Small Business Feature

Over the past year our community like all others, has been through some challenging times with the initial pandemic and now a second wave that has almost surprised us all and forced itself once again into our daily lives.  Perseverance is one of the words that comes to mind when I think of our community and many of the situations, we find ourselves in these days.

Occasionally people say, ‘What about having competing businesses in the Chamber? Why should I join if my competitor is a member?' As in sports and nature, competition helps to make businesses stronger and better than they would be without it. For consumers, competition provides pricing, quality, and service options. For businesses it offers the opportunity to be better and continuously improve

This question comes up quite often. According to Merriam-Webster, a chamber of commerce is an association, primarily of people in business, to promote the business activity and commercial interests of the area while representing chamber members.

“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots — but you have to play the ball where it lies.” Bobby Jones 

Although an amateur golfer, Bobby Jones helped design the Augusta National Golf Club and co-founded the Masters Tournament.  His famous quote addresses the parallels of golf and life. Whether you are a golfer or not, you may find several character traits that are required for a life of success are also evident and fine-tuned as one pursues the game of golf.    

The company began in 1948 when brothers William Bennett Atwater and Roy Vincent Atwater began the company making hosiery. Brothers Mark and Chip Atwater (sons of Roy Vincent) now run it with Patty Riley managing the administrative functions.