Dear Chamber Supporters:
Memorial weekend is just hours away from beginning for those who have not already taken off early. A time when we recognize the sacrifice so many have made and continue to make to ensure we live in a free country. A wise man once said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I wanted to share some of the heroes that were/are a part of my life, men who left their families at young ages to serve (pictures here). Whether you have plans to spend this weekend with family, visit those who are no longer with us, or just stay in, I hope you have a relaxing time… you’ve earned it.
I finished last week’s column discussing all the events that were on the horizon, which seemed like a whirlwind in hindsight! Definitely no dull moment over the last seven days, we’ll start by going back to Patriots Bank last Friday over lunch.
Patriots Bank
The Cooper family invited Chamber members to come out for a bite to eat and stick around to cut a ribbon, christening their new branch at 1506 S Main here in Ottawa (pictures here). The Coopers are the owner-operators of our new hometown bank, reaching back to Jim Cooper, who has been in banking for over 70 years. His son Scott is the current President/CEO, and three of his kids have followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather and joined the family business, Cameron (Executive Vice President in Garnett), Kelsey (Executive Vice President in Gardner), and Carston (Executive Vice President in Lake Ozark). I imagine it is hard fought to find too many businesses with this sort of legacy, especially in the banking world. Justin Hobbs who is not new to the area or banking is the Senior Vice President of our branch and will be on-site for a handful of the days out of the week sharing time with their Princeton location. I imagine Justin and his team would love for you to stop and say hi, the Chamber is glad to have Patriots Bank here in Ottawa. Best of luck to you and your family!
Flea, Junk & Trunk Craft Fair
Downtown Ottawa was bustling this past weekend, with a real flurry of activities. Along with the craft fair, our local antique stores hosted a fun run which was a big success. Our goal for putting on events of this nature is to not only give our residents a great experience but to bring people into town to eat, drink and shop at all the great establishments we have in Franklin County. So Sherri and I are always so pleased when businesses team up and plan ways to attract our visitors through their doors. Definitely does not happen without some hard work, thanks to Lisa Myers at Front Porch Antiques who played a big role in that contributory event last Saturday.
This would be the fourth Flea, Junk & Trunk that I’ve been able to experience, and the only dry one as well… not only dry, a truly beautiful day (pictures here)! We were able to break records with the number of vendors and shoppers we had at Legacy Square. To get a better idea of where our shoppers were visiting us from, Sherri, our amazing team of Ambassadors, and I set up our own booth to survey participants. With the help of our big spinning wheel that KOFO kindly let us borrow, we were able to hand out candy, treats, and some swag donated by Kansas State Bank, OakStar Bank, and Edward Jones. Here’s a picture of one of our young winners sporting his newly won KSB glasses, he’ll have to grow into them a bit… We were able to survey 269 individuals, which was probably around a third to a quarter of the people actually in attendance. That 269 represents 15 different counties, with 35 different cities across the state/region. 29% of all surveyed were from outside of Franklin County, how neat! I can’t wait to make next year even bigger and better. It must be said that this event would not be possible without the incredibly organized Sherri Lund leading the way. Along with the help of our volunteers who selflessly donate their time to help make our organization and community a great place to live and play. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing cast.
KANSASWORKS Virtual Job Fair
KANSASWORKS is an online job-matching and labor market information system free to employers in Kansas. As well as working with employers, KANSASWORKS provides job seekers the opportunity to get connected with training and job placement. If someone is unqualified for a profession they are interested in, they also help individuals take the right steps toward accreditation. As a service of the public workforce system, KANSASWORKS is completely free for you to use. You only need a computer and the internet! Along with year-round services, they also have an event that you can take part in. On June 21st they will be hosting a virtual job fair, and employers can register at no cost at the link here. By selecting “Organization” it will take you to the registration page where you will click on “Register for Event”. The Virtual Statewide job fair will be split up into five workforce areas and eleven sub-categories. If you have any trouble getting signed up, you can reference this video to walk you through step by step. This is one way that Kansas is trying to positively impact the workforce in communities across the state.
OakStar Bank
If you haven’t driven west on 23rd Street in Ottawa then you are missing out. Here is a before and after to show off the difference. What an upgrade to this plot! For the last year and a half or so, OakStar has been fully operational out of a temporary trailer off to the east while construction took place. Well their patience paid off last week as they were able to officially move in. The OakStar team, led by Margie Hinderliter, didn’t waste any time inviting the community out by hosting an after-hours/open house/ribbon cutting to show off their new building… and boy did they show up. If there is a capacity to how many people can be in their new space at once, we had to be pushing it pretty close (pictures here). Along with the local team, company execs came to celebrate the occasion as well. Since 2005 OakStar has been planting seeds (see what I did there?) in communities across Missouri and Kansas, growing their footprint. I look forward to seeing the roots grow in Ottawa. It is a real testament to the position our community is in regarding the potential for growth. Investors are seeing what’s on the horizon and want to be part of our future, the more the merrier!
Young Professionals Sand Volleyball
The young professionals hit the sand yesterday in our first game of recreational sand volleyball through the Ottawa Recreation Center and newly rebranded Blancos. Not quite a flying start, first game ended in a loss for the young professionals (picture of the squad here). Regardless of the score, we all seemed to have a good time spent together, it helped we were able to wash away our sorrows with a beer inside afterward. The league will last a handful more weeks so I’m looking forward to getting lots of individuals a chance to play and make memories together. I am proud to say that our community has some really stellar young leaders in it, this whole group is a testament to that. Look out for how we all find ways to shape our organizations towards the future, one set and spike at a time. If you’re interested in joining the group for VB or for one of our normal get-togethers, just shoot me a message and I’ll get you included.
Summer of 2023 is heating up to be one of the best yet. I’m excited to spend it with you! Talk with you soon,
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
