Dear Chamber Supporters,

I had the chance to be spontaneous this week and took Makayla out to see some Franklin County sunflowers (pictures here). I had her guess where we were heading. She didn’t say flowers, so I count that as a successful surprise. I also noted all the other guesses which will now be future date ideas (working two steps ahead). This beautiful field is just a short drive over to Brenda Hayden's garden off Sandcreek Road (1720 S Sandcreek Rd. Pomona). If you’re interested in checking them out for yourself, she’ll be open till 8pm today through Sunday.

Five Years of Legacy Square

Last Friday we spent the evening at Legacy Square, celebrating five years of this fantastic addition to Ottawa’s downtown (pictures here). Lonnie King, the owner of Fashion Inc. and Universal Sign in our north industrial park, and his family brought up the significance of the date to our group a month or so ago. The fact that it has been half a decade since the ribbon cutting might have slipped right by us otherwise. This gathering of food, drinks, and fellowship reminded me of how this project was made possible; through generous people who care about our community and chose to share their time, talent, and treasure. Onward Ottawa put these slides together for the event, which gives a brief synopsis of Legacy Square for those interested in learning more (view those here). This space off Walnut Street will get plenty of use this month with all the festivities going on in town.

Onward Ottawa (the board that spearheaded the Legacy Square project) is still active and fundraising. One of the ways we got the bicycling community involved was through a partnership with a local bike store, Ottawa Bike and Trail. Owner Jeff Carroll donated an adventure bike to be raffled off, including a sizing to ensure it rides just right. What started as a bike raffle turned into a whole experience as Edward Jones – Ryan Henningsen donated $250 of Chamber Currency, and the Deitz family donated a two-night stay right off the trails in the Old City Hall Airbnb. This was drawn this past Friday to the winner, Gary Epley. Gary will be able to ride the trails, shop, eat, and enjoy Ottawa with this fun-filled package. As this board looks ahead at the needs of our community, it’s more important than ever to have everybody come to the table. Onward Ottawa would love to connect with you and your business on how you could play a part in future projects.

Creating a Platform for Effective Communication

This past Tuesday, I was invited to speak at our local Rotary Club about things going on at the Chamber. I always appreciate the chance to update folks on what we have taking place and where we’re headed. One of the more exciting topics I touched on was some communication efforts the Chamber has been working on for the majority of the summer. This work started from conversations that took place at our strategic planning session this past spring. One of the discoveries from this session was the challenge for our board and staff to share exactly what the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce is (in a moderate amount of time). This communication issue makes it difficult to spread a consistent message about who we are. I don’t believe we were answering incorrectly before, but we’d all reply a bit differently. To alleviate this and solidify a consistent message, we held a board and staff exercise that sorted our thoughts and experiences into written form, which the masterful Lee Stadler then sorted. What came out of that session was the discovery of our Chambers’ Core Values (view those here). These broad pillars allow us to share who we are concisely and congruently.

Holistic Growth: We grow all corners of our community together.
Collective Wisdom: We connect individuals from all walks of life to benefit one another and our community.
Empowering Progress: We have resources that can benefit businesses of all sizes, including nonprofits, individuals, and citizens alike.
Roots of Legacy: This is all built on nearly a hundred years of work. We plan on continuing this legacy for another hundred years and want to bring together those interested in coming along.

We plan on empowering our board and staff to share the good news that our Chamber brings. We believe this communication tool will allow for effective results. I look forward to addressing organizational and community challenges with this identity in place.

Join Us for Franklin County Career Day

Education partners gathered online this week to plan our upcoming Franklin County Career Day. This annual event brings area high school juniors together to learn about opportunities they can take advantage of now and after graduation. Ottawa High School will be the host on the morning of October 9th, and there is still time to register your business or organization. Along with the career fair portion of the event, there will also be a specific station for nonprofits/civic organizations to set up and share about career, volunteer, and community opportunities. The best part about the event is that it’s free for all to participate in! This is a great chance to meet with a captive audience and share your story. If you are interested in participating, reach out to Paul Bean or me if you have any questions or want to sign up. Our goal is to make sure all of our Franklin County students know how great their community is. We hope you can share why you help make this a great place to live, work, and play on October 9th.

Goppert State Service Bank Marks 125 Years with New Leadership in Ottawa

This morning, Chamber members gathered off 68 HWY at Goppert State Service Bank in Ottawa. GSSB is celebrating its 125th anniversary as a financial institution with an extensive history in the Kansas communities that it serves. The branch in Ottawa has not always had the same name but has always been owned by the same family and has a strong reputation as a small-town bank. We all had the chance to meet Justin Beckman this morning, the new Branch Manager (pictures here). Justin grew up in Garnett and was an Ottawa University grad. His family owned Beckman Motors in Garnett before it changed hands a couple of years ago, becoming a new addition to the line of Victory dealerships throughout the region. After leaving the automobile world and having worked in their finance department, he spent some time getting his real estate license before GSSB came knocking. Justin has been the Branch Manager and Loan Officer at our Ottawa location since January of this year. He and his staff are excited to be part of this longstanding institution. As they finish their 125th year, they look to celebrate being a local option for our community into the 126th year and beyond.

It is a great month to be in Ottawa and Franklin County! So much happening over the next three to four weeks, starting with festivities going on right now. Forest Park is full of Massey tractors and tractor enthusiasts. The Power of the Past has three full days left of activities to partake in (check out their schedule here). For those looking to do some shopping this weekend, make sure to pick up a shopper scavenger hunt map with businesses throughout Ottawa that are in the tractor spirit. The chance to win prizes is in store for those who visit enough participating locations (find that map here). You can pick one up at the Forest Park gates or at stores included on the map. While you’re searching for goodies at your favorite businesses, you can also enjoy your choice of adult beverage at liquor-licensed locations within the common consumption area (CCA) all weekend long (view those participating locations here). Tractors, beer, and shopping all sound like a good way to spend a weekend. I hope to see you in downtown Ottawa or around Forest Park this weekend!

Ryland Miller

President/CEO

Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce

ryland@ottawakansas.org

785-242-1000