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Beulaville Chamber hosts Secretary of State Elaine Marshall

Beulaville Chamber hosts Secretary of State Elaine Marshall

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The Beulaville Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet on Thursday night, Feb. 22, with North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall as guest speaker.

Beulaville Chamber president John Weston called the meeting to order, and Beulaville Mayor Hutch Jones gave an update on various goings-on in the community. Jones talked about various grants the town has received to work on improvements, including a PART-F grant, which will be used to revamp the town’s parks.

After a dinner by Ezzell’s Catering was served, Chamber members elected officers for the coming year.

The following awards were given out during the annual banquet: Retiring Police Chief Jamie Rogers, Police Officer of the Year; Matthew Maready, Firefighter of the Year; and Sally Houston Weston, Volunteer of the Year. Each award winner received a plaque and a check.

Jamie Rogers, who’s retiring as Beulaville’s police chief at the end of this month, was honored with the Police Officer of the Year Award at the Beulaville Chamber’s annual banquet on Feb. 22.

Following the awards, Mayor Jones introduced the guest speaker, Elaine Marshall. In 1996, Marshall became the first woman elected to a statewide, executive branch office, and has served as Secretary of State since 1996.

Marshall previously taught home economics in the public school and community college systems, co-owned a book and gift store, and established an interior decorating business, while also practicing law, according to her biography on the N.C. Secretary of State website.

“Secretary Marshall has been very active in many civic groups in the areas of child welfare, women’s issues, and agriculture and small town economic development,” the biography reads.

During her speech to the Beulaville Area Chamber of Commerce, Marshall emphasized the importance of organizations like local chambers. She also talked about business development, especially in small rural communities like Beulaville.

Marshall talked about the Rural RISE NC initiative, a program of the Secretary of State’s office, which provides business resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs, like a New Business Checklist, funding sources, and much more. For more on Rural RISE NC, check out sosnc.gov/rural_rise/index.