News and Updates

 Mike and Sundae Dowdle cut a Sun's Up Scuba theme cake to share with Chamber members and friends at their grand opening and ribbon-cutting. In the photo below, Cramerton Mayor Will Cauthen congratulates the Dowdles and welcomes Sun's Up Scuba to Cramerton. 

The sun's up every day at Sun's Up Scuba

Owners Mike and Sundae Dowdle like to say "the sun's up 7 days a week at Sun's Up Scuba," and the sun sure was shining for their Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Thursday, March 16, 2017. A large crowd of Chamber members and friends, plus Sun's Up customers and others attended to network, enjoy refreshments and learn about the wide range of products and services available at the shop.

Sun's Up Scuba occupies one of four commercial sites in front of South Fork Village Apartments on Wilkinson Boulevard. The shop is in the town of Cramerton, but has a Belmont address at 900 G-01 South Fork Village Drive.

Sun’s Up Scuba provides PADI dive lessons, dive and snorkel gear, kayak and paddle board rentals, scuba gear service/repair and travel planning. Visit www.sunsupscuba.com for more on the business, or call 704.829.3455.

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Mike and Sundae Dowdle cut a ribbon at the grand opening of Sun's Up Scuba with Cramerton Mayor Will Cauthen and lots of Chamber members and friends looking on. Holding the ribbon are Chamber board members Robert Aldrich (left) of Aldrich CFO Services and Chris Kennedy of Kennedy Business Solutions.

Network After Work sponsors Lynn Wilcox-Galbato from Sole Reflection and Shari Miller with Bai Shen Acupuncture (front, center) with members of the Chamber Board of Directors (from left) Melia Lyerly Brad Thomas, Chris Kennedy and Ryan Clarke.

Chamber members and friends learned about two businesses while, making new business contacts and enjoying great food and beverages on Thursday, March. 9, 2017, when Bai Shen Acupuncture and Sole Reflection at 684 Park Street Belmont, hosted "Network After Work." Food for the reception was provided by H&M Catering of Mount Holly.

Founded by Shari Miller in 2008, Bai Shen Acupuncture is dedicated to providing services focused on creating health using the natural healing abilities of one’s own body through Classical Chinese Medicine.

Sole Reflection promotes balance and normalization of the body naturally; reduces stress and brings about relaxation and improves circulation and the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. Reflexology is the science of involuntary response to stimuli of the foot. 

For more on Bai Shen Acupuncture, call 704.825.1584, or visit www.baishen.org. For more on Sole Reflection, call 704.995.8136, or visit www.solereflection.biz. 

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Belmont Mayor Pro Tem Martha Stowe and City Manager Adrian Miller are presenting the check to Elements of Empowerment Board Chair Delta Sanders and Vice Chair Vince Hill. At left are group treasurer Lakisha Spears and secretary David Neeley. And at right is Hampton Inn-Belmont Sales Director Stephanie Prysiazniuk.

On the last day of Black History Month, a new non-profit organization that originated around a festival celebrating the end of slavery in America debuted by hosting a Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce “Network After Work” reception with the Hampton Inn in Belmont.

Elements of Empowerment started as a small group of volunteers working to coordinate the Juneteenth celebration in Belmont’s Stowe Park. Now with its non-profit status secured, the group was ready on Feb. 28, 2017, to celebrate, and many Chamber members and friends were eager to take part.

During the event, the new non-profit received a $2,300 check from the City of Belmont to reimburse some of the expenses for coordinating the next Juneteenth celebration on June 17.

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Copies mailed or delivered to all Chamber members

Click to read the directory online

All members of the Montcross Area Chamber had their business contact information delivered today to the homes and offices of more than 23,000 subscribers to The Gaston Gazette. The Chamber's 2017 Member Directory, a 48-page, full-color publication, was produced and printed by the Gazette and published as part of today's issue of the newspaper.

Information about more than 530 Chamber members is organized by business category to make it easily accessible to consumers, who will use it throughout the year to find Chamber members providing needed products and services. 

The directory also includes a review of recent Chamber activities and accomplishments, a look ahead to 2017 and articles and photos on recent Chamber award recipients.

A copy of the directory has been mailed, or personally delivered, to every member of the Chamber. Copies also are available at the Chamber office in the Stowe Building at 100 N. Main St., Belmont.

The directory soon will be available on the Chamber website. 

Edward Grubbs cuts the ribbon with his wife Diane and grandson Edward to his right and his son Brandon and granddaughter Jessalyn to his left. Also on the front row, from left are Chamber Board member Melia Lyerly of Lyerly Agency, Chamber Board Chair Bill Ingram and Chamber Board member Chris Kennedy of Kennedy Business Solutions. 

Edward Grubbs, surrounded by family members and Chamber members, cut a ribbon on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, to symbolize the opening of Belmont Hearing Center in downtown Belmont. The Center is located in Suite 123 of the Stowe Building at 100 N. Main Street.

Chamber members and friends welcomed Belmont Hearing and enjoyed refreshments during a reception in the Stowe Building lobby. They also had an opportunity to visit the center and learn about the hearing testing and other services available there.  

Before he became a hearing aid specialist, Edward Grubbs was a patient, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss at age 36. Hearing aids changed his life, and now he is in business at Belmont Hearing Center helping change the lives of others who are experiencing hearing loss. 

Edward has been in the hearing aid profession for 15 years and has owned his own practice since 2007. He relocated from Florida to Belmont last year to be near children and grandchildren.

At Belmont Hearing Center, services include hearing evaluations, ear canal examinations through video otoscopy, hearing aid fittings, follow up service, ear molds, wireless technology and tinnitus treatment. 

For more information, visit www.belmonthearing.com, or call 704.860.7795.

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Heather and David Pierce are at right on the front row, with (at left) Chamber Board member Melia Lyerly of Lyerly Agency. On the back row, from (from left) are Chamber Board members Jeff Lee of The Vintage Nest, Jim Crisp of Clearbrook Advisory Services and Brad Rivers of Gaston College. (Photo by John Jacob.)

Chamber members and friends learned about two businesses while, making new business contacts and enjoying great food and beverages on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, when Chic Boutique and Graphic Hound Studios at 128 E. Central Ave., Mount Holly, hosted "Network After Work." Food for the reception was provided by H&M Catering of Mount Holly.

Heather and David Pierce own Chic Boutique, a clothing consignment shop for the full-figured female. At Graphic Hound Studios in the same building, David specializes in graphics and design, displaying his work on t-shits, car tags, signs banners and a wide variety of other applications. He does custom illustrations and design, logos, digital color separations, screen printing and embroidery, business cards, brochures, vinyl graphics, stickers and more. 

Heather says Chic Boutique offers gently used and new clothing starting at size 14 W and accessories are in stock. Shoes start at size 8. Aside from the large selection of clothing, from t-shirts to formals, the shop carries name brand purses, wallets, evening bags, scarves, jewelry, hats & handkerchiefs.and much more.

For more information on Chic Boutique, call 704.820.8635 or visit www.chicboutiqueplus.com. For more on Graphic Hound Studios, call David at 704.820.8429. 

Adam Lee and his wife Kristi, with their daughters Aubrey, Makenna and Brooke, cut a ribbon at the celebration of Adam's new State Farm office in Mount Holly. Also on the front row are agency team members (from left) Robert Nichols, Tony Merida and Davis Crawford. Holding the ribbon are Mount Holly Mayor Bryan Hough (right) and City Manager Danny Jackson. 

Chamber members and friends and Mount Holly city officials joined clients and family members to celebrate the opening of Adam Lee's new State Farm Agency at 247 W. Catawba Avenue in Mount Holly. A Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off an open house featuring tours and refreshments and opportunities to meet the State Farm team and learn more about the business. Mount Holly Mayor Bryan Hough participated in the ribbon-cutting and welcomed the new business to Mount Holly.

The agency offers a wide variety of products and services including auto, home, property, business, life and health insurance. Adam Lee has been a State Farm agent since 2008 and opened his office in Mount Holly in November. For more information, call 980.277.2700, or visit www.agentadamlee.com.

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