Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber Honors Its Volunteers and Awards Four

Photo credit: Laura Rowles, GGCC Director of Events & Marketing

In a time-honored tradition, the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) honored its volunteers at its membership picnic. The Business Networking after Five event on Thursday, September 19, 2019. The event was held at and sponsored by Smokey Glen Farm Barbequers, Inc. in Gaithersburg.

The GGCC holds its annual picnic in honor of its volunteers who generously give their time and talents to the Chamber. These remarkable people are an integral part of the Chamber and its success. The event is held annually at Smokey Glen Farm – an active supporter of the GGCC – a family owned business that has held corporate citizenship as a core value for over 50 years.

GGCC President / CEO Marilyn Balcombe personally thanked all the Chamber’s volunteers noting their “participation on committees and at events is priceless”.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that we simply could not do what we do without our volunteers. We like to make sure they know how much we appreciate their engagement,” said Balcombe.

The GGCC has 100 active volunteers serving on one or more of the following committees:

• Board of Directors
• Legislative Affairs
• Economic Development
• Membership
• Events
• Young Professionals
• Non-Profit
• Golf
• Annual Celebration Dinner

The volunteers’ commitment helps the GGCC remain vital and meet the needs of our business community.

Four chamber members received an award & special recognition for their commitment and involvement with the Chamber. These “exceptional volunteers” were nominated by the working committees of the Chamber for having substantially contributed to GGCC member programs and activities.

About the 2019 exceptional volunteers:

Kevin O’Rourke of the Germantown Pulse was awarded for being an intricate part of the community. Germantown Pulse provided local news and information to the community for the past five years. On August 1 of this year it stopped production of original content on its website. O’Rourke started the pulse in 2014 with a vision of building a community; to bring Germantown’s neighborhoods together as a virtual town square where residents could gather to learn about and discuss important topics, to encourage and highlight residents making a difference in our corner of the world, to cheer on and enjoy local high school athletes making their communities proud on and off the field, to share the joy in learning of local folks doing amazing things on the regional and national stage. Over five years, 1 million visitors read his content. We believe he accomplished his goal; and for his commitment in helping us ensure a vibrant community with a business-friendly environment, he was awarded an exceptional volunteer plaque.

Jim Bindeman, marketing manager at Montgomery Magazine, is an active participant on the Chamber’s membership committee. He always has a positive attitude, is dedicated and is the first to volunteer as an ambassador or just to lend a hand. He has contributed to the vitality of the committee.

David President, area director of sales at the Holiday Inn Gaithersburg, currently serves on the Chamber’s young professionals’ group (YPG) planning meetings and attends YPG events regularly. President has also gone above & beyond and sponsored several young professional events that have been a huge hit and a ton of fun. He always goes the extra mile to ensure that all the young professionals are engaged at an event and having a good time. His passion, drive and commitment enhance the value & ensure the success of this group.

Danny Rowles, field service technician at Kelly Generator & Equipment Inc., is an asset to the Chamber. Rowles is always there to lend his support as a bartender at Chamber events. He is the epitome of going above and beyond. His dedication ensures the success of these Chamber’s events.

Interested in learning more on how you can volunteer with the GGCC? Check out the Chamber’s committee page at: https://goo.gl/7KCc91.

The GGCC is active in providing business-to-business networking opportunities throughout the year: a collective voice in local, regional, and state legislative affairs, professional development opportunities and other services that enhance the business environment.

About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

View all posts by Laura Rowles