8
January 2015
Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
From the President
Jeanine McKenna
President & CEO
Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and
are ready for a successful 2015. As most years, I have sat down and charted out
my goals for the upcoming year, both personally and professionally. I have thought
about what is the best way to make it a successful year for all of our members
and the community as a whole. I have looked back at all we have accomplished,
talked to our members and the leadership of the Chamber, and I believe we are in
store for a successful and fulfilling year. I am proud of our office that includes the
Convention and Visitors Bureau, and what we accomplish together. I believe that
we truly are meeting our mission of being “proactive in creating an environment for
business and community success”.
We have members who represent all sectors of our community, each with varying
needs to grow and prosper, but in the end I believe we all want Emporia to be a
community in which we can live, work and raise our families.
We are committed as an organization to continually ask you what we can do to
help your business grow. My charge to you is to let us know your thoughts. How
can we be more purposeful in meeting your needs as a member? Remember our
mission is “To be proactive in creating an environment for business and community
success”. All we do needs to be based around our mission. I look forward to
hearing what you have to say.
We are k icking off the year with a lot of great and dynamic programs. The
Government Matters committee will be traveling to Topeka at the start of the
Legislative Session to deliver our Joint Legislative Agenda. We are proud of this
document that represents not just the Chamber, but Lyon County as well. This group
will also be continuing their Dialogues throughout 2015. Be watching for more
information as we draw nearer to each event.
Our Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, January 23rd this year, so mark
your calendars for Emporia’s premier event. We are gearing up for another sell out
event, many reservations have already been made, so if you have not done so yet,
make your reservations today!
The Leadership Emporia Alumni Association has been working hard over the past
year, to help all Leadership Emporia Alumni continue their learning. Past graduates
of Leadership Emporia are welcome to come and learn about the new curriculum we
are teaching based on the teaching of the Kansas Leadership Center. Look for their
Quarterly Breakfast, Read and Lead, and Board meeting dates in this newsletter.
We will also be introducing a new program that the Kansas Leadership Center is
offering to the business community at our Annual meeting, so be watching for the
breaking news!
Our Spring Expo is also just around the corner, so be sure to get your space
reserved. This is a great opportunity to showcase your business. This year’s event
will be held on Saturday, March 21st.
We will continue to be purposeful in asking you your thoughts and opinions on how
to grow our community, and we will listen. You want us to represent you on interests
that affect your business. Our bottom line is to provide value to your membership.
It is a great day in Emporia; please tell someone!