

“It’s an opportunity for some of our major public sector entities to share with the business community some of their recent successes and important things going on in the community,” said Albany Area Chamber of Commerce interim President Barbara Rivera Holmes. “It’s a conversation between those officials and the business community, and it’s an important conversation.”

This year’s event will be slightly different than past State of the Community luncheons in that it will be a panel conversation rather than a series of speakers sharing highlights.

Holmes said the panel will include Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard, Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas and Dougherty County Schools Superintendent David “Butch” Mosely.

The event itself will allow attendees to ask questions and engage in a dialogue with the panel. It will be moderated by Albany CEO’s Matt Reed.

“It’s an opportunity to hear from our three biggest public entities, entities that help define and set the tone for our community,” Holmes said. “The chamber acts as a central cog in the community, and it pulls in all these different spokes that make it work.

“We’re proud that we can be a voice for the community and our business community to make them aware of what is going on.”

Like most chamber events, the luncheon is focused on the business community, but the general public is invited to attend.

“We encourage people who aren’t chamber members to come and hear from our leaders and our business community,” Holmes said. “It’s a conversation that’s for everyone. It affects everybody in our community.”

The State of the Community luncheon will start with registration at 11:30 a.m., and the program will begin at noon. Those interested in attending can register online at AlbanyGA.com or contact Cassandra Mathis at [email protected] or (229) 434-8700.

The cost to attend the luncheon is $25 for chamber members and $35 for non-members.

L. Orene Hall is located on the ASU campus at 504 College Drive.