SOUTH POINT — Chamber of Commerce Director Bob Smith has been back on the job for only a month after a winter sabbatical and already is going full-tilt at organizing upcoming chamber events.

First up is the third Spotlight Dinner, Show and Auction scheduled for Thursday, May 24, at Ironton High School. This year the featured artist will be Broadway star and Huntington, W.Va., native J. Mark McVey.

A reception starts at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:45 p.m. A pre-show will feature the Ironton High Varsity Singers at 7:45 p.m. McVey’s concert will follow.

McVey starred in the hit Broadway musical “Les Miserables” and is winding down a nearly year-long tour across the country in the musical.

“I am familiar with his work from his humble beginnings in Huntington,” Smith said. “He was in theater productions throughout his public school days like ‘Carousel’ and ‘Oklahoma.’”

Recently Smith was at a concert by McVey at the Gallipolis Riverfront.

“I approached him to say ‘Hi’ and mentioned the possibility of being part of our Spotlight Dinner and he was very, very amenable to that,” Smith said.

The dinner is a major fundraiser for the Chamber and provides a source for nine $500 scholarships for high school seniors.

“And we have other charitable projects that we contribute to throughout the year,” Smith said. “A lot of this money will go to those.”

This spring the Chamber is launching the Business Before Hours, an early morning before work get-together that mirrors the Business After Hours receptions.

The first one will be at Sam’s Club May 10 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. before the retailer opens for business.

“They contacted us and were interested in doing something like this in cooperation with the Chamber and I jumped on it,” Smith said. “Sam’s wanted to do this before the store opened. It would work with some other locations, especially those stores and businesses that stay open late.”

Also on tap is the Legislative Day on May 17 when the chamber hosts a trip to the state capital when economic and community leaders can meet with their legislators.

“May is going to be a very, very busy month,” Smith said. “I am back in the saddle again working with some really fine people. This is really a nice place to work, just being able to have a mission and being able to accomplish that mission with so many people to help. It is a fantastic journey.”

Table sponsorships and individual tickets for the McVey dinner are available by calling the Chamber at (740) 377-4550.