Baby Miller Prep Is in Full Swing
As Makayla and I get closer to welcoming our baby boy into the world, we continue to check off so many ‘to-dos’ before the August 6 due date. Baby crib, changing table, dresser/closet, and baby library are all in place now. When putting together furniture and items like the stroller, we can’t help but feel like we’re getting close. We also took advantage of the weather not being absolutely miserable yet and got some photos taken of Makayla and her bump (a few photos here). This was done by JieJie in our office, who’s turning into quite the photographer! Check out her socials here for more examples and her contact info if you need someone to capture moments with you and your family (link here).
Helping Visitors Find Treasure
Last weekend saw 70 different vendors set up at Legacy Square for this year’s Treasures in Ottawa event (pictures here). With so many goodies for sale, it was a fun shopping experience! The Chamber Events and Promotions Committee had a booth collecting zip codes and handing out raffle tickets. We had three amazing items donated by some super generous members. Walmart Store, Ottawa Sanitation, and Home Base all came together to donate a couple of top-tier coolers and a 50” TV. Three lucky winners took these home for stopping by and letting us know where they came from (pictures here)! We also gave away our limited edition Treasures in Ottawa pins for the summer pin/lanyard collecting program. It’s not too late to join if you haven’t started yet!
The reason we survey folks is to help us understand how many people travel in, and from where. At the end of the day, we had over 26 cities attend, with 33% of attendees from outside Franklin County. This event always brings people into town and lots of transactions over the course of the six hours. Hopefully, our brick-and-mortar businesses saw some of that activity, too!
Don’t Pass Up On Ottawa
Early Monday morning, Tiffany Evans and I headed to KCTV5’s station for a chance to talk with morning talk show hosts Shane and Kerrigan about all the good things happening in Ottawa and Franklin County this summer. If you weren’t tuned in, you can watch that back here (find that link here)! I’m not sure we’ve gone viral, but I hope we caught the eyes of some folks who might be looking for something to do this summer!
This is just one of the ways we are trying to show off our community to the region. This was made possible by support from the Franklin County Commission, which used TGT dollars to fund our summer marketing campaign. Along with some airtime, we are also rolling out online ads, YouTube ads, and even a billboard off I-35 (view that here). We hope people think about Ottawa this summer and don’t pass us up on a fun way to spend a day or more.
Ottawa Catches World Cup Fever
The 2026 World Cup has begun! Excitement in the air and flags on the street poles in town (picture here). Mexico and South Africa played a thrilling match yesterday, with three red cards brandished between the two teams... which is probably a record of some kind. Last night, South Korea came back from a goal down against the Czech Republic for a win. The Ottawa Memorial Auditorium helped the community jump into the tournament spirit by hosting yesterday’s early game on the big screen. As an official KC2026 watch party location, they handed out some World Cup swag for each visitor who stopped by. Kansas Tourism joined in with the mobile KS Tourism bus and handed out some fun Kansas themed items, too. It was a really engaging atmosphere watching together. If you’re interested in jumping in, you have another chance! This evening, stop by to watch the USA kick off their run against Paraguay (event here). Free goodies and a fun place to watch the World Cup matches are calling your name—don’t pass on the chance to watch history!
A Warm Welcome Starts Here
This morning’s Chamber Coffee was hosted by one of the Chamber’s newest board members, Nancy Johnson and the Holiday Inn Express (pictures here). Nancy has been the General Manager for this hotel since it was under construction six years ago. This job brought her to Kansas after she spent time in several major cities across the country, serving in sales roles within the hotel industry. This was her first GM job, and it was also by far the smallest town she had ever worked in. When she took the job, she wondered if the size of Ottawa would make it challenging to run a successful branch, but she shared this morning that this is far from the case. Over the past six years, they’ve found significant success and have been on track from the start.
Nancy shared that their regular occupancy rate is around 86% year-round. In warmer months, March through October, that sits well over 90%―with most weekends being sold out. She attributes this to a multitude of things. One being the partnerships between large industrial partners in town who have weekly travelers, our local university, and our great location on the interstate. Along with having great clients, Nancy also sang the praises of her team. She had three of those leads with her this morning, two having been here since the very beginning six years ago, and the other being here for three. In today’s world, longevity in the workplace can be so tricky. But it seems like Nancy and Holiday Inn have been intentional about creating a lasting culture here in Ottawa.
One of the things that really stood out to me when listening to the Holiday Inn team was their emphasis on the client experience and how they hope clients feel when they leave. Our hotels are often the gateway for travelers to experience Ottawa, and to be good hosts, we need good places to stay. I’m thankful we have this team to give them one of the first ‘hellos’ and help bring them back after a time well spent. Though I might never need a room for myself, I’m very glad we have this amenity in our community!
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Tomorrow we head over to Topeka for a baby shower with Makayla’s side of the family, which will be good fun. Then, on Sunday, my older sister has her baby shower. Makayla and Karra’s due dates are just three or so weeks apart. This August will bring my parents two grandbabies, and we can’t wait to greet them both soon! In the meantime, go team USA!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
