Oxford has been recognized by SmartMoney.com as a preferred retirement haven.  Follow the link below to read the article:

http://www.smartmoney.com/retirement/planning/retire-here-not-there-mississippi-1329440210818/?link=SM_mostemailed

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/egim45eehm/15-oxford-ms/

(Oxford, MS) – The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that sales for its upcoming community guide and membership directory are now underway. The 6,000 guides are on target to print this fall, and will be distributed in and around the Chamber service area.

The forthcoming Oxford community guide and membership directory will act as an ideal community reference guide with the ability to serve as an informational relocation publication and exceptional Chamber membership recruitment tool. This customized publication will feature a refreshing writing style, coupled with eye-popping design and colorful pictures – grasping the distinct character of the community. In addition to the profile portion, the publication will include a complete Chamber membership directory and comprehensive buyer’s guide (category listing).

Advertising in the Oxford community guide and membership directory has unrivaled advantages. The multi-platform advertising bundle goes beyond the traditional print publication to include: a community website and downloadable NewView eBook®, which converts the publication’s editorial, pictures and design elements into a digital format; on-the-go wireless access via various web-enabled devices; and the searchable vpMobile.us® Business Directory Portal, featuring the Chamber’s entire membership directory, available wirelessly, 24/7. Since 1996, the Village Profile® website has seen over 250,000,000 hits from Internet locales around the world and from all manners of users. This considerable traffic will prove beneficial to the entire Oxford-LaFayette County Chamber of Commerce community. The vpmobile.us site totaled 8,187,392 hits in 2010. The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce site has registered 196,135 hits.

In addition, a custom chamber, user-friendly Smartphone app is now available–accessible via the iPhone and Android–an extension of Village Profile’s enhanced connectivity not offered anywhere else in the Chamber publishing industry. All of these elements come together to offer the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, participating advertisers and the community valuable added exposure to a global audience.

This technologically advanced, royalty-generating publication is produced at NO COST to the Chamber.

This leading-edge publishing program is made possible through a partnership between the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and innovative Chamber publisher Village Profile®.

For publication and advertising information or to reserve ad space now, contact the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Sales Representative Samera St. Claire at (251) 923-6006 or Samiam324@gulftel.com.

The Oxford‑Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce has kicked off its Leadership Lafayette program for 2012. This eight-month course, which runs from January through August, is designed to ensure the continuity of leadership in the Lafayette‑Oxford‑University community. The class training builds community leaders through shared knowledge, skills and experience. The program emphasizes on developing leadership skills through activities promoting community awareness, team building and project development.

The 2012 Class includes: Jimmy Carr, State Farm Insurance; John Cofer, First Tennessee Bank; Jason Covington, FNC; Kinney Ferris, Oxford Convention and Visitors Bureau; Eli Gross, SOUTHBank; Theresa Holley, Holli’s Sweet Tooth; Denson Hollis, The University of Mississippi Foundation; Elise Lee, Lee Family and Cosmetic Dentistry; Dawn Lipscomb, Baptist Memorial Hospital-NM; Robert Mason, FNC; Whitney McGraw, Kessinger Real Estate; Lindsey Mitchell, LuLu’s; Jondi Roberson, Baptist Memorial Hospital-NM; Gina Rounsaville, Charter Road-Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn; Alex Sanders, Grantham Poole CPAs; Christy Scheuer, United Blood Services; Sydney Smith, Charter Road-Hampton Inn West; Raleigh Walker, Girl Scouts Heart of the South; Corsheilia Walker, Zaxby’s; and Cory Williamson, Williamson Schultze PLLC.

“I am very excited about this year’s program,” said Mary Kathryn Millner, Leadership Lafayette Chair and Marketing and Tourism Director for the Oxford Convention & Visitors Bureau. “They are a remarkable group, and we anticipate the work they will do through their projects will enrich our community. We are also eager to see them use their skills to get involved in different facets of the community beyond the program.”

Objectives of the Leadership Lafayette Program are to: 1) Identify potential community leaders; 2) Develop individual leadership potential; 3) Acquire knowledge about community and current issues in Lafayette County; 4) Create dialogue and rapport among participants and current community leaders; 5) Provide opportunities to network with alumni of prior Leadership Lafayette programs; 6) Promote a sense of “community” through shared efforts benefiting the local community.

“The Leadership Lafayette steering committee has been diligently working on details of the program, planning the sessions, speakers and agendas,” said Pam Swain, Leadership Lafayette program administrator and Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce. “These volunteers have been through this program and similar programs and have spent countless hours ensuring that each session is of value and interest to the class.”

The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce is the most dynamic business organization in our community where businesses and professionals come together to work to improve the business climate and quality of life for our area. With over 550 members, the Chamber strives to undertake programs and projects which seek a positive business climate conducive to growth of the private enterprise system, raising per capita income and providing strong financial, physical and human resources, for the citizens of Oxford and Lafayette County. These goals are accomplished through a variety of avenues, including networking opportunities, seminars, events, marketing opportunities, referrals, leadership programs, or other resources available exclusively to Chamber members.

Click here to view a class photo.

Looking for information about Oxford and Lafayette County? The newly redesigned website of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation is the place to go. Unveiled in late November, this website (www.oxfordms.com) provides information and resources for businesses, visitors, residents, and retirees.

“We are so excited to be launching this new website for our Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation,” said Pam Swain, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce. “We hope that it will make our information more easily accessible for not only our membership, but for the whole community and our regional partners.  Our goal is for this new website to be a one-stop location where members, newcomers, current residents, visitors, business owners, and consultants can come to find everything they need to know about our wonderful community.”

The website is divided into four key sections – “Live in Oxford,” “Chamber of Commerce,” “Economic Development,” and “Retire in Oxford.” Each section presents different information.

In the “Live in Oxford” section, visitors and residents can find things to do, information about taxes, schools, housing, health care and more about life in Oxford and Lafayette County. The “Chamber of Commerce” section keeps local businesses up-to-date about upcoming chamber events, programs, and activities. The “Economic Development” section targets prospective industries and site selectors, providing demographics, labor force data, information on available sites and buildings, and more.

The new website was designed and developed by Kathy Jacobs Design & Marketing, LLC, who also researched and developed the content for many pages of the site.

“The new website provides detailed information about Oxford and Lafayette County that is accessible and easy-to-find,” says Jacobs. “We looked at this project from the point-of-view of the user groups. What information would they look for and how would they look for that information were our primary questions.”

To view the new website, visit http://www.oxfordms.com. For more information about the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce or Economic Development Foundation, click on the “Contact Us” link or call (662) 234-4651.

Mississippi’s creative economy works toward development

by Errol Castens/NEMS Daily Journal Nems360.Co

OXFORD – When a community shares its stories, even when those stories spring from painful pasts, that can be a step toward economic development.

That’s the message Malcolm White, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, and Ward Emling, director of the Mississippi Film Office, shared Thursday with members of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation. Read the full article: Mississippi’s creative economy works toward development