After a single night of basketball, I and 99% of others saw their predictions fall apart for one reason or another. At least there's plenty of company! If you're one of the lucky few who still has a blemishless bracket, you join just twenty-five thousand or so folks who still have a shot at guessing it perfectly. The half of the state that supports the Jayhawks saw their team bow out of the tournament early. The other half of the state wearing purple has been thinking about football season since December...
Less about sports and more about Ottawa/Franklin County!
Legislators Talk Taxes, Education & Energy at March Coffee
This past Saturday, Senator Caryn Tyson, Representative Carrie Barth, and Representative Rebecca Schmoe met with constituents at our March Legislative Coffee (pictures here). A great crowd was present in the Ottawa Municipal Courtroom to listen in, and a few were able to ask questions. The conversation started around legislation affecting Kansas pharmacies, including the 340B Drug Discount Program (which all legislators relayed their previous support in 2024). Education was the next topic discussed for a significant period of the hour-long Coffee. Much was said about spending from the state on education and the transparency the legislators feel is needed. Personal property tax, and tax in general, was also a large conversation piece. With Senator Tyson in the mix on all things tax in the capitol, she had much to say on the topic. The conversation finished around green energy, and energy storage specifically. If you’d like to take a peek at any of these conversations, you can watch them on the Chamber’s Facebook page (watch that here).
Our Legislative Action Committee has rescheduled our April Coffee and will be holding the event on May 3rd after realizing that the original date of the 19th was Easter weekend. Even though the session will be over, we hope those who attend can shed light on what took place over these next few weeks and what will be important to look for in 2026.
Legacy Square Welcomes OKFM on Wednesdays in 2025
Great news came from the Ottawa Kansas Farmers Market (OKFM) this week. They have officially announced that throughout the 2025 season, they will be spending their Wednesday market days in downtown Ottawa at Legacy Square! Our office has enjoyed working with the OKFM leadership team, including Market President Amber Smith, throughout the six months or more of conversations leading to this decision. This choice was not made lightly, and the entire organization took much into consideration before bringing this item to the table for discussion. I was invited to engage with their membership back in the fall of 2024, giving further details about Legacy Square, previous events there, and the logistics behind holding an event there. This eventually led to an organization-wide vote to decide, as all members played a role in the market's future. Prior to the vote, leadership did their due diligence and surveyed the community about the idea of moving locations one day each week. Over 130 community members took this survey, with a resounding 87% favoring adding a downtown market day. The survey also gave the opportunity for general feedback about different improvements to the market. Surveyors shared their interest in seeing an EBT program as well as allowing for credit card processing on-site throughout the season. If things go to plan, we should see all of these elements enhance the market for the 2025 season. It will undoubtedly make it more inclusive and attract new demographics to engage with these local vendors.
I am encouraged by this group's willingness to try new things and grow as an organization. Ottawa has had a fantastic market over the years, and I believe this infusion of new ideas will only invigorate their vendors further. I hope you will mark May 7th, from 4-6pm, on your calendar for the season's first market downtown. Whether you drive, walk, or bike to Legacy Square that Wednesday afternoon, we hope you support this new initiative and help this organization flourish―all while getting some delicious fresh local produce!
Ribbon Cut & Engines Ready
Managing Partner Trey Cusick and his team at Jay Hatfield Motorsports wanted to treat Chamber members to lunch to celebrate the opening of their new Ottawa location. So, over the noon hour today, we had the chance to hold a Ribbon Cutting for the latest addition on 23rd Street in south Ottawa, as they showed off their newly renovated Polaris dealership (pictures here). Though many dealerships throughout the US offer Polaris products, Ottawa is home to one that is extra special. We can claim that we have the only exclusive Polaris-designed dealership in the Nation. This location also serves as an official Polaris “Outpost”, meaning they provide premium service, accessories, and support tailored specifically to these American-made vehicles.
Jay Hatfield Auto Group might be new to Ottawa, but it is not new to connecting people with UTVs, ATVs, motorcycles, and more. Their dealerships began dabbling in the motorsport world in 2005 when they opened their first motorsports dealership. Now, this is their fifth motorsport location between Kansas and Missouri that caters specifically to outdoor enthusiasts and off-road riders. Jay Hatfield shared with us today that their growth as a company has not stopped them from being a family-run business. Jay's children and their spouses are involved in the different dealerships. They view their company as an extension of their family, and their customers become part of that when they choose to shop with them. Trey, who will be running the Ottawa location, will be working with his son, Hunter, here as well. You can tell by talking with these two (Trey and Jay) that they are committed to the communities they serve in. Their Ottawa team looks forward to sharing their product and expertise with Franklin County and those who choose to travel here for a fun new toy.
Situated right off of I-35, this dealership will undoubtedly bring in out-of-county spending from visitors all over the state/region. Jay said that every store they have sees this effect. This location is a massive benefit to those in our community who can utilize their motorsport services, but really to the community as a whole through sales tax dollars. We're so glad their team chose to locate this store here in Ottawa―and the fact that they so quickly occupied what could have been a vacant building is icing on the cake. Whether you need a new ride or just want to sit around the indoor campfire (picture here), I suggest you stop by and say hi to Trey and his staff at Jay Hatfield Motorsports of Ottawa.
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Only a few days are left for all those taking advantage of spring break! I know Makayla has gotten in some much-needed R&R this week. Next week will be a busy one for our office with two Coffees: one on Tuesday morning for OHS FFA and one on Friday morning at the county courthouse for CASA and the Fourth Judicial District. We hope you continue to take advantage of these opportunities to come together as a business community and celebrate one another as we choose to GROW together this year. Talk to you soon,
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
