Happy Cinco de Mayo! Looks like the heat is coming this weekend just in time for tacos and cerveza. Fun fact, Americans eat an astounding 81 million pounds of avocados on this day each year. That’s almost 2% of the annual production of avocados out of Mexico, which is the largest producer of the green fruit. Margaritas also make up around half of the adult beverages ordered on the day, I imagine our local margarita-making restaurants and liquor stores stocked up beforehand. Thanks to all the avocado and margarita consumers that eat/drink local each year!
I’m still getting my days straightened out after being gone for most of this week down in Branson Missouri. Feels more like a Tuesday than a Friday to me. Before I share about the Chamber conference, here are some pictures from mini golf, Makayla’s parents celebrated with a getaway that weekend and joined us for a game. Big winner was my father-in-law Dave, not particularly a close match either as he blew us all out of the water. I ended up getting last out of the four of us… seems like I need to practice my short game.
MAKO Conference
The acronym MAKO stands for Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. These are the four states that gather together to learn about ways to better their own organizations through Chamber-led workshops, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities over the three days (pictures here). Programs included different ways to look at membership levels, how to build community trust, what strategic planning should look like, community awareness plans, and the Chambers role as leaders to name a few. Kansas had 62 representatives present, I truly enjoyed spending time with so many of them, what a great opportunity to put our heads together on ways to better the whole state. It’s always interesting to see how some of our neighboring cities operate their Chambers, communities like Topeka and Wichita have dozens of employees, all with specific roles. While others are one-person offices, doing a little bit of everything. We associate more with the latter, but big ideas sometimes have small beginnings. If you’re interested in interacting with other nearby Chambers and their members, make sure to put this after-hours event on your calendar at the Jayhawk Marina in Paola… I’m planning on being in attendance to reconnect and enjoy fellowship.
One of those 62 Kansans present at MAKO was former President/CEO, John Coen, who came to say some goodbyes as he served on the conference board for several years and has known many of these other execs for a decade. Tuesday night our state all ate dinner together and presented John with a plaque for his service (pictures here). This would be my third time attending MAKO, I appreciated the chance to spend one last conference with him. He said he enjoyed it as well… from a retired individual’s lens. I always come back energized about the work that we do, even if my week is a little disjointed afterward. I am a strong believer in being a lifelong learner, growing your knowledge about your industry is invaluable whether that’s leadership training, industry-specific conferences, or just picking up and reading a book.
Calendar of Events
One of the ways your Chamber promotes activities in our community is through our online calendar of events that can be found on our website – www.OttawaKansas.org/events. This is an easy way to check on upcoming Chamber Coffees and Ribbon Cuttings or to see details about our upcoming free concert at Legacy Square on June 10th. We also want this to be a space to find information about non-Chamber activities as well, regardless of size or scope. If you’re going to have an event in the community and want people to know about it, send it over and we’ll get it approved. Submitting an event is easy and can be done on this link or by clicking the button on the website calendar. This is just one more way the Chamber connects our community together and keeps everyone informed!
NextGen Under 30
Last year I was nominated and honored to be part of the first round of NextGen Under 30 recipients, along with 200 other young individuals in the Kansas workforce. They have announced that the nominating period for this award is open again for 2023 nominees. I would challenge you to think of one person in our community who is under 30 and exhibits talent, drive, and service. If you have someone in mind, nominate them here on this website. Here is a short video on the award and why it’s important for Kansas to recognize young adult over-achievers. There are categories for just about every industry including education, healthcare, logistics, art, etc. Much like we celebrate honor students here locally while they’re working towards graduation, acknowledging them after joining the workforce is equally important to help retain our top talent. I know I really appreciated being honored… if you have any questions about the program or the process just let me know.
Volunteering at Your local Chamber
One of the things I am focused on as your new President/CEO is creating a culture of volunteering in our community, across all generations. So many of the community’s nonprofits rely on volunteers to elevate their mission, we happen to be one of them. Though I don’t believe the Chamber has made it easy to be educated on these opportunities or how someone could get involved, which is one of the challenges I am wanting to address. I am hoping to open up space for individuals in our community to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves and participate in ways that fit their likes and abilities. Here is a flyer that might better explain my thoughts. Just yesterday we had Chamber volunteer and regular Chamber Trip traveler Bev Wellington helping organize some paperwork for Sherri. Whether you’re interested in welcoming visitors to the office and interacting with new people or being behind the scenes either on a computer/working with paperwork, we want to make sure we’re connected and working towards goals bigger than ourselves. These little acts of volunteerism go a long way for our office, so thank you Bev for your time. Also want to thank all of those who currently serve on our board and committees, it’s amazing to see what happens when we bring unique voices to the table. If you or someone you know has an interest in spending as little as an hour or two helping the cause, Sherri and I would love to be in touch.
Kansas Apprenticeship Act
One of the things that came out of this most recent legislative session is House Bill 2292, which creates the Kansas Apprenticeship Act. This act establishes a tax credit and grants incentive programs for apprenticeships. For the next three years (including 2023) employers who have a registered apprentice can be awarded up to $2,500 in tax credits for each apprentice employed, up to 20 apprentices. The bill would also allow an employer to claim a $500 tax credit for an apprentice who is enrolled in a secondary or postsecondary CTE program and is under 18 years of age. Grants are also being awarded to nonprofits, educators, and higher education engineering programs that utilize the apprenticeship program. For more information on this bill and the apprenticeship program, click here. This is a unique resource that incentivizes and assists with workforce issues we face in our community and across the whole state. If you have any questions or are interested in moving towards utilizing apprentices in your workplace, we can help direct you toward these goals.
If you wanted to ask specific questions to our local legislators about this bill or any others that either made it through or didn’t, tomorrow morning we will be having a wrap-up Legislative Coffee at City Hall in the Commission Chambers. If you’d prefer to just watch in on the conversation, the City of Ottawa live streams the event on Facebook which you can access here.
Makayla and I are headed to my cousin’s baby shower this Sunday, she will be the first of my immediate cousins to have a baby. Can’t be more excited for her and her husband. My youngest sister who is now 20 is the youngest on that side of the family… until the new baby comes this summer anyways. I imagine this will shake up the family gatherings moving forward, in one of the best ways.
Have a safe Cinco de Mayo and see you soon,
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
