AHOSKIE – A representative from one of the area’s newest businesses will serve as the featured speaker here next week when the Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce conducts its 69th Annual Banquet.

Elizabeth Woodworth of Enviva will serve as the keynote speaker at the banquet, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Ahoskie Inn. The event begins with a 6 p.m. social hour (cash bar available) followed by a dinner and program beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 per person and reservations must be made no later than Monday, Oct. 15 by calling the Ahoskie Chamber office at 332-2042.

Woodworth is the Director of Marketing, Communications and Sustainability at Enviva LP. As the innovative leading manufacturer of wood pellets, Enviva has a large presence in northeastern North Carolina and is one of the largest and most stable employers in the Roanoke Chowan area. The company has opened a pellet manufacturing facility in Ahoskie; has another under construction near Gaston in Northampton County, and recently broke ground on a third facility near Franklin, VA.

Woodworth joined Enviva in August 2010 with over 15 years experience in marketing, brand management, sales and customer relationship management. She received degrees in International Studies and French from the University of Richmond, an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.   She speaks fluent French and is proficient in Spanish.

Prior to joining Enviva, she served as Director of Marketing for Lancôme, L’Oreal, USA supervising the development and implementation of the marketing of eye makeup products which represented 20 percent of the luxury eye makeup market in the United States in 2006.