P.O. Box 1117 | Foley, Alabama 36536 | tel: 251.943.3291 | fax: 251.943.6810 | www.southbaldwinchamber.com

South Baldwin Regional Medical Center

The Newsletter The Newsletter

South Baldwin Regional

Medical Center is the first

hospital in Baldwin County to

establish a family medicine

residency program. The first

class of resident physicians

entered the program July 2018

and the second class began

July 1, 2019.

The new family medicine

program, approved by the

Accreditation Council for

Graduate Medical Education

(ACGME), is a three-year

program, which will offer eight

residents in the first year with

plans to accommodate up to

eight each year thereafter for

a total of 24 when filled.

South Baldwin Medical

Group Family Medicine Prac-

tice is open and accepting new

patients. The family medicine

physicians specialize in caring

for children, teens and adults,

offering well checks, immun-

izations, sick visits, men and

women’s health screenings

and office based procedures

such as skin biopsies, orthope-

dic injections, and contracep-

tion. The providers are also

dedicated to the prevention

and management of chronic

diseases, such as diabetes,

asthma, and heart disease.

SBMG Family Medicine

Practice is located at 1851 N.

McKenzie Street, Suite 200, in

Foley. Walk-ins are welcomed,

and most insurance plans are

accepted. For more infor-

mation, or to schedule an

appointment, please call 251-

424-1232 or visit us online at

SouthBaldwinMedicalGroup.com.

SPONSORED Cover Story . . .

THE SOUTH BALDWIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BEGINS ITS

2019 CHAMBER CHOICES CAMPAIGN

The South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce

kicks off the 13th annual Chamber Choices

Campaign in early September 2019! During this

eight week campaign, volunteers called Chamber

Champions offer promotional opportunities to

chamber members for a limited time. With events

such as the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival,

BBQ & Blues Cook-off, Chicago Street Supper

Club, Magnolia Run, golf tournaments and

numerous networking events, along with the

monthly newsletter (print and digital), weekly

emails and social media presence, the South

Baldwin Chamber offers a wide variety of

advertising and promotional opportunities for its

members.

If you participated in the campaign last year,

your Chamber Champion will contact you to

renew your sponsorships during a special renewal

period. This limited time will guarantee your

purchase for those coveted spots like Business

After Hours. Be sure you take advantage of the

renewal period so you don’t miss out. Once the

renewal period is over, that sponsorship is up for

grabs! If you did not participate in the campaign

last year and would like for a Chamber Champion

to contact you, please, call or email the chamber

office and we will get you connected!

Interested in being a Chamber Champion to

help us accomplish our mission? If you would like

to grow both professionally and personally, this is

for you! The Chamber Choices Campaign is a

great way to meet business leaders and earn

extra cash and prizes! Throughout the eight week

campaign, we reward Chamber Champions with

breakfast meetings, prizes, and leads to keep the

momentum going throughout the campaign.

Veteran Champions are there to help rookies with

tips and tricks to stay engaged and get the job

done. Call the South Baldwin Chamber today at

251.943.3291 with any questions and find out

how you can become a Chamber Champion!

News Release

DIPLOMAT OF THE MONTH

Practice & Billing Assessment

Billing and Collections

Contracting & Credentialing

Practice Management System Implementation

Staffing Assistance

New Practice Start-up

Team Building Seminars

Over 25 years of Practice Management Experience

Contact us today for a free consultation!

251-249-8464 | swoody@rhcmgmt.com

12440 Magnolia Ave, Ste.100 Magnolia Springs AL 36555

NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR

All nomination forms must be returned to Donna Watts at the chamber office by August 12, 2019. 112 W. Laurel Ave., Foley AL 36535 • P.O. Box 1117, Foley AL 36536

Forms are available via Weekly Email link and our website: southbaldwinchamber.com/member-only-events.

ELECTRICIAN SHORTAGE CREATES POTENTIAL FOR SIX-FIGURE JOBS

By Julia Limitone | June 07, 2019 | FOXBusiness.com

The Gateway Initiative team and committee members visited a series of business

incubators, accelerators, and coworking spaces in June throughout Mobile, Fairhope, and Atmore. Stops

included Innovation PortAL (under construction), Fuse Factory, Container Yard, Hatch, and Church Street

Incubator. A major objective of the Gateway Initiative is to provide programming and support to existing

businesses and also to promote an “entrepreneurial spirit” across the region. Stay tuned for updates on

progress for a South Baldwin incubation and business support program. (More photos on Pg5.)

America's skills gap is creating challenges in the electricians' industry, which is expected to have a labor shortage of about 60,000 workers by 2026, according to one CEO of one tool manufacturing company.

In order to fill the surplus of jobs, he started a program four years ago to convince students that becoming an electrician is the way to go. It has become so successful that it brought the entire industry together.

“What started out as more of a marketing tool for ideal industries, is actually transformed into an industry-wide marketing tool,” said Ideal Industries

CEO Jim James to FOX Business’ Ashley Webster. “The first year we started this competition, it started with about 2,500 participants. We’re up to over 100,000 this year and next year we're expecting to be over 150,000 competitors.”

Convincing young people and parents to skip out on student debt accumulated from acquiring a four-year college degree is key, he said. There are about 44,000,000 families with over a half trillion of college debt right now. “Through this process we have actually had a lot of the children of these electricians decided to go down that same career path,” he said, adding that there are plans to expand the program into high schools.

“What we're trying to do is also get to the parents. We're trying to help them, convince them, and show them that becoming a professional trade is a really good career move.”

According to James, a starting salary for an electrician is around $40,000 per year, while owning a business has the potential to deliver a six-figure salary.

Many organizations today are employing measures to “future-proof” their workforce. The premise is to gain an edge and stay ahead of competition; this requires employees to be equipped to face the challenges of an ever-changing work environment. Today’s jobs do not guarantee future employability and that’s why creating a learning journey within the organization is vital for talent development and for building a strong company culture.

Some key concepts for future-proofing:

Establish a culture which encourages growth: set employees up to consider their future in your company and set goals for getting there

Offer learning and development programs as a benefit and be sure to use technology to track key performance indicators: show them your watching their progress

Create a work environment where ideation and creativity is encouraged: every business is a technology business - guide their interests to find creative ways to increase efficiency in your business and in their own roles

Assess the individual learning background, personality, career goals, and learning style of each employee to better plan an environment tailored for continuous skill building

Consider succession planning techniques such as apprenticeships to establish clear career paths within the company

Consider cross-training staff members throughout multiple departments within the company: let them see where they can go, and they’ll be more likely to stick around

For a stellar Baldwin County (and world-wide) example of an organization who focuses on strengthening their employees through a variety of professional development and cultural programs, check out the spotlight article on Columbia Southern University in the next Gateway Initiative quarterly newsletter available mid-July 2019.

(continued from Pg4… photos of business incubators, accelerators, and coworking spaces. Stay tuned for updates on progress for a South Baldwin incubation and business support program. (Contact Sally@mylocalchamber.net)

THE ROYAL OYSTER —GULF SHORES, AL The Royal Oyster is a small, boutique oyster bar that boasts “flip flop dining” and prides itself

on serving local ingredients, fresh seafood and handmade cocktails. The Royal Oyster

regularly serves up fresh oysters from all over the country while also serving boutique oysters

from our local providers. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly, and offers plenty of

outdoor seating overlooking the water. Catering services are also available. They are open 7

days a week from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. You check them out on Facebook!

“Come on down! We look forward to seeing you at The Royal Oyster.”

JOINING FORCES TO MOBILIZE BUSINESS

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

On Wednesday, April 17, the U.S. Chamber Foundation co-hosted #LeadingonEarlyEd, a Twitter chat with Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) to engage a broad audience in a conversation about early childhood education as a critical workforce issue. The goal of the chat was to have a focused discussion with individuals, advocates, and employers across the country where we could all collectively share the data, stories, and research behind this two-generation challenge. We were thrilled with the turnout! To those who know the Chamber Foundation, you know that we approach early childhood education as a workforce issue from both the perspectives of the parents/caregivers and their children. Affordable access to early childhood education is a barrier to enter, re-enter, or stay in the workforce for parents and caregivers, who are our workforce of today. We also want to ensure that our young children, who make up the workforce we will rely on tomorrow, have the skills and supports they need to succeed. These two different generations are directly impacted by the decisions we make today on early childhood education and we will see those impacts for years to come. The goal of this chat was to educate business leaders on the role they play in this conversation as a strong voice in the community, a driver for policy, and the decision-maker when it comes to how they support their workforce. A second goal was to help those business leaders understand what their path to action could look like. We’re not asking businesses to get in the business of childcare. We are asking all businesses to understand this important issue, the needs of their workforce, and the menu of options they have available to them to support those unique needs. How did it go? We had over 250 contributors from around the country and appreciate the varied perspectives that everyone brought to the conversation. We wanted to hear

ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION By Julia Barfield, MPH, MSW | uschamberfoundatino.org APR 2019

the data-driven arguments that advocates and business leaders use to strengthen their case for early childhood education, and we got what we asked for. Here are a few highlights of the importance of early childhood education for parents/caregivers, young children, and business...

It's always important to look at examples of other business leaders to learn from their experiences. At the end of the day we want every business to focus their strategy for engagement not on what other employers are doing, but by understanding the context of their own situation and the needs of their employees.

Read the article online for a few recommendations from the field on how a business can get started.

Ready to take action?

• Are you a business leader who isn’t sure where to start? Check out our toolkit with checklists to help support your journey.

• Are you a business leader who’s doing great work and wants us to know about it? Let us tell your story.

Phone: 251.923.4882 • Email: mini@thesquashedgrape.com • facebook.com/TheRoyalOyster

Chamber Advertising

CONTACT US TODAY

AUG 22

JULY 25

AUG 8

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS LOCATION: Pen Air Federal Credit Union

TIME: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

LOCATION: Wolf Bay Restaurant, Foley

TIME: 8:30 am - 9:30 am

LOCATION: The Gulf Bowl—Foley

TIME: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS

Visit southbaldwinchamber.com for tickets and information.

LEADERSHIP SERIES

AUG 20

AM CONNECTIONS

LOCATION: Foley Civic Center

TIME: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Contact Lori at 251.943.5510 or lori@mylocalchamber.net

Jefferson S. Dunn, Commissioner

Alabama Department of Corrections

Sponsored by:

Alabama Credit Union

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS