The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is an advocate for business in the Bedford
community.
As a dynamic Chamber of Commerce committed to managed growth and development, we
facilitate change by partnering with business, education, government and the
community. We provide opportunities such as a monthly Business After Hours and
the Annual Dinner for members, to facilitate business to business networking.
We have advocacy groups that include the Government Affairs Committee, the
Transportation Advocacy Group and Bedford Business Leads. The BACC,
through our Leadership Bedford program, offers leadership training to the business community and is instrumental in developing the leaders of tomorrow. An Alumni group has been formed to help continue leadership growth in the community. Expanded
communication methods
include a monthly feature in the Bedford Bulletin and the Lynchburg News and
Advance, a monthly fax update,
weekly emails, a legislative update and a
“Bedford is Your Business” flyer pack which includes our signature campaign of (Buy in Bedford). The
Chamber works very closely with the City and the County to promote tourism and
economic development in our region.
The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is your Chamber. The more active your
involvement, the better the benefit you will receive from your membership.
So don’t delay, join the BACC today. It will be one of the best business decisions you
can make.
Bedford Chamber of Commerce Officers
Chairman-Jim Burns, Manager of Human Resources,
Andrew Corporation,
140 Vista Centre Drive,
Forest, VA 24551,
Vice Chairman, Ronald L. Lovelace, CPA, President, Lovelace, Norvelle, Mathews & Crews,
P.O.Box 10548, Lynchburg, VA 24506,
Past President- Don Shilling, President & CEO, FNB,
125 West Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
President- Susan Martin, Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce,
305 East Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
Directors
Jeff Graff, Owner, Parkway Marina,
16918 Smith Mountain Parkway, Huddleston, VA 24104,
George N. Cooper Jr., State Farm Insurance,
116 South Bridge Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
Kerry Mann, Omni Electrical,
P.O. Box 4335, Lynchburg, VA 24502,
Curry Martin, Owner, Glenwood NAPA/U.S. Celluar,
2074 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, 24104,
May Clark-Massie, Postmaster, U.S. Postal Service,
500 East Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
Eron Murphy, Vice-President, M-4 Manufacturing, Inc.,
404 Fairwinds Court, Forest VA, 24551,
Ron Jefferson, Manager Community Affairs, AEP American Electric Power,
4001 Mayflower Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501,
Bobbi Johnson, Assistant Superintendent, Bedford County Schools,
P. O. Box 748, Bedford, VA 24523,
Patti Jurkus, Director of Human Resources, Bedford Memorial Hospital,
1813 Oakwood Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
Bert Mileski, Vice President of Quality Assurance, Barr Laboratories,
2150 Perrowville Road Forest, VA 24551,
Linda Ottinger, Local Sales Manager, WSET-TV,
2320 Langhorne Road, Lynchburg, VA 24501,
Dan Reber, President & CEO, Mail America Communications,
1174 Elkton Farm Road, Forest, VA 24551,
Robert Wandrei, Attorney, Radford & Wandrei PC,
112 South Bridge Street, Bedford, VA 24523,
Terry R. Wood, Controller, Boxley Materials Company,
P.O. Box 13527, Roanoke, VA 24035-3527,
Becky O’Connor Wuergler, Realtor,
Scott & Bond,
1350 Keytown Road, Bedford, VA 24523,
Ex-Officio
Charles Kolakowski, City Manager,
City of Bedford,
P.O. Drawer 807, Bedford, VA 24523,
Kathleen Guzi, County Administrator, Bedford County Administration,
122 East Main Street,
Bedford, VA 24523,
Advisory
Director, Bedford City & County Office of Tourism, Bedford Area Welcome Center,
816 Burks Hill Road, Bedford, VA 24523,
(540) 587-5681
Non-Profit
Mary Jo Boone, Executive Director, Bedford Area Family YMCA,
P.O. Box 1026,
Bedford, VA 24523,
Values
u Quality leadership
u Fair business practices and ethics
u An improved quality of life in the community
u An education system that provides life and workforce opportunities
u Government that is for and by the people
Strategic Goals
u To increase membership by demonstrating the value of the chamber to the business
community
u To promote and support planned economic growth
u To be the voice of business in public policy discussions
u To partner with business and education to deliver cost effective, applicable
training and education programs that meet the needs of our members
u To provide opportunities for our members to interact and share ideas and
information
u To facilitate the growth and prosperity of the City of Bedford and Bedford
County
Chamber Accomplishments
u Accreditation, The Chamber received a “Three-Star Designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
u Opened a satellite office in Forest
u “Bedford is Your Business” monthly flyer pack
u Chamber Focus in the Bedford Bulletin
u Chamber Focus in The News and Advance
u Established the following groups: Government Affairs Committee; Transportation
Advocacy Group, Education Committee, Business Leads Group, Business
& HR Group, PR Committee and Hi-5’s
Buy in Bedford Program
Why Buy in Bedford? The answers...
1. Produces Additional Revenue: More money for Education, Tourism and Public Safety – up to 1.3 million dollars if 10% of purchases are retained by our community!
2. Keep Taxes Lower: A broader tax base reduces the need for increased taxes.
3. A Better Community: More Jobs: More choices and better products.
ALL BUSINESSES CAN PARTICIPATE FREE OF CHARGE
The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce actively supports a “Buy In Bedford” program. This program focuses on reminding the Bedford Community of the
importance of buying in Bedford and will focus on the importance of supporting
our own community first.
Our goal is to create a lasting understanding in our community. While it is not
always possible to purchase products or services in our own community, we hope
that this promotion will encourage you to consider our community first.
Who Can Participate?
All businesses may participate. “Buy In Bedford” is designed to be inclusive. The program is open to chamber members and
non-chamber members alike. We encourage our membership to discuss the
“Buy In Bedford” program with non-members and to encourage their participation.
Ambassadors
We wish to thank those chamber members who have made a special commitment to
bring the details of this promotion to non-chamber members. This involves
talking about the
program as you go about your regular business day. If you are interested in
becoming a BIB Ambassador, please contact the Bedford Chamber or any of the
following ambassadors.
Ron Robey – L.R. Robey Agency/AFLAC
Laura Tyree – Carlson-Wagonlit Travel
Lynn Kirby – Axis Creative Network
Bill Mosley – Bedford Hardware
Linda Ottinger – 13 ABC WSET
Becky O’Connor Wuergler – Scott and Bond Realty
Tami LeoGrande-Talk Radio 105.9 WLNI-FM
PARTICIPATION
It is our goal to make BIB affordable, so that all members of our community can
participate. It is only through the support of our sponsors that we are able to
accomplish this goal. Please contact the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce at
(540) 586-9401 for additional information on how your business can participate.
