• Guiding Stars is a platform designed to make community onboarding easy
• It's a program designed to facilitate connections between newcomers, people, and place

• Meet your Guiding Star (face-to-face, via video chat, or a phone call) to get to know each other
• You'll be invited to at least two networking or community events OR get two emails about your interests
• Your Guiding Star should make THREE connections for you that align with this criteria: 
  • Personal connections whom they think you'll get along with 
  • Professional connections for a job
  • Volunteer organizations or clubs

• Answers specific questions about Huntsville, or connects you to those who have them 
• Serves as a "first connection" to those who move to the community 
• Makes connections to things to do, places to see, and people who can help you settle in

We take our time to make sure there is a good match between you and your Guiding Star, and it's done by a real human. It may take up to a week before you hear back about your Guiding Star request. 

No problem! All you have to do is send an email to asmartplace@hsvchamber.org and ask to be removed from the list. 

Your Guiding Star can connect you to people in their network who may be hiring, but they cannot guarantee you an interview or a role at any company, including their own. 

We ask the minimum number of questions we can to make a good match with one of our Guiding Stars. The ONLY people who have access to this data are the staff of ASmartPlace, and the two vendors who helped design this website. None of this data will ever be sold, used for sales or recruitment purposes, or shared with anyone outside of these organizations. You can request your data be permanently deleted at any time by emailing asmartplace@hsvchamber.org.

Your Guiding Star is trained to answer a variety of different questions about the area, such as providing information on schools, things to do, which neighborhoods or areas might be a good fit for you and your family, and where to look to answer other questions you might have. Their goal is to make sure you have all the information you need to comfortably and quickly make Huntsville your new home. 

They can also potentially connect you with vendors for things you may need but only if you specifically ask them to. They may, at times, offer their own services to you, if it fits your needs, but you should never feel like you're on a sales call when talking to your Guiding Star. 

As an employer you can use the Guiding Stars in two ways: 

1. Include information about Guiding Stars in your new-hire orientation for those coming from outside Huntsville. 
2. Use the Guiding Stars website as a recruiting tool for those prospects who are considering making a move to the region.