Can you believe it is March? Weren’t we just taking the Christmas tree down and remembering to write 2026 instead of 2025? It has been a busy, yet productive beginning of the year. February kicked off with what is fast becoming one of my favorite days of the year. The 2nd Annual Alabama Chambers Day at the Capitol presented by Alabama Power brought over 150 chamber professionals, volunteer leaders and local elected officials to Montgomery. The day was spent networking, hearing from legislative leadership, and visiting our state officials. A big thank you to the incredible committee that worked to put together the day, to the sponsors who supported the event, and all those who took the time to join us. Plans are already underway for 2027!
The next week I was thrilled to join Vanessa and the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce for their Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon. Additionally, Mark Colson with Alabama Trucking Association joined us as our special guest on Friday, February 13, 2026, during our Capitol Updates Briefing. It was great to hear from our strategic partner on how the trucking industry and chambers intersect throughout our state. Our Capitol Updates with BCA continue every other Friday throughout the legislative session.
The portal for National Civics Bee® student essays closed February 17th and we are anxiously awaiting to welcome our regional finalists for each of our 4 regions. Big shout out to Opelika Chamber, Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, and Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce for again hosting our regional bees. The National Civics Bee Alabama State Finals presented by Kinder Morgan is set for July 16, 2026, at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art. Mark your calendar and make plans to join us.
Later in the week, The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama invited me to officially welcome them to Montgomery during their annual Drive-In. It’s always nice to visit with local leadership groups as they make their way around the capital. Finally, the week continued with a visit to Childersburg for the Childersburg Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting where they unveiled their updated brand and name! Great job John Mark and the entire team. A special thrill was to have some of the Sylacauga Area Chamber of Commerce team on hand in a sign of regional support. Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce hosted our first Regional Roundtable of 2026 where great discussion, idea sharing, and a little “group therapy” was good for everyone. We were thrilled to have representatives from Mountain Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Cherokee Chamber, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Albertville Chamber, Arab Chamber of Commerce, and Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitor’s Center join us.
Finally, our February Talk about it Tuesday was a fantastic and informative visit with Director of Business Development Loren Gibson with the Alabama Self Insured Worker’s Compensation Fund. If you didn’t join us, be sure to watch the recording. It is jam packed with lots of great information on how you should be protecting your organization and how you can help your membership!
February may be the shortest month, but we certainly packed a lot into it. As the calendar changes, we are moving closer to Executive Leadership Conference and our 2026 Night of Champions. Registration is now open, award nominations are open and we are counting the days until we are together in Huntsville!