Jill's Journal: It’s a new hat for me to wear
Last week, I put a on new hat in my career: Chairwoman of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
To be honest, I found there was very little difference at our first meeting of the new year last week with the exception that I’m now the one asking board members for motions, seconds and to vote in favor of the motion or against the motion.
The other notable difference were a few new faces around the table. Newcomers to the Chamber’s Board of Directors are Cory Lichty of Midco, Jeff Thompson of Knife River, and Barb Fish, a financial planner. Barb, as many of you probably know, also represents Ward I on our local city council. Lee Schelling, who was appointed to the board two years ago, began his first full term this year as well.
The current board also includes Daemon Coughlin of Oakridge Nursery & Landscaping, Amanda Starzl of Keller Williams, Chris Limmer of Limmer Financial Services, and Val Lemkau, the Brandon branch manager of First National Bank in Sioux Falls.
Myself, and many of the above-noted board members have been involved with the Chamber in a variety of capacities by promoting and attending events, through sponsorships and donations, and on one – or multiple – of the organization’s committees.
Recently, I had a conversation with a business owner who felt the Chamber wasn’t doing what it was supposed to for its membership.
I did not agree, and instead of debating our beliefs, I asked them about their current involvement with the Chamber, of course, other than monetary sponsorships for events or donations for Auction Amore and the like.
“I used to,” was their answer.
That opened the door for me to put on my “new hat” and encourage this individual to join one, two, three – or all – of the Chamber committees. As it turns out, the Special Events Committee, which by the way, I’ve been a part of now going on 20 years, piqued their interest. I hope to see them at the table this morning as we put the final touches on the Chamber’s next big event, Auction Amore, which is Friday, Feb. 7 at the Holiday Inn in Brandon.
While “Special Events” may be somewhat self-explanatory, we’re the group that takes charge of planning events like Auction Amore, coming up with goofy themes and games for our summertime golf tournament, arranging programs for holiday entertainment, like last month when Jeff Gould brought his holiday program, “A Prairie Christmas” to Brandon once again. And there’s a whole lot more that this committee is charged with carrying out. Essentially, we’re the “party planners.”
Truth be told, it’s simply one fun committee to be a part of. Several weeks back, I wrote about the giggles you’ll hear coming from the Chamber’s conference room at 8 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. That’s us. We’re silly. We love to brainstorm, which oftentimes leads to even more silliness and even bigger laughs. But in the end, we always seem to accomplish the mission.
Speaking of committees, I’m handing over the reins this year as the chairwoman of Special Events to Amanda Starzl, but this committee really doesn’t need a leader. We all roll up our sleeves and do what we’ve done so many times before. Some like to say, we’re a well-oiled machine.
Back to my spiel on committees, I will now be chairing the Issues Management Committee, which meets at 8 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month. For me, as your local newspaper editor, I learn a lot during this hour-long meeting. Representatives from the city, the Brandon Valley School District, and oftentimes guest speakers, like our District 2 legislators, educate and update us on topics that are of concern to us all. Oftentimes during these discussions, I learn more about something I felt I already had a good grasp on.
This committee is also tasked with organizing and carrying out local candidate forums – in cooperation with the BV Journal – and Brandon Day at the Legislature, which this year, is Wednesday, Feb. 26. That’s the day we board a bus before the sun rises, hit the road for the State Capitol in Pierre, serve lunch to every living, breathing person in the building, talk up our town, advocate for our needs, learn about state government firsthand, and of course network with other Chamber member representatives, which has proven to be invaluable.
This annual trip is open to everyone in the community, and if by chance we’d get more than a busload of residents to sign up, you can bet I’ll be lobbying for a second bus.
Speaking of a “second bus,” for several years, a busload of Brandon Valley High and Middle School students has joined us at the Capitol that day. And of course, being home to the top school district in the state, we’re proud as a peacock to introduce these future leaders to legislators from every corner of the state.
The Marketing Committee, which is chaired by Val Lemkau, does just what the title eludes to: They get the word out about the various Chamber events that take place throughout the year. Marketing, of course, involves a variety of avenues: Print, radio, television, billboards, social media, direct mail, and coming this spring, the once-a-year magazine, Inside Brandon.
Past Board President Chris Limmer is the chairman of the Membership Committee. While “membership” describes that their job is to cater to the Chamber members, they take charge of ribbon cuttings and reminding members about those ribbon cuttings and other Chamber events, including the monthly On the Menu luncheons. These luncheons are held on the fourth Tuesday each month at Tailgator’s, beginning at 11:45 a.m. There is a small fee to cover the lunch cost. On the Menu is yet another opportunity to learn and network. Just two days before Thanksgiving, Senator John Thune drew a capacity-crowd, and in late February, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson has committed to be here.
On The Menu isn’t only for Chamber members; the general public is always welcome to attend, but pre-registration is required.
The final committee is Career Development, which is led by Daemon Coughlin, and meets at 8 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. This committee works closely with the Brandon Valley School District and is an arm of the high school’s internship program. It’s one of the most important Chamber committees, as this is yet another avenue where our local high school students can learn by doing, most times be a paid employee, and gain credits toward graduation. It also gives these students the opportunity to explore career interests, which has proven to be invaluable, as some have learned they’re headed on the right career path, and others come to realize that it’s not the right fit for them.
I do want to thank past board members, Carmen Dougherty and Yannick Laroche for sharing their time and expertise with us, and I’m confident just because their board terms have come to an end, you can bet they’ll continue to show up, volunteer at events, plug their employers for sponsorships and so on.
It’s only January folks, and I’m so excited about what’s in store for our community, for the Chamber and its membership, and honored to wear this “new hat” for the betterment of us all.
