A Snapshot From The Past Week or So
I’m thankful that JieJie filled in for me last Friday as I was out of state. I told her she did so well that she might need to start making regular additions… It’s a good feeling knowing you have a good team around you! Before leaving town, JieJie and her now-husband, Eli Matthias, had their wedding reception in Williamsburg (photos here). It was a beautiful evening celebrating with these two! So many happy years ahead.
As JieJie shared last week, we attended a regional conference with Chambers from four Midwest states. Learning from speakers, vendors, and directly from other Chambers. It was fun having another set of eyes there (as I have historically gone solo), allowing us to meet twice as many people and soak in that much more information. I always come back each year with new ideas and fresh perspectives, and I think JieJie did too!
This conference is held in Branson, Missouri. Each year, Makayla and I always spend a few extra days soaking up the Ozark air. We get in our annual shopping at the outlet malls, play some mini golf (which Makayla won), and get some relaxing in (pictures here). It works out well because my birthday is at the end of April, which lines up perfectly with this conference. So this little getaway also counts as a birthday present! This time of year also reminds me of my anniversary as President/CEO, which started on April 3rd of 2023. It is crazy to think that I’m in my fourth year in this role! Time has gone by so fast.
City-Wide Garage Sales
Last weekend was also City-Wide Garage Sale Weekend. I want to give a big shoutout to the Ottawa Recreation Commission, who, for the past few years, has worked with households putting on a sale and adds them to a city-wide map. The ORC does this at no cost, and really, just wants to give back. From what I’ve heard, it sounded like a ton of great garage sales took place. Mark your calendars for the first weekend in September for round two! And if you’re hosting your own, make sure to let the ORC know so it can be “official”.
A Fresh Start to Farmers Market Season
Though the start of summer isn’t until late June, the first week of the Farmers Market always feels like we’re right about there. This week was the first Saturday and Wednesday market at Tractor Supply and Legacy Square, respectively. Though it’s a little early for produce, there is still a great selection of other goodies like jams, flowers, breads, strawberries, and more. All locally grown/made, you can’t go wrong with that! Make sure you have 8-12pm on Saturdays and 4-6pm on Wednesdays on your regular calendar for your farmers market goodies.
New Beginnings Across Campus and Community
Along with garage sales and farmers' markets, Ottawa University also had its commencement graduation this past Saturday. Undergraduate, Master's, and Doctorate programs from the OUKS and OU Online Campus celebrated their achievements in Ottawa. An exciting next step for these students, and a signal to faculty and staff that summer break is here!
Though many students go home for the summer, there are still a chunk that stick around. Luckily for our office, we are the beneficiaries of that. This summer, we have an OU Sophomore, Aaron Ruby, who will be interning with us (see picture here). Aaron is double-majoring in Psychology and Communication. He is on the debate team, and this spring, he brought home national recognition from the national debate competition. He and his teammate competed against some of the biggest schools in the USA and rose above them all—taking home 1st place in their competency. An incredible achievement at such an early period of his undergraduate career. Along with his debate skills, he’s a wiz at marketing and has already begun teaching JieJie and me tips and tricks for our social media. We’re blessed to have him join us, and we know he’ll bring an element to our team that is bound to have an impact. Make sure to say hi at one of our future networking events, or send him an email here (intern email).
LifeCare Center Celebrates Impact and New Leadership
This week, the Chamber's neighbor on E 2nd Street, LifeCare Center, hosted their annual banquet and fundraiser. Nearly 300 people came out to Ottawa University for an evening of good food and fellowship. This event highlighted the work LifeCare does for young families in our community and across the 25 counties it served in 2025. Hundreds of parents (and future moms and dads) were supported by their mission, many with life-changing help. This organization has been around for over 30 years, but this year marks an exciting milestone, as they officially announced their new Executive Director, Sarah Starrett, this past month. Sarah has been with the organization for 13 years, and most recently served as the Director of Client Services. She will bring that experience and her joyful attitude to leading this organization forward for many more years to come. If you'd like to learn more about LifeCare, I bet Sarah would love to share more (email here)!
A Year of Healing Pets—and Hunting Down Socks
This morning, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Hometown Vet Clinic on East Logan Street (pictures here from the Chamber Coffee). Dr. Holly Harris and her team shared the success they’ve seen over the past 12 months. Success that they contribute to the relationships they’ve been able to foster and the quality of care they provide for the pets that come through their doors. Though they run this clinic independently, they are part of a network of Veterinary Hospitals from Louisburg, Paola, Drexel, and, most recently, Martin City. This network of clinics allows their offices to lean on one another and share some practices/procedures that wouldn’t be available without this connected support. All the while, they have quite a bit of autonomy here locally, so the people who greet you over the phone and the doctors who treat your pets are all here locally.
This location opening in Ottawa was really spearheaded by Dr. Harris, who made a homecoming by opening this clinic in her hometown. She brought with her nearly a decade of institutional knowledge and a household name that has a reputation in our community. A reputation that can let clients know that you’re working with someone who cares, because Franklin County is home. With that in mind, when Holly knew they needed to expand their team, she didn’t look far! The newest member of the Hometown team is Brianna Parenti, an Ottawa native and K-State grad (picture here). Dr. Parenti adds depth to their team of doctors, enabling them to see more clients and match their growth rate.
Along with introducing Brianna, Holly also talked about her favorite procedures, exploratory and removal of foreign objects. These regular surgeries help save our pets from the non-digestible junk they get into, but it has also become a regular social media game called "What did you eat Wednesday?” She shared that just last week, they received a call from a frantic client whose pet may or may not have eaten an entire sock—whole. It was indeed the former, because once they got in there, they found the sock, almost completely unchewed. Though socks and underwear are most common, they have seen an array of swallowed items. A couple of others that were shared included a decorative glass rock or an entire yoga mat. Crazy! Whether your pet is getting into something they’re not supposed to, or maybe just needs updated vaccines, Hometown Vet Clinic is ready to support.
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Because of some stormy weather back in April, this evening is the rescheduled Young Professionals Bowling Night (event info here). Come bowl with the YP’s from 6:30-8:30 pm. Pictures to come next week!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
