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This year's Catawba County Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Meeting wasn't just about looking back. In fact, Danny Hearn, the Chamber's president, announced during Thursday's event, they will be looking to foster the county's future leaders, starting a young professionals group. The committee met last week and aims to take advantage of leadership from those ages 21-40. "Overall we want this is be a tool for recruiting and retaining young professionals in this area," the Chamber's Michael McNally said.
McNally said there will be a kickoff for the group in July. The announcement also came as the Chamber welcomed its new Chairman David Moore, president of Hickory Mechanical, Inc. Moore outlined some of his goals for the county over the next year, including workforce development, education and fostering future growth. "This is an exciting and challenging time for Catawba County," Moore said. "Catawba County is poised for a position of prominence in the coming years." The record attendance for the event — 710 — also bid farewell to the leadership of Chairman Gary Laws, who also gave a nod to the young professionals group. "It is reassuring to know that there are young professional that are finding themselves in leadership roles in our community," Laws said. The chamber also saw a performance from 2007 Last Comic Standing winner Jon Reep, whose jokes about Hickory earned him the national spotlight. Reep, who graduated from Fred T. Foard High School, said the experience of returning home is "surreal." "All my jokes come from Hickory and my dad," Reep said. "And Hickory, seriously, somebody should thank you. So please give yourself a round of applause." Century Furniture won the Chairman's Award during the Faith in the Future awards. The furniture company based in Hickory, was joined with other Faith in the Future award winners Catawba Science Center, the Compounding Pharmacy and Draka.
— For more information on the Faith in the Future winners, read Chris Gilfillan's column on PAGE 4.
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