September 13th Meeting Notes
National "Alan Walker Day" AKA "Bald is beautiful day"
as well as
National "Robin DeRock Day" AKA "Blame somebody else day"
Meeting Leader - Robin
Four Way Test
Invocation - Jim Adamson
Thank you to Allie and Kathleen for setting up!
Welcome guests: Allen Blackmon, Steve Wilkenson (Director of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce, Faviola Barbosa
Welcome Rotary Guests: Shanley Crane - Area 8 Assistant Governor
Announcements
9/16 - Youth Exchange BBQ - Rotary Park - 5pm
- This is the welcoming party for all youth exchange participants
- This is a mandatory meeting for the students as a part of their curriculum.
Francisca arrives today from Argentina
- She is our club's inbound youth exchange participant.
- She got her visa for the US but not Canada so she will not be able to participate in all of the activities.
- It is up to all of us to get to know her, and include her in our family activities.
Bike Ride Rundown
- The total revenue from the ride is pending.
- All invoices have been received
- The SAG wagons were very well done during the race
- All borrowed items were returned with our thanks
- We received great rider feedback on how well the ride was supported
- Thanks to all of our sponsors including:
- Hammer Nutrition
- Wenatchee Valley Brewing
- Inside Design - Carpet One
- Confluence Health
- North Cascades Bank
- Trek Bicycle Store
- Express Employment Professionals
- The Thai Restaurant
- Eastman Insurance
- Cashmere Valley Bank
- Weinstein Beverage Company
- Financial Alternatives
- Addleman Chiropractic
- Please thank our sponsors when you visit their businesses
Here are a few photos from the Bike Ride
Shanley Crane Introduction
Faviola Barbosa will be joining the club officially on 9/20
Badges - The new name badges are here!!!
Brags and Confessions
Jim Adamson - FINED $1 by Robin!
- Jim neglected to mention that his father was honored with a field dedicated to him! What an honor.
- Jim Adamson Soccer Field at Beaver Valley Elementary School in Plain - Here is a link to the NCW Article
- The dedication was on August 18th
Joel
- Joel missed the bike ride because his son was getting married that day
Stacy Gold
- Her daughter was in a rollover accident
- Thankfully everyone was ok
John Schapman
- He is turning 40
- There was a surprise birthday party for him
- The surprise was that the party was way before his actual birthday
Milt Herman
- He has an Arkansas family visit planned
- He is in trouble because he forgot to brag about his 61st Wedding Anniversary in August
Kathleen McNalty
- She fined herself $100 for participating in the 100-mile bike ride group instead of working.
- FYI - She finished the ride and then worked after she was done (5am to 6pm)
Erik Holmberg
- He is turning 60! Congrats!
Allen Blackmon
- Allen thanked Stacy Gold for all of her hard work as his campaign manager
- The November election is approaching quickly
PROGRAM - STEVE WILENSON - Director - Wenatchee Valley Chamber of commerce
Steve and his wife are both from Washington State.
- They were originally from Edmunds and Bellingham.
- They have 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters.
Steve's wife worked at Alcoa on the west side of Washington. When Alcoa closed, she was 5 years short of the 30 years necessary to receive company funded retirement.
His wife has two family members that are 104 and 106 years old. They decided that they should plan on a long retirement, so more funding was needed.
His wife found a job in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Steve's prior experience was in Commercial Banking and Economic Development.
He was approached to take on the role of managing South Central Kansas counties Economic Development. He inherited a staff and a culture that needed revamping.
Steve started with 14 counties and 24 employees. Over time, his responsibility grew to include 40 counties and his staff had grown to 46 employees. He also improved the culture and the moral in the office. His responsibilities included:
- Renovation of low-income housing
- Small Business Association (SBA) loans
- Grants to support county needs
Steve started with a five-year plan. After a couple of years, he and his wife got homesick for Washington State. His wife is crazy about fishing. Kansas is flat and irrigated and no match for WA when it comes to good fishing.
- She sometimes fishes alone but she is safe.
- She was one of the first women to join Airborne in the Army, so she is more than capable of taking care of herself.
His wife found a job at Chelan County PUD. Steve came out to look for a place to live.
He found the perfect land for a home at Roses Lake in Manson.
After they moved, Steve was approached by the Mayor of Chelan to manage a development of 45 homes being built on 9 acres.
In April of 2022, the former Director of the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce left the position. The Mayor of East Wenatchee had heard good things about Steve and recruited him for the Director role.
His focus for the Chamber is how to help businesses in the Wenatchee area, including surrounding communities. (Chelan, Leavenworth, Cashmere)
He holds meetings with business leaders and owners to hear their concerns and challenges.
- What threats are they facing?
- What are their opportunities for growth?
- What support do they need most?
One of the major issues for businesses in our area is finding qualified applicants for entry level and mid-management professional positions. It is tough to both attract and retain strong team members.
- The cost of housing and the lack of a 4-year college in Wenatchee makes it hard to encourage people to come to the area or come back to the area after leaving town for school.
- These days most employees have their resumes on the Indeed job site. They are on the lookout for better opportunities, and they are heavily recruited.
HIs team is targeting businesses from 1 employee to 1000's of employees.
The Chamber of Commerce has an entire calendar of events to connect with the community. The goal is to have their finger on the pulse of the area and to share the feedback they receive with our elected officials.
- Here is a link to the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce website.
- Here is link to their calendar of events.
- There are several ways that the Chamber is working to connect to the community. Check out the following links:
Programs & Events
There is one team assigned to understand and address the homeless population.
- This is a "Coffee and Commerce" panel
In 2013 the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce was also assigned the responsibility for Tourism.
- The formal title is "Destination Marketing for Wenatchee".
- The goal was to expand the tourism season beyond the traditional Memorial Day to Labor Day window.
- The goal is to feature all of the activities available all year long.
- Wineries
- Skiing
- Etc.
The offices have been expanded to include a Wine Tasting room. It is part of the Wenatchee "First Friday" celebration each month.
The Chamber receives funds from lodging taxes to make grants available for area businesses.
- There is an advisory committee that reviews submitted applications.
- The current strategy is looking for tourism-oriented plans for the funds.
- Contact the Chamber for information on how to submit applications.
- Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce
- 137 North Wenatchee Avenue Wenatchee, WA 98801
- (509) 662-2116
- Email: info@wenatchee.org
The Chamber currently has 12 members. They plan to expand to 15 members to break ties on voting issues.
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Just a Thought
“You will be amazed at how things fall into place
once you give up the illusion of control.”
- Spirituality and Recovery - Facebook
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No one won the raffle this week.
Upcoming Events
September 20 - Glenn King Classification Talk
September 21 - World Peace Day at Rotary Park at 5:00
September 24 - Pybus Market
September 27 - Sandy from Journey Travel is our program
October - Pet Parade - Stay tuned for details
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JOKE: If I went into the business of producing perfume, I wouldn't build a new, modern facility. I'd use an olfactory.
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