Welcome to the Highland County Chamber of Commerce

The Highland County Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural STEEL Conference was held on Tuesday, October 22 at The Patriot Center located on Southern State Community College’s Hillsboro campus. STEEL stands for Strengthening Together Experienced and Emerging Leaders.

Kicking off the event was Paul Worley, Economic Development Director of Adams County. Worley was the master of Ceremonies for the evening and led the conference to connect, learn, and strengthen together. The event began with a video made by the STEEL Conference Planning Committee on the importance of leadership within Highland County.

During the start of the event, Worley led over 160 participants through ice breaker sessions, which provided attendees with the opportunity to engage with fellow participants which included students, local business owners, and business leaders.

Dr. Nicole Rhoades, President of Southern State Community College, extended a warm welcome to the guests of The Patriot Center. She expressed her appreciation for hosting the event and her commitment to encouraging the leaders of tomorrow.

Renowned performance coach and USA Today bestselling author, Jordan Montgomery, delivered the keynote address. Montgomery, trusted by elite business executives, sales teams, professional athletes, and entrepreneurs, inspired the audience with his insights on leadership empowerment and growth. He emphasized, "When the leader gets better, everyone gets better." Aligning with the conference's objective to enhance leadership in Highland County, thereby enriching the community as a whole.

At the conclusion of Montgomery’s keynote address he answered various questions among the crowd about his leadership path in a Q&A session, giving a direct wave of inspiration to our community leaders.  Following these on-stage events Montgomery also autographed his recent book titled: The Art of Encouragement. True Life Chiropractic sponsored books for the first 35 registered attendees.

The Highland County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank Highland District Hospital for sponsoring The Highland County Panel Discussion. Tim Parry, CEO of Highland District Hospital, was invited to give a few remarks on the steps that Highland District Hospital has been taking to grow and evolve leadership within Highland County.

The panel discussion featured experienced and emerging leaders from Highland County, who shared their journeys, triumphs, and challenges along the way. Those Leaders included: Panel Moderator Karie Emery, Bright Local Schools Work Based Learning Coordinator; Experienced Leader Matt Burns, Hillsboro Baptist Church Pastor; Experienced Leader: Quincy Grey, Greenfield McClain Schools Superintenden; Emerging Leader Nathan Shafer, Shafer Heating & Cooling Owner; and Emerging Leader Dr. Austin Trueblood, True Life Chiropractic Owner.