Chamber hosts Lunch With Leaders event
Pictured: Bill Cunningham, Facilitator and Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce President; Darlene Burcham, Town Manager of Town of Pulaski; Jonathan Sweet, Pulaski County Administrator; Tye Kirkner, Town Manger of Town of Dublin. (Chamber of Commerce photo)
Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce
Pulaski County is filled with new and exciting initiatives that will grow and improve our community. On April 26th, the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce hosted the first “Lunch with Leaders” where the business community could learn about these exciting initiatives. A panel was assembled of community leaders that included Darlene Burcham, Manager for Town of Pulaski; Tye Kirkner, Manager for Town of Dublin; and Jonathan Sweet, Pulaski County Administrator. The event was facilitated by Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce President Bill Cunningham. As part of the showcase of the many highlights our community has to offer, guests enjoyed lunch catered by the talented Pulaski County Career and Technical Education, Culinary Arts program.
Mr. Sweet talked about the county’s bold, “40 by 30” initiative that sets a goal of forty thousand residents by 2030. This will be done by the county being engaged in housing, retail development strategies, tourism, new parks, broadband, and other initiatives. He encouraged Chamber members to position themselves from a business standpoint to accommodate all the opportunities that will come with this initiative.
The discussions continued with Ms. Burcham acknowledging that housing is also a key to an increase in the town’s population and to the town’s overall health. She stated that an increased population will naturally bring retail and other activities. She also spoke about the Alquist housing project in the Town of Pulaski that will unveil the first phase of the third largest printed homes project in the world.
Mr. Kirkner said one of the biggest challenges for their locality is the Town’s 1.34 square mile footprint. Despite the small footprint, the Town of Dublin is making strides in growing and improving the town. “The comprehensive plan clearly states that the best thing for Pulaski County is to have strong vibrant towns. We are taking that task seriously,” said Mr. Kirkner. “The town has put time and
money into renovating buildings in Parker Industrial Park which will bring in income for the town as well as taking over road maintenance to better serve the needs of the residents. The Town of Dublin is one of five jurisdictions in the state that is approved by VDOT to do its own road maintenance. We might be only 1.34 square miles, but we are in the game, we are being aggressive, and we are looking to the
future”, said Mr. Kirkner.
The synergy of the round table participants was apparent as they engaged in conversation with each other, and showed a collective enthusiasm for making Pulaski a better place. “We are only as good as
the people that live here.” said Ms. Burcham as she encouraged the audience to be a part of the change and reach out to their town and county representatives. Mr. Sweet pointed to the audience saying,
“Everyone in this room is a leader and everyone in this room is really a part of making our community go
round”, thanking them for their contributions to the community.
Chamber events such “Lunch with Leaders” educate citizens and the business community, allowing them to take that information to grow their businesses, be a part of the community, and talk proudly about this beautiful place in which we live and work. “Lunch with Leaders” is made possible through the support of Truliant Federal Credit Union.
To learn more about The Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce network and programs, visit www.pulaskivachamber.org.