Big news came out of the Miller home as Makayla and I have a new addition to our household (photos here of our furry friend). I might be a bit biased, but she’s quite the cutie. We’ve been quietly biding our time looking for a pup since the spring, and we finally found a good fit this past weekend. Our few days together have been quite the transition for her (and us…) as we’ve been learning and growing together. She’s a pretty anxious little gal, but we’re already seeing her get more relaxed with each passing day. I imagine there will be more photos and updates of our family in future columns!

Sticky Leaders and Small Wins

This Tuesday, Sheila Robertson and I went to Topeka on behalf of Live Healthy Franklin County to a one-day forum at the Sunflower Foundation (pictures here). The organizer of the forum was Elevate Kansas, a relatively new nonprofit in Kansas that aims to unite health coalitions across the state. They do this by creating opportunities for connection and sharing tools, enabling groups to improve the health of their community and, effectively, the whole state. This five-hour session focused on understanding the needs of our communities, how to make progress on adaptive challenges, and tips/tricks towards grant writing. I believe Sheila and I both came away with some takeaways on things we can implement in Franklin County or ways to tweak certain processes better.

There were a couple of phrases or concepts from the forum that I found pretty neat. Nothing groundbreaking, but still worth sharing!

One was, “As leaders in our community, we need to get ‘sticky’”, meaning we connect people together. Then, those ‘stuck’ form bonds and find ways to partner. I thought the idea of being ‘sticky’ was fun.
Another was “turning silos into circles”. The idea that there are factions in our communities that are siloed (or maybe they silo themselves), but those circles often overlap on certain issues. Pushing those silos together where they intersect can help them find unified meaning and go further together. Here’s a visual of how I interpreted this phrase (view that here).
The last one was less of a phrase and more of a habit, but it’s as simple as celebrating small wins (or every win, for that matter). We are often so entrenched in the busyness of the work that we seldom take time to come up for air and pat each other on the back. When you get a chance to recognize an accomplishment, don’t let it slip away!

Bridging Campus and Community: OU Launches New Mentorship Program

Hopefully you’ve had the chance to meet our Community Liaison, JieJie. She has really hit the ground running and is making excellent progress on several different programs and initiatives. One of the many functions of her role is to act as a liaison between the Chamber (effectively the community) and Ottawa University (hence the title of Community Liaison). Our local college is a massive economic driver for Ottawa, and with 800+ students and nearly 200 faculty/staff on campus each year, there is an enormous opportunity for engagement. With most of us all agreeing there are loads of possibilities, it’s often challenging to figure out what that might look like. That hasn’t slowed down campus leadership and community partners from trying new ideas to make progress.

One new way OU has identified to bridge that gap is by connecting community members with those on campus (getting sticky). This program isn’t just social networking, but rather focuses on mentoring from community members to students (full flyer here). Through a digital platform, participating students and participating citizens can be paired together based on their field of study and general interests. With some suggestions from OU, the mentor and mentee can connect in a plethora of ways. Since this program is new to campus, there is still much to learn about how best to implement this concept. The first thing OU needs is willing community members. If you’re reading this and have an interest in giving back to one of our local college students calling Ottawa home, we want to chat further! Christine Currier in Career Services is a great contact to get this conversation started (email here).

Over the course of my life, I can think of dozens of mentors who have helped shape me into who I am today. Whether it was educators, faith leaders, older peers, or individuals who are easy to look up to, I definitely didn't get to where I am today alone. I hope this program can be a catalyst for just that: give students a wise confidante to turn to in the good and hard times. To celebrate wins and to help guide their future goals and aspirations. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, just a willing one!

Ladies Choice Award

It’s been a couple of weeks since our 20th Annual Ladies Night Out, but our Events and Promotions Committee is still wrapping everything up. At the end of the event, when participants turned in their finished scavenger hunt, they also completed a brief survey. One of the questions on that sheet asks them their favorite business they visited. We’ve had this question on the survey before, but we’ve just collected the data and haven't done much with it yet. This year, we decided that the business with the most shout-outs should be rewarded! As a result, Hasty Awards helped us make what will be our LNO traveling trophy (picture here). This year’s winner was a longtime LNO participant, Country Living Boutique (picture here). Their team always goes all out for this event―and obviously, the ladies loved it. Country Living shared that so many gals stopped by that they ran out of refreshments at about 3pm and had to restock to keep the party going. We’re glad they participate in this annual event and have so much fun with the ladies who come into their store. The Chamber is thankful for all the businesses that help make this event such a success, and now we have one more thing to celebrate next year!

Five Years Strong for Enso Self Defense

This morning’s Chamber Coffee was hosted by Enso Self Defense (pictures here). This event gave co-owner Angie Sutton a chance to share what their dojo is all about and celebrate a recent milestone: five years in business! Starting a business in 2020 would be a challenge for anyone, but it is especially difficult when teaching martial arts. If you're not familiar with jujitsu, two people can't be much closer in proximity... But, that was a challenge that didn’t scare Al and Angie, as they knew this was not only a service our community could benefit from, but one they personally enjoyed dearly.

Al Harris and Angie Sutton say that martial arts are for anyone, regardless of age, coordination, or body makeup. Whether you’re 3 years old or 99 years old (and everything in between), they have an opportunity for you! Some of the different classes they teach include kenpo, jujitsu, and training with weapons. They also occasionally do women’s self-defense classes. When asked about the self-defense classes, Angie shared that she doesn’t believe you can learn to fully protect yourself in a 45-minute session; it takes muscle memory and the right attitude to react well when in danger. Though these classes are a way to learn some competencies, true training will take time and dedication. If signing up for one of their classes seems overwhelming, no worries! That’s normal, and as a result, they invite anyone to come and watch a class as an observer. They also offer one free class to get your feet wet, no strings attached.

Outside of the self-defense skills Al and Angie teach, their training allows participants to develop mental fortitude, self-awareness, and respect. It also introduces them to a community of others with a similar mindset towards growth, creating a group of individuals to lean on and learn from. This character building undoubtedly betters our neighborhoods, classrooms, and workplaces.

One last thing I found neat is that you can work with Enso Self Defense for your next birthday party, team-building exercise, or friend outing. That can look like obstacle courses and lightsaber battles with kiddos, or self-defense training for you and your girlfriends. Just reach out to Angie with your idea, and she’ll get you taken care of!

Meet the Candidates - Wednesday, October 15th

Heads up! The general election is right around the corner. The last day to register to vote in Franklin County is Tuesday, October 14th. On Wednesday the 15th, the Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee will be hosting the General Election Candidates Forum for the USD290 School Board and City Commission races. This can be watched in person at the City Hall Commission Chambers or online via Facebook Live. If you’re not free from 6:30-8:30pm on the 15th, this will be recorded and uploaded for later viewing. Questions will be accepted by a question table at the event, but we would love it if you submitted these early (click here to submit a question). We hope all citizens take this opportunity to learn about our local candidates before the November 4th election.

I’m headed to Camp Chippewa this afternoon, as they unveil their new archery range. An exciting project that has been in the works for some time. We have a Chamber Coffee for them on November 7th, where I imagine Chamber members will be able to check it out and learn more! Have a great weekend and talk to you soon,

Ryland Miller

President/CEO

Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce

ryland@ottawakansas.org

785-242-1000