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Meet new Executive Director of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Laura Strickland

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SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Laura Strickland has been named the new Executive Director of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce.

Strickland has served as the interim director of the chamber since her predecessor, Mike Landers, resigned from his position on March 21.

Chamber President Linda Hardy said in a statement, “In a unanimous decision by the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Laura Strickland has been named our Executive Director. We are excited to have Laura and know she will be a tremendous asset to our Chamber. A press release will be issued this week.We look forward to a new and exciting future of growth and opportunity.”

Born and raised in Sylacauga, Laura is proud to call Sylacauga her home along with her husband Barry and their two sons, Stephen and Lane. Today they reside on their family farm in Coosa County but call Sylacauga their home.

Upon graduation from Sylacauga High School, Laura attended Auburn University and graduated with a degree in Marketing and Merchandising. She began her career path as an intern at Russell Corporation in Alexander City, Alabama where she worked in the area of apparel product development.

After college graduation, she worked as a retail associate and buyer with a local boutique followed by a return to Russell Corporation as an apparel merchandiser with the JERZEES Division. She later transitioned into the event marketing role designing and coordinating the JERZEES trade show schedule and conducting various special events within the JERZEES Division such as the Annual Distributor Conference. Taking advantage of the opportunity to work within various marketing roles, she later assumed the role of the JERZEES Advertising and Marketing Manager coordinating the printed advertising materials for the apparel brand along with various marketing efforts to grow the brand in the apparel industry.

In 1999, Laura joined the team of Gillis Advertising in Birmingham as the Account Manager for the Cross Creek Apparel brand based out of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. It was a natural fit as Cross Creek was a division of Russell Corporation. She was responsible for all aspects of account management including developing and implementing the marketing plans for the Cross Creek brand.

In 1958, Laura’s grandfather established Royal Tire Service, a full service automotive and tire shop in Sylacauga. Laura grew up working within the business as she saw her parents grow the business to exceed all imaginable goals. In 2000, Laura joined the family business along with her father, David Roberson, and brother, Scott Roberson as a 3rd generation owner. Together they grew the business to be one of the largest single location tire and automotive service centers in the Southeast. Through their affiliations in the tire industry with American Car Care Centers and Tire Pros, Scott and Laura expanded their business knowledge and served in various leadership roles within the tire industry. In 2014, Laura was nominated as one of the Outstanding Female Business Owners in the Southeast by Tire Pros. In July of 2015, Scott, Laura, and David sold the family business.

In the spring of 2016, Laura joined the team at the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce as the Marketing and Membership Director. It was a natural fit for the Chamber and Laura considering her diverse background in marketing and business development partnered with her love and respect for the community of Sylacauga. Along with various community events and programming, Laura introduced a Lunch and Learn series along with other professional development workshops. In the fall of 2016, she coordinated a successful job fair for one of Sylacauga’s manufacturing partners and successfully assisted with the placement of over 100 employees. Through the Laura’s leadership, the Sylacauga Chamber hosted its largest annual dinner in the spring of 2017.

With more than 350 active members, the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce’s stated mission is to provide leadership and promote the economic advancement, business climate, and quality of life for Sylacauga and surrounding areas.

Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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