If you are interested in listing your home for the Masters 2003 Golf Tournament, please call the Masters Housing Bureau at 706-821-1315 and leave your name, address and daytime telephone number. There is a $15 processing fee to register your home. If you lease your property, Masters Housing Bureau receives a seven-percent listing fee on the rental amount. For more information contact Jane Fuhrmann, Director of Masters Housing Bureau, at 821-1315. Would you be willing to drive more than two hours to come to participate in civic activities? This month's "Spotlight" member Helen Stembridge thinks nothing of it. As SCANA Energy's regional manager for Central Georgia, Ms. Stembridge takes her role of being active in the community seriously. Even though she lives in Macon, Ms. Stembridge has been a regular attendee at Metro Augusta functions for more than two years.

Annual sponsorships of Business at Breakfast and Women in Business events have been great opportunities for networking, says Ms. Stembridge. "The Augusta Metro & Columbia County Chamber events provide great business contacts and help me keep a pulse on issues and opportunities in the Augusta area." That's important to Ms. Stembridge and her company Ð natural gas marketer SCANA Energy.

SCANA Energy's role in the community extends beyond its chamber involvement. Community sponsorships have included the Boys and Girls Club, the Morris Museum of Art and a special homework center program at Bayvale Elementary School. SCANA Energy sponsors 10 homework centers throughout Georgia, providing a safe, productive learning environment four days a week for an hour and a half after school. Program funding covers the cost for a teacher and an aide to work with students on completion of their homework and other learning activities.

"It"s a highly effective program," says Ms. Stembridge. "Students understand the homework they've completed and their participation in class often increases, as does their confidence level and grades." As both a business leader and a mother of two, that is something Ms. Stembridge appreciates. "It's a great program. I'd highly recommend it for businesses wanting to make an impact in education."

Ms. Stembridge's community involvement doesn't end there. She's involved with the Builders Association of Metro Augusta, the Home Builders Association of Georgia, the Central Georgia American Red Cross Board of Directors and the Administrative Council for Forest Hills United Methodist Church. A graduate of Georgia Southern University, Ms. Stembridge has worked for SCANA Energy since its introduction into the deregulated natural gas marketplace in Georgia more than four years ago. SCANA Energy is the number two natural gas marketer in Georgia and was recently named the "regulated" provider of natural gas for low-income customers.

You can contact Ms. Stembridge for assistance with your natural gas energy needs at 478-743-1552 or contact customer service toll free at 1-877-467-2262. Also, check out SCANA Energy's Web Site at www.goscana.com.

Masters Housing Bureau

Ask any out-of-town executive who wants to attend the Masters¨ tournament next year what his top priority after getting tickets will be and he will probably respond, "finding a great place to stay." Providing quality accommodations for the hundreds of visitors who flock to Augusta each April is a challenge the Masters Housing Bureau has been meeting successfully for more than three decades. The Augusta National and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce established the Bureau in 1970 as a joint venture when it became clear that the number of hotel rooms available in the city at that time was insufficient to handle the growing number of people coming to Augusta for the annual event. Today, more than 30 years later, the Masters Housing Bureau (MHB) is still the only housing service sanctioned by the Augusta National Golf Club.

The Bureau's success has been the result of careful planning, meticulous attention to detail and the enthusiastic support and cooperation of hundreds of local residents who rent their homes out during Masters week. Each year the Bureau has continued to grow, not only in terms of the number of homes leased, but also in the number of clients worldwide they are housing. Many homes are leased year after year by the same client, which is an excellent indicator that they are satisfied with the Bureau's services.

The Bureau sends a registration form to homeowners who express an interest in leasing their homes. The homeowner must complete and return the form, along with photos and information about their property saved on a disk for clients to view. The homes most frequently requested are those with four bedrooms and three and one-half baths that are located in West Lake, Jones Creek, Barrington or Rhodes Hill subdivisions. Homes in these areas are considered "corporate" rentals. Another popular housing area is "the Hill," where many of the golfers and their families and friends stay.

Not all guests are business executives in need of "corporate" rentals for the entire week. Many homes are leased to patrons who have been coming to the Masters for decades. These guests usually arrive on Wednesday and leave either Sunday or Monday morning. There also has been an increase in the number of people only needing accommodations during the Practice Rounds, held Monday through Wednesday.

Homeowners usually start registering in early August and guests usually begin booking accommodations around the first of September. All homes must be in excellent condition and homeowners must follow guidelines provided by MHB that show them how to prepare their homes for their Masters guests.

If you are interested in listing your home for the Masters 2003 Golf Tournament, please call the Masters Housing Bureau at 706-821-1315 and leave your name, address and daytime telephone number. There is a $15 processing fee to register your home. If you lease your property, Masters Housing Bureau receives a seven-percent listing fee on the rental amount. For more information contact Jane Fuhrmann, Director of Masters Housing Bureau, at 821-1315.