ROCKINGHAM — After five years at the Hamlet Depot, the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce is moving back to the county seat.
Chamber President Emily Tucker said Thursday that she and her staff will be relocating to the former location on Rockingham Road, across from City Hall and Leath Memorial Library.
“I’ve been with the Chamber 22 years and I started my career in this location,” she said. “So for me, I feel like I’m going home.”
She said the contractor, Southern Builders, is “moving pretty fast,” and they hope to be moved in by early November.
“I’m really excited,” Tucker said, adding that she will have utilized almost every office in the building.
The contractors started remodeling last month and have taken out several walls to reshape the floor plan.
Tucker said the job was scheduled to take 60 to 90 days.
“I feel like I’m building a house, having to pick out colors and things like that,” she joked.
The Chamber moved to the Depot around June of 2014, but Tucker said they have outgrown that office.
“It looks like Hoptoberfest has blown up in our office,” she said, as the Chamber staff prepares for the annual craft beer and chicken wing festival, slated for Oct. 5 at Rockingham Dragway.
While prepping for the move, the Chamber will also be planning the annual Industry Appreciation Dinner, also in October.
The new (old) office will also feature new technology and an expanded training and conference center, including projectors with 9-foot screens, which were donated, and wifi.
“Members will be able to use our conference room for meetings or training,” she said.
Taking ideas from other Chambers, with the plan to bring more business downtown, Tucker said The Salty Bean Coffee Company will be operating a shop out of the building. A ribbon cutting for the company’s Wiregrass Road location is set for Friday morning.
