Horizons - February 2016

4A | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Horizons

A publication of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce

Prestige Members

CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE

Celebrating Education in Forsyth County Northside Hospital-Forsyth Premier Corporate Sponsor

Forsyth County Government

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

The City of Cumming

DeKalb Office

Business Accounting & Tax Services LLC

Kubicek Technologies

Georgia Power

Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry

Taubman

The 2015 Celebration of Excellence.

Kaiser Permanente Lou Sobh Kia

At 11:30 a.m. on March 11 at the Forsyth Conference Center, Forsyth County Schools and the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce will host the 20th annual Celebration of Excellence Luncheon, presented

by Northside Hospital-Forsyth.

One of the Chamber’s largest community events, the Celebration of Excellence recognizes the importance of investing in the education of youths.

This event honors community businesses (dubbed “Partners in Education”) that help schools and students throughout the year.

It also recognizes some of

Lou Sobh Honda

Atlanta Landscape Group

Month in Review Forsyth County’s best and most influential teachers by congratulating all of the Teachers of the Year and announcing the 2016 Forsyth County Teacher of the Year.

The Celebration of Excellence aims to recognize what makes Forsyth County schools among the best in the nation. The system

and the entire community benefit from strong community partners and inspirational teachers.

For more information, to RSVP, or to become a sponsor of this outstanding community event email cfccoc@cummingforsythchamber.org or call (770) 887-6461.

Economic Outlook Breakfast

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Halcyon: Historic Groundbreaking What is being billed as the county’s first livework-play community broke ground Feb. 5 in south Forsyth County.

Local officials attended the ceremony for Halcyon, a $370 million mixed-use development.

The development will sit on about 130 acres at McFarland and Ronald Reagan parkways, just off Ga. 400.

The first phase of development, expected to open in Fall 2017, will feature 125,000 square feet of retail space, 65,000 square feet of loft offices and “built-to-suit spaces,” as well as a hotel with 110 rooms.

They will accompany 87 single-family units, 155 town homes and 448 luxury apartments.

There are plans to eventually add a second hotel, and reach more than 360,000 square feet

Frank Norton, President of the Norton Agency, shares his insights on Forsyth County’s future at the Chamber ’s annual Economic Outlook Breakfast.

Business Showcase Halcyon, a $370 million mixed-use development broke ground Feb. 5 in south Forsyth.

of office and retail space.

Plans also call for more than 50 acres of community green space, two miles of nature trails, a 4-acre natural open space and an eventual link to the nearby Big Creek Greenway.

At the groundbreaking Cumming-Forsyth

County Chamber president, James McCoy, commented, “There are a handful of communities and developments t h a t h av e c o m e t o Forsyth County over the last 25, 30 years that you can point to and say, ‘Gosh that really did change the expectations

of our community.’ I’ve often wondered at events like this, for those communities, their groundbreakings, did anyone really realize that? So I hope everyone here realizes this is an important moment.”

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City honors veterans Flags unfurled for Memorial Day

By Crystal Ledford

cledford@forsythnews.com Micah Green Forsyth County News Eleven more veterans have joined Soldiers release doves Friday during the the ranks of those who are honored by Memorial Day ceremony at the Veteran’s the city of Cumming every Memorial Memorial in Cumming.

Day weekend.

On Friday, city leaders held their annual holiday observance at the Veterans War Memorial.

As part of the ceremony, the families of the 11 deceased veterans unfurled flags in their memory, joining the city’s Avenue of Flags along

Veterans Memorial Boulevard across from the Cumming Fairgrounds.

Each year, during Memorial and Veterans Day events, the Avenue of Flags is displayed. Each American flag represents one or more veterans from the Forsyth County area.

The display has grown to include more than 200 flags, which are See VETERANS | 5A

Teachers Last day excitement finish up first year edUCAtIoN

Feel mix of relief, accomplishment

By Jennifer Sami

jsami@forsythnews.com

Photos by Micah Green Forsyth County News

Kaitlyn Woodcock and Raine Wilson, second-graders at Chestatee Elementary, wait for the bus to pull out Friday, the last day of school before summer vacation.

Chestatee Elementary teachers wave goodbye to their students Friday as they head home for summer vacation. The 2014-15 school year begins on Aug. 7.

As they approach the end of their first school year as teachers, Megan Barton and Kendall Robinson are both tired and inspired.

It’s been a year of learning. It’s been a year of firsts. But both young educators said they are more confident in their career decisions now than they were on the first day back in August.

As part of an occasional series, the Forsyth County News has followed Barton and Robinson throughout the school year. For the final installment, the FCN caught up with them last week as they prepared to release students Friday for summer vacation.

Megan Barton Barton is going to miss her first fourth-grade class at Midway Elementary, whom she said taught her so much during her first year as a teacher.

They were a great group to learn from and one that she’s really “grown to love.” Their parents have been even more helpful and generous during her first year, according to Barton.

As she heads back for a few days of post planning this week before her summer officially begins, Barton paused to reflect on the past 10 months.

“It’s definitely been a learning year for me, but it went really well,” she said. “You never have another first year ... I’ve experienced See TEACHERS | 5A

Optimists award scholarships Recipients include students from each public high school

By Crystal Ledford

cledford@forsythnews.com Crystal Ledford Forsyth County News

West Forsyth senior Carlos Lopez, center, receives a scholarship from Forsyth-Cumming Optimist Club member Mike Miller onThursday as teacher, Erik Moore, right, watches.

Members of the Forsyth-Cumming Optimist Club awarded $10,000 in scholarships during a meeting Thursday.

The club honored 10 members of the class of 2014 from all five of

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Forsyth’s public high schools.

Bob Flowers, vice president of the club, said most of the funding for the scholarship program comes from the club’s Avenue of Flags program, in which club members places American flags in front of homes or businesses on certain holidays.

“All the flags you see in neighborhoods that are about to pop up over this weekend, that’s our doing and that’s how we fund these scholarships,” Flowers said.

For a fee of about $35 a year, the See OPTIMISTS | 5A

Jennifer Sami Forsyth County School

Midway Elementary teacher Megan Barton is nearing the end of her first year as a teacher.

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ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5A

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Horizons

Presented by

A publication of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce

Digital Marketing for Small Businesses

Upcoming Events March 1 Manufacturing Society Breakfast 7:30 a.m., Forsyth Central High School

March 1 Power Networking Lunch 11:30 a.m., Tam’s Backstage

March 2 North Atlanta Startup Coffee 9 a.m., Wildflower Eatery

March 3 Business After Hours 5 p.m., Celebration Village Showroom

March 8 Power Networking Lunch 11:30 a.m., Jim ‘N Nick’s

March 9 International Engagement Breakfast 7:30 a.m., Siemens

March 11

Recently, Chamber members got a lesson in digital marketing from Nick Kastner, marketing manager and adjunct instructor, from the Mike C o t t r e l l C o l l eg e o f Business at the University of North Georgia (UNG) during a Lunch and Learn event hosted by the Business Advancement Resource arm of the Chamber.

During the event, Kastner gave a wide variety of tips for small businesses attempting to use digital marketing on a budget.

“Time is the most important resource a small business owner has,” said Kastner. “So, when selecting what digital marketing channels will work for your business, you have to consider both the return on investment and the opportunity costs associated with the marketing effort.”

11:30 a.m.

Power Networking Lunch, Tacos & Tequilas

Other points made during the presentation include: • Always consider the customer first in determining what should be on your website and any

March 22

TOURISM

11:30 a.m.

Celebration of Excellence, Forsyth Conference Center

March 15

online content you produce; • Don’t use social media for your business if you can’t dedicate time to the effort on an ongoing basis; • And, remember, the internet is likely the first point of contact your customers will, have with your business.

Prior to joining UNG, Kastner served in a number of marketing roles all related to digital marketing. He worked as an account director at digital marketing agency, Red Clay Interactive, and assisted with a wide variety of high profile clients.

He also has extensive experience in financial services marketing and currently serves as faculty for the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and Management.

“It’s an honor to be able to partner with the Cumming-Forsyth County

Chamber of Commerce, and others in Forsyth County, to help build stronger communities through education,” said Kastner.

Later this year, other members of the Mike C o t t r e l l C o l l eg e o f Business faculty and staff will be presenting as part of a new partnership between the Forsyth County Public Library and the Cottrell MBA program.

On March 24, Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science, will speak on cyber security at the Sharon Forks Library.

In addition to this event, Kastner will present again on September 1st at the Post Road Library on the topic of agile marketing and Dr. Wendy Walker, assistant professor of management, is set to lead a seminar on Nov. 2. For more information, visit www.forsythpl.org.

Our Part of the Hospitality Highway

Power Networking Lunch 11:30 a.m., Dickey’s BBQ

March 29 Power Networking Lunch 11:30 a.m., Carrabba’s

Key to the events Member Power Networking Lunch — Meets every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at a different location and includes casual networking for 20-35 other business professionals.

Business After Hours — Meets the second Tuesday of every month from 5-7 p.m. at a different host location every month. The purpose is networking and to experience new businesses in the community.

Women Who Mean Business — Meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 a.m.

This is a specialized networking group of over 50 female business professionals. Join them for breakfast.

• Please visit our Event’s Calendar at www.cummingforsythchamber.org to see a full list of events, more information and registration.

Extending the length of Georgia 400, the Hospitality Highway runs from north metro Atlanta to the North Georgia Mountains, linking the seven communities of Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Cumming/Forsyth County, Dawsonville and Dahlonega. This multicommunity project, which earned its official Hospitality Highway title in July 2007, works to promote events, yearround attractions and daily activities happening along Ga. 400. The Hospitality Highway began when two communities partnered to promote their area and has now expanded to seven communities, including Cumming/Forsyth County.

These partnered communities have engaged the Madden Media Spring Storytelling series to develop content focusing on music and art along

Hospitality Highway. This culturallyfocused storytelling series has thus far generated 8,611 tourism leads along the highway. Last fall, Madden Media Spring focused on providing content that highlighted shopping and dining opportunities in the seven participating communities, generating more than 8,000 tourism leads.

For exciting activities in and around Forsyth County visit www.hospitalityhighway.com or www.cummingforsythchamber.org.

We’re honored to serve you It’s an honor to be recognized as the nation’s leading hospital for maternity and newborn care. Look a little closer and you’ll discover that Northside performs more surgeries and diagnoses and treats more breast and gynecologic cancer than any other hospital in Georgia. While people chooseNorthside for our expertise, they also know us for our exceptional compassionate care.

Visit us online at www.northside.com