It’s Friday already, where did the week go?? Days seem like a blink when I look back at the past week and all that took place, maybe it’s because of busyness, maybe it’s because I’m getting older, might just be the earth actually spinning faster… it’s definitely flying by. The origin of the term “time flies” is based on an ancient Latin phrase Tempus fugit, which can be translated literally as time escaping or fleeing. As time went on, time flies seemed to roll off the tongue a bit better it seems. Just shows that even back then people felt like time went too fast on occasion. Regardless of speed, still a great week to be working for the Chamber, let’s get into it.
Spring Up Main Street
Saturday morning we saw civic groups, OU students, local businesses, and other Main Street corner decorators gather to tidy up our downtown. Organized by the Ottawa Main Street Association and longtime corner managers Steve and Sharon Geiss (pictures here). Everyone got a chance to pull weeds, rake leaves, trim bushes and lay some mulch (pictures of hard workers). There were easily three dozen volunteers (probably more but I ran out of fingers to count on) helping in their respective corners. That big of a task needed that many bodies to accomplish all that took place in only just two or three hours. If you haven’t seen it yet, head downtown and admire the beautiful flowers, shrubbery, and decorations. All the greenery was acquired through partnerships with Ottawa University’s new greenhouse and local nursery Loma Vista. Sharon Geiss even got the Chamber something special for our big pots out front to hopefully survive the summer heat. Their placement makes it a little tricky to keep plants alive, but she did her research and these are supposed to be good fits. Thanks for all you do for the beautification of our downtown Sharon & Steve, those who visit Franklin County take notice, and it makes us locals proud as well!
2023 Honors Program
Monday evening the Chamber, Ottawa Middle and High School gathered in the new Performing Arts Center to recognize the top 5% of students in grades 6th-12th (pictures here). This is an annual event that has gone on for some time but has changed slightly over the years as to what the evening consists of. The purpose of the event is to further positively reinforce going above and beyond in one’s studies… putting the effort forward to get into this selection is not easy. Kelly Whittiker, OHS Principal stated that all high school students being honored had 4.0 GPAs this year, definitely worthy of recognition! This was my first year attending the event, and getting the privilege to kick the program off and close it as well. My expectations are lofty for this group as they have proven they are the future generation of leaders, I shared with them that regardless of their age they can make a difference in our community. I’m proud the Chamber gets the opportunity to recognize them at this event, but it’s worth mentioning that USD #290, Ottawa University and Neosho County Community College are all sponsors of the event and really make the evening possible with their support. This sponsorship also helps give each honor student some Chamber Currency to shop with locally. Congratulations to all the parents of honor students as well, they couldn’t have done it without you and your support!
Emergency Recovery Training
I don’t often think about disasters, especially what happens when one hits our community. That’s not the case for Franklin County Emergency Management Director Tom Winter, it’s his job to plan for the worst and know how to get us all through to the other side. But even if a force of nature hits, Tom saves the day and everyone is safe, what happens several months after the tragedy? How do we rebuild? What does recovery look like? Well Tuesday, six local leaders and myself went to Topeka to discuss these types of scenarios, to troubleshoot recovery and what roles we all play to get our community back on track in post-emergency. County Administrator Derek Brown, County Planning and Building Director Pat Toth, FCDC Director Paul Bean, Franklin County Communication Director JoAnna Bishop, and Public Health Director Brenda Pfizenmaier all brought our respective knowledge and area of expertise to the round table discussion (pictures here). One of my takeaways from the training is how the Chamber can be a conduit for information when tragedy hits, pushing information to our members and the greater community on the next steps and opportunities. I know when the rubber meets the road, this community can pull together over a common goal. It helps give me some piece of mind that we have a designated individual with the knowledge and authority to help guide us in case of an emergency. With that being said, hopefully we don’t need Tom to use this training anytime soon!
Leadership Franklin County Graduation
The end of the school year signifies the end of the 22/23 Leadership Franklin County class. Fifteen graduates had the opportunity to share their experiences with a presentation in the morning and then walk across the stage to be recognized as newly graduated (pictures here). After presentations and before walking, I had the opportunity to talk with the group about their thoughts on leadership… what I picked up from the class is leadership is not just authority, it takes effort and can be trained, it involves others, and everyone has the ability to do it (in their own way/style). They also stated that some of their favorite moments of the year included spending time with their classmates and volunteering together in the community. It’s awesome to see the culture that this group is able to create over the nine months together. This program has been taking place for over 30 years and has produced many of our community leaders over the three decades. I know this class has the appetite and potential to do likewise, many are already leading in their own organizations. If you are or know of a future leader, applications for the 23/24 program will be pushed out soon, but shoot me contact information in the meantime if you have someone in mind. The class is more than just learning leadership curriculum, it opens doors to the offerings of the community and connects you with the people who make it so great. Having graduated in the class of 19/20, I am thankful for the network I created with my peers while in the class, I still get to work with them now and again as well!
You cannot talk about LFC without mentioning the fearless leader, Donna Ferguson, who puts so much of herself into making this class as successful as it is. Thank you for your time and effort, all of the students who you have organized over the years recognize you as a great example of hard work and dedication.
Dream Kitchens and Supply Inc.
Chamber members got a beautiful scenic drive through Franklin County this morning to gather at Dream Kitchen and Supply’s new showroom at 4441 Indiana Rd. outside Ottawa. Along with checking out their top-notch showroom, we were able to celebrate 30 years of business. Phil and Barb Pearce started helping their customers achieve their dream remodels in 1993, and though Phil is slightly retired, he still plays a role in helping his son Tom Pearce run the family business. Along with team members Sandy Henley and Julie Olmsted (pictures here of all four together), expertise, quality and communication come in spades when working with the Dream Kitchen’s team. I was taken aback once stepping inside their location, the type of facility you would expect to see in a downtown metropolitan area is located right here in Franklin County! There was testimony after testimony of individuals who have had the kitchen or bathroom of their dreams come true with the help of Tom and his team. Regardless of the shape or size of your space, their designers can come in and transform the area into exactly what you hoped for… and if you don’t know where to start or if the options are overwhelming, they can make it easy with templates to make your decision an easy one.
I think their work speaks for itself, but something that I think really shows off the kind of people you are working with when you choose Dream Kitchen, is that Tom Pearce, President of the company, is opening the door for all the guests who arrived today, welcoming them. You get a sense of familiarity and comfort when you are with Pearce’s team, like you are part of the family. The kind of qualities that I think make Franklin County such a great place to work and live. I look forward to 30 more years of Dream Kitchen Supply!
NFL Draft
Day one of the Kansas City-hosted NFL Draft is complete. Lots of activity and a huge economic impact to our metro being chosen to hold this national event. It already has me looking forward to the coming season, don’t want to rush it, but great knowing that even when the summer ends you get football to fall back onto. Exciting pick for our Kansas City Chiefs choosing local boy Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Lee’s Summit and Kansas State University graduate. I say boy because he is only twenty-one years old, but I don’t think that is how many view the 6-foot-3, 255-pound athlete. I think it’s amazing to see someone grow up rooting for a team, for a city, and to then have the opportunity to come full circle and wear the jersey themselves has to be surreal. He has a good mentor/tutor in All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, hopefully he soaks in all the knowledge he can. Three more days of draft left, we’ll see how it all plays out!
Headed South
Makayla and I are headed to Branson Missouri for the weekend, which then transitions into a regional conference for Chamber Execs Monday-Wednesday. Looking forward to spending time together beforehand, probably playing a game of mini golf at some point. It’s worth noting that Makayla actually won a rather prestigious mini golf tournament growing up (you’ll have to ask her about it when you see her), so I may be the underdog but there’s nothing wrong with that... I’ll keep you posted on the results! The conference is also fun and incredibly educational. I’m looking forward to hearing new ideas, finding ways to better serve you, and making sure we’re firing at all cylinders.
Sherri will be holding down the fort for those three days, if you are wanting to stop by you might call first to make sure she’s in and not running an errand or in a meeting. I appreciate all she has done this past month to help with the transition, she really is a rockstar.
Talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000