Dear Chamber Supporters:
We're now halfway into "spooky season" (the month of October). Makayla and I are currently wading through options for Halloween costumes. The problem is there are always too many options! Along with spooks from those trick-or-treating, October is a month to bring awareness to both breast cancer and domestic violence... both very real spooky subjects. Some opportunities to locally support both of these causes are present throughout the month. Join KOFO for their Cancer Awareness Telethon on October 27th, with funds going towards the Franklin County Cancer Foundation (more info here). For domestic violence, the Willow Domestic Violence Center and the Ottawa Library will be partnering on Monday the 16th for an educational event called "In Her Shoes: Living with Domestic Violence (more info here). The more you know!
Local Economic Forum: Growth, Gaps, and the Student Ripple Effect
Ottawa University was the host of an economic forum this past Monday as Wichita State University economists came to speak on behalf of the state and Franklin County economy. Along with these two professionals, we also got to hear from our local economy professor, Russ McCullough. The good news from the report, both Kansas and Franklin County should see growth over the course of the next year. The bad, there is plenty of room for growth as we see our state and county lag behind some of our neighbors. One of the biggest ways this can be seen is in employee wages. The state is and has been behind national averages for some time and Franklin County is falling under Douglas, Shawnee and Johnson County across most industries. On the flip side of that, employment in our county has spiked positively since the pandemic in 2020 (outshining the state average by 10%). One possible reason for that is the increase in remote work available to the workforce today: allowing our community to bed those who live here and work abroad virtually. Another thought is that there are just more opportunities for work as both our small businesses and industrial companies continue to expand. Here is a written summary of the statewide information shared. If you’re interested in seeing a local snapshot of data, click here to view the slides on the Franklin County economy.
Dr. McCullough shared his thoughts specifically on how our local university affects Ottawa’s economy. With the 2023/24 student enrollment just under an all-time record (1,058 extra people in the community) means more money is being spent here in town. These amounts will obviously be less than nonstudent spending, but still present nonetheless. When you consider a large portion of this money is coming from other states (or countries for international students), these dollars go that much further. Along with student growth, you also figure to see an increase in staff/faculty as well to help manage students either behind the scenes or in the classroom. All this to say, when OU grows its student body, our community benefits from this spending. From a noneconomical standpoint, it also allows our community to have increased diversity and can act as a pathway for educated individuals to stay here in town. All things to think about when looking introspectively at Ottawa.
OMA: From Renovations to Rockin' Shows
After the City of Ottawa signed off on the improvements of the historic building, Tiffany Evans, OMA Director has been able to design out some much-needed upgrades. These improvements were able to be executed by Loyd Builders, including a redesigned concession stand, relocated sound booth, new chairs, and new carpet for the main floor/steps of the auditorium. With all these changes able to be fit into the budget given, a paint job originally wasn’t in the cards. With the golden opportunity there to paint, but without the funds for professional painters, Tiffany reached out to her two boards (OMA Board and Friends of the OMA Board) and recruited over a dozen helping hands. Before the chairs and carpet were added, some awesome community-minded individuals helped throw some coats on throughout the entryway, stairways and auditorium walls. I think it makes a world of difference tying the space together, and you can feel that extra bit of love that was included by those who helped. This is the most recent update to this building in almost fifty years and it shows when you look at the before and after pics.
We were so glad to see the inside and hear from all the folks who made it happen at our After Hours this past Tuesday (pictures here). It’s safe to say that this quality of life feature that the OMA is, will only get better with these additions. Along with serving the community with great entertainment options, it also acts as a way to bring people into the community with its top-notch offerings. Regardless of whether or not Ottawa has the best indoor event space in the country, it wouldn’t add up to much without the exceptional staff to run it. Lucky for us we couldn’t have a better duo behind the wheel, with Tiffany and Noah White coming together to really create a special environment on S Hickory. With the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium open and ready for business, it’s just in time for three big upcoming shows. After several months of waiting, they’re back tonight with Damn Tall Buildings, a blue grass artist which will be starting around 7pm. No tickets? No problem… head to the OMA and pick them up at the door. All those who grab a seat tonight will be able to say they were the first to utilize the new chairs (and cup holders, don’t forget about the cup holders).
Ottawa's Banners of Honor Take Flight
Banners are going up through Ottawa (picture here)! A first-year program put on by the local nonprofit Franklin County Honors, organizers of the Veteran’s Day Parade and now these Main Street banners. These are being put up progressively by the City of Ottawa, great partners who are facilitating the hanging but also helped purchase the brackets they hang on. Since they’ve been going up we’ve been asked several times, “How do I get one ordered?”. The short answer is you won’t be able to get one added for this fall. But the group has promised that they will open orders back up before too long to be made and displayed for the 2024 Veteran’s Day. Head to the group’s Facebook page and send a message with your information to be on their radar. In the meantime, make sure you have an original photo you’d like used for the banner, their branch of the military, years served, and rank. Great way to show respect to those who have served as well as decorate our community at the same time.
Kansas Secretary of State & Legislative Action Committee host Chamber Coffee
Our Chamber Coffee this morning hosted special guest Scott Schwab, Kansas’ Secretary of State (pictures here). He was able to make the trip down to Ottawa with an update from his department to share some of the changes he has put into effect. Here are three of the topics he discussed with Chamber members this morning.
1. One of the most notable is the transfer to a new up-to-date system for his department. Scott shared that the software being replaced was originally invented to replace manually calling and physically tallying votes on a chalkboard… the world has come a long way since then. It also means there are decades of information that needed to be securely transferred, the process took some time. But when this goes live in January of 2024, this new online program gives the state a plethora of added features. One being that business filings for existing businesses are moving from annual to biennial, saving businesses time and saving the state added paperwork. He made a point to say that this will not affect the costs to file but rather combines the two-year fees into one. This will also not affect the content of the report, or the month/day it’s due, just which year you file. So new businesses formed on an even year will owe a report for the next even year, same for odd-year starting businesses. For existing businesses, filing will be based on the year that your formation documents were first filed. If you’re thinking “I have no clue when that was…” You’re in luck, you can look it up here at ks.gov/business/business.html, just hit “Business Search” to find yourself.
2. Another great benefit of this new system in place is when new businesses file for their LLC, rather than having to jump from department to department depending on what licensing is needed, it should all be a one-stop shop. This communication between departments is new and should not only save the new business owner's time and a headache, it should also save the state time and resources. Sounds like a win-win situation.
3. The last note Secretary Schwab left us with was information regarding a process that hasn’t taken place since 1992, a 2024 Presidential Preference Primary will be taking place in Kansas. This was signed into law as a bill by Laura Kelly back in March of this year. This is a state-run presidential preference primary election and will be held on March 19, 2024, allowing voters to express their preference for a presidential nominee. This is not a normal primary where the winner becomes the party's nominee. It is a "beauty contest" primary where the vote totals get allocated to candidates as delegates to the national conventions. You can view the important dates and additional information for this preference primary on the state's website here.
We actually doubled down on this morning’s coffee and heard from our Legislative Action Committee (LAC) chairperson, Louis Reed as well (pictures here). He was able to share what this committee has been doing in past years, and where it’s headed. Louis started by stating that the purpose of the LAC sits on three legs which include, educating our community on legislative processes, connecting our elected officials with the community, and advocating for the good of the community through legislative means. These objectives are accomplished in a handful of different ways which can be further described in the programs the committee puts on annually. This includes this great list of events:
Legislative Coffees – Provide the chance for the community to speak to and hear from legislators while they are in session in Topeka. Because they are in session in late winter and spring, these are hosted once a month usually from January to April.
Candidate Forums- Allows a platform for candidates running in the Ottawa area to have a chance to speak on behalf of their race. The committee has one of these just next week for the upcoming election, don’t miss out this Tuesday, October 17th as we will be meeting in person at City Hall or online at the City of Ottawa’s Facebook page at 6pm. The City Commission race and USD290 Board positions will be in attendance to talk about the upcoming election. Just in time for advanced voting that starts Wednesday the 18th and the deadline to register to vote being that Tuesday the 17th.
Eggs and Issues – Is an annual event to bring up serious issues that exist in our community/state, and then have an educated conversation about how to address these challenges. The 2023 rendition of this event is scheduled for November 1st, you can buy tickets here (each ticket comes with breakfast). The keynote speaker will be Chad Austin, President of the Kansas Hospital Association. He plans to take us through the challenges he is seeing in the state and regionally from rural hospitals. A dire issue that can affect a large majority of Kansas citizens. Make sure to grab a ticket while they last.
Be In The Know Videos - Creating timeless educational material for legislative processes or themes that will allow our community to either learn or be more engaged. Pushing out educational material is great, but delivering it in aesthetically pleasing ways is always the challenge. This is done in partnership with the City of Ottawa’s IT team who do just a stellar job of video producing and editing. We then post these on our social media in hopes someone can learn something that sticks with them. You can check out the first video created here about voter registration.
All in all, this is an active committee with tons of stuff coming through the pipeline, we’re really excited to see what the future holds for them. If you’re looking to be involved in one capacity or another, we’d love to get you plugged in. Just send us a message and we’ll include you in our distribution list.
Looking Ahead - Your Voice Helps Our Course
It’s crazy to think that I’ve now been in this position for over six months starting in October, time has flown by! As I’ve continued to settle in as President/CEO and analyze our current state as an organization, I am constantly looking at what the future holds. A need for strategic planning will hone that direction even more, as the Chamber Board and I talk through what's really important. With that in mind, we see an opportunity to bring in as many voices as possible before so, to get a good grasp on the needs of our community and our member businesses. As well as doing a check-up on our services, to see if our benefits line up with the needs of the business community. As a result, we will be sending out an online survey this coming Tuesday (10/17) via email, allowing for full anonymity when answering. We also took your time into consideration as this survey should only take a couple of minutes to complete, with the option to add some more questions if interested. Though it shouldn’t take long to participate, it will greatly benefit the direction of your local Chamber. So thank you in advance for engaging with that survey!
I look forward to continuing to elevate this organization… good things are happening here, and I hope more than anything to get as many people involved in those good things as possible. Until then. Have a great weekend and talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
