Dear Chamber Supporters,
If you’re reading this, that means you’ve made it through the first snowstorm of 2024! What a wild couple of days we had… 8+ inches of snow over the course of 48 hours. With temperatures as low as they were, the bottom layer of snow was basically ice by day two. Hopefully you made it through without any slips on the way to the car or any sliding once you were in the car driving (if you even left the house at all!). I also hope you have a warm home and business to spend time in as temperatures begin to plummet starting tomorrow. It’s worth applauding the work done around the clock by both the City of Ottawa and Franklin County crews, messy roads and plenty of houses without electricity this past week. Thank you to those who worked that little bit harder to ensure we all were as safe as possible given the circumstances; it did not go unnoticed!
Proximity Park is Site Certified
Paul Bean and FCDC announced some big news at the start of 2024 that is worth sharing. As of the 4th of this month, Proximity Park has been recognized as a “Certified Site” (official letter here). This certification does not happen randomly, instead this certification process lasted well over a year to accomplish… no easy task. To become official with the State there are also some associated costs, because of this, Paul was able to seek out grant funding to be able to support this endeavor financially. Now that this has been awarded, Proximity Park gains some unique advantages as our community looks for an industry to move in the shovel-ready plot. Kansas Certified Site designation makes Proximity Park more attractive to new industries for a handful of reasons. One reason is that it allows for more information to be given upfront to those looking to home their new industry. Much like shopping online, it’s easier to purchase an item when all the specs are laid out and when it’s posted in places you often look. Proximity Park will be marketed and receive attraction support from the State’s Commerce Department. As a result, we will now receive faster selection decisions as well, meaning less work for an industry that wasn’t the right fit in the first place. Currently, there are only 12 other certified sites in the state, which means we have an advantage over every other non-certified site. Every little bit helps, and this is a big win for our community. Thanks to Paul and FCDC for getting this accomplished; we’re happy to celebrate with you!
Guns are Changing Hands
Some big news has occurred at your favorite gun store, The Gun Guys. After 17+ years of running this local small business, entrepreneur Tim VanLeiden has decided to take a step back from owning the shop/gun range after many years of success. Having been at this 412 S Main St. location for almost 13 years, the torch is being passed on to Ed Christoffersen (picture here). A Kansas native with an extensive entrepreneurship background and a passion for firearms. Ed has owned several successful businesses over his career and is excited for this next step for him and his family… the Chamber is equally excited to get him plugged into our business community. Though owners are changing hands, much of the business will stay the same; still a great place to buy your gun needs and shoot indoors at the range, and the name will be sticking around too. You’ll also continue to see familiar faces as Tim will be sticking around part-time, not fully jumping into retirement just yet. It is always so devastating when a long-time small business closes downtown for one reason or another. I’m very grateful this has worked out for all parties and we can still rely on our Gun Guys. If you haven’t met Ed yet, he’ll be in the store pretty often for the near future as he is soaking up all things gun store. Stop by and introduce yourself. Hopefully we can get something on the calendar for when he gets settled in to hear more about his story and all that’s happening at the shop. When you stop in make sure to give Tim some trouble as well; he’ll agree that he deserves a little grief now and again.
Faith Lutheran Church and Preschool
The cold weather didn’t keep Chamber members from gathering at Faith Lutheran Church and Preschool off 15th Street here in Ottawa. Reverend Timothy Roth was able to share info about the church and how the school pairs with the church to provide much-needed early learning for three- and four-year-olds (pictures here). The Lutheran denomination got its name from Martin Luther, not MLK but rather from the German priest and theologian that lived in the early 1500s. Fun fact, Martin Luther King Sr. changed both his and his son’s names to honor the protestant reformation leader when MLK Jr. was five years old. Faith Lutheran Church in Ottawa has roots back to the early 1930s, a long-time congregation in the community. In 2021, Pastor Roth was called to Ottawa to lead the church. He and his family, which consists of his wife and four children, came over from Humbolt Kansas having pastored there for around five years. Timothy shared that Faith Lutheranism is rooted in loving their neighbors, and they do that in some traditional and other nontraditional ways. Some examples shared this morning were through their various committees, like outreach, fellowship, and stewardship. They also show this by their participation as a blessing box location. Being the only one in the general vicinity, they shared that the box is regularly utilized and a neat way to give back to those who otherwise might not be able to be touched. Faith Lutheran is also a sensory-inclusive church, providing options for those with sensory needs or processing issues. This looks like offering headphones to those attending services to prevent loud noises that could cause unneeded stress on the individual. They also house a Sensory Room (pictures here). An example Pastor gave was when they do programs like Vacation Bible School, a lot going on all at once, and for some adults/children, this could be more than overwhelming. This is a space for someone to escape that environment and calm down. As more and more individuals have these needs, this is one way Faith Lutheran serves its congregation.
We also learned about Faith Lutheran’s Preschool which has been operating for 44 years, 25 of those years led by Stephanie Circle. Timothy said that this preschool is one of the church’s biggest assets and has a legacy in the community for educating littles throughout the years (picture here). Open enrollment has just begun for the new year; if you have a three or four-year-old, I’d implore you to reach out about their offerings. In total they can house 48 kiddos. If you think about 44 years with that number of kids coming in and out, that’s thousands of kids being taught in our community by this Class. Currently, their 3’s and 4’s Class has two sessions, one from 9-11:30am and another from 12:30-3pm. 3’s Class takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays; their 4’s Class is M-F. Here is a link for some more info, as well as an email to reach out to with questions.
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Please be safe as you move around over the next seven days… cold will be getting a whole new meaning. I’m not envious of anyone attending the Chiefs game tomorrow, brrrrr. If you know someone who may be exposed to this for any amount of time and needs a place for sanctuary, share this information about the warming center that will be held at Elliot Hall in the First Baptist Church downtown. Along with a warm place to sit, there will also be hot meals served, extra blankets and gloves, hygiene bags, places to sleep, restrooms, and outlets to recharge your devices. Open for sure through tonight. With cold days in spades following tonight, the United Way of Franklin County is looking for able-bodied individuals to stay the night to keep this offering going longer. If you or someone you know is interested in helping in this way, reach out to Leigh Hansen ASAP so this can be arranged (email Leigh here). Big thanks to the Ottawa Police Department, Ottawa area churches, Franklin County United Way, Homeless Coalition, and the Blessing Box Foundation for getting this organized. There is certainly strength in numbers; our community wouldn’t be the same without your unconditional support of those in need.
Talk to you soon, stay warm!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
