On Thursday, May 11, 2017, the Chamber Young Professionals had our annual "Tales from the Top" event. Three area leaders shared some great stuff with our group and I want to give a few highlights today.
The first speaker at our event was Brian House, owner of Chick-fil-A in Cape. Anyone who’s even driven by his business knows he’s had success. Brian says the most important thing is the people, saying “I get to know my team and I invest in them.” This strategy has helped him create an incredible culture where team members extend that caring attitude to the customers. As Brian said, you can go anywhere and get a chicken sandwich, but the “handshake of the host improves the taste of the roast.”
Our next speaker was Abbie Crites-Leoni, U.S. Magistrate Judge. She has long been a fighter for law and justice. She says, “You have an opportunity on this earth to do something great.” Abbie shared some excellent advice with the group: “It’s important to say yes, but make sure you have a limit on it because time is the most precious resource we have as human beings.”
Finally, Dwain Hahs, the Mayor of Jackson, spoke about his extensive business background with Bausch and Lomb where he led a team of around 7,000 people at one point. Mayor Hahs says the best way to address conflict and get people on board is to “communicate, communicate, communicate!” He moved many times throughout his career, living all around the world, and with that perspective, he is very high on the quality of life in Jackson and Cape.
A big thanks to these incredible leaders for sitting down with us. Also happening this week. The Red Cross is celebrating 100 years in our area with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 16.
