This is an EXTREMELY long read, I'm sorry... once I got started, it just wouldn't stop. LOL!
 

As I sit here thinking about yesterday… about the last 10 years… the last 20 years… Lord have mercy… the last 30 YEARS… there’s just so much.

It almost feels impossible to put three decades into words. The memories. The people. The lessons. The laughter. The tears. The growth. It’s overwhelming in the very best way.

The Chamber has literally been my life. Not just 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It has truthfully consumed at least a few minutes of EVERY SINGLE DAY for 30 years.

It’s never really been “a job.” It’s been a calling. A responsibility. A privilege. A burden sometimes. A joy most of the time. It has shaped who I am, how I think, and how I love this community.

Did you know we’ve done Spring Flings and Western Horse Shows? Softball tournaments and carnivals. A Foster Children’s Christmas Party. A motorcycle race. Who remembers the Flat River Grand Prix?

Man… that’s one story I’ve probably told a hundred times.

The very first Grand Prix I worked was in August of 1996, just six months after I started at the Chamber. I was just a kid. That first day of the event, they sent me back to the office that evening to count the first drop. I took that bag of cash back to the office… alone… to count it.

There was over $10,000 in cash in that bag.

Now I sit back and think, they must have really trusted me… a kid, six months into the job. Maybe that was my initiation test! LOL!

Aside from the Grand Prix, we’ve had some events that lived long, full lives. The Firecracker Run lasted 25 years. Trivia Night has been going on for 20 years. The Christmas Parade… the Chamber has hosted it for well over 20 years, but it has been a staple in this community much longer than that.

Then there was the beloved Hump Day BBQ. That very first one still haunts me. What fun, I thought, to make homemade potato salad for 100 plus people. In case you didn’t know… NOT fun. Certain members of the community, and you know who you are, still like to tease me about bringing it back.

And then there’s our Annual Awards Banquet. Probably the longest-running event of them all. It’s older than I am. I remember in the late 1990s when it was held at Rosener’s Restaurant. So many people have received so many well-deserved honors over the years. What a privilege to witness those moments.

The changes over 30 years are almost hard to comprehend.

Printed, folded maps of the city and county used to be one of the most distributed handouts in our office. Now, handouts are almost obsolete. Everything we need to know sits right in the palm of our hands.

When I started, email was barely a thing. We faxed everything. Or we mailed it. With a stamp. And no, they were not peel-and-stick. You had to lick every single one… unless you were lucky enough to have one of those little water sponges in a glass dish.

I’ve typed newsletters on an actual typewriter. Taken them to the printer. Folded them. Stuffed them into envelopes. Stamped them. And then carried them to the post office. Now we click a button, and three seconds later it’s delivered.

Ribbon cuttings were a HUGE deal back then. Everyone who was everyone showed up. That was your social time. And when the local journal printed that ribbon cutting photo? That was social media.

Look how far we’ve come.

I’ve watched this Chamber grow from just 64 members to nearly 200.

No, those numbers aren’t astronomical. But they mean something to me.

I’ve seen a lot of members come and go. I’ve watched businesses soar to incredible heights. I’ve watched some struggle and close their doors. I’ve seen owners receive state and even national recognition. And I’ve seen members pass on. Some very well-known. Some quietly known. But every one of them mattered. And every loss hurt.

This Chamber has never just been about numbers. It has always been about people.

There are members who are still with the Chamber today who were here when I started… and even before I started.

Ameren. Leadbelt Materials. Sam Scism. Leadco Community Credit Union. Mineral Area Office Supply. KFMO/B104 Radio. Central Schools. US Bank. Mineral Area College. First State Community Bank. KREI/KTJJ Radio. Edward Jones. Ozarks Modern Insulation. Unico Bank. Complete Vision Care. East Missouri Action Agency. Shelter Insurance. New Era Bank. MOCAP. Parkland Health Center, which we knew as Mineral Area Regional back then. William Bess Insurance.

That kind of loyalty is something you don’t take lightly.

And to all members, old and new, what an honor it has been to meet and know you. I have met literally thousands of business owners and representatives over the years. I may not remember every name, but I can almost always remember a face… and your place of business.

Tim Lytle, Heather Garner, Anna Margaret Kleiner… and so many others… your words on my anniversary posts touched my soul. You and members just like you are what make me love this job so deeply.

You have each shaped this Chamber in your own way, and you've shaped me too!

There have been so very many people who stood right beside me for nearly all of these thirty years. Glenda Straughn. Anne Strangmeier. Harvey and Mary Faircloth. Jim Eaton. Larry Joseph. Debbie Bunch. Ursula Warren. Leaders who helped guide this organization and this community.

And then there are those I so dearly loved who were present and active in my career and in my heart until their very last days. Lois Ann Meyer. Kelly Valle. Jim Blake. John Simmons. Lois Lester. Juanita Mahurin. Their presence is still felt. Their lessons still guide me.

Board members… how many bosses have you had in your life?

I bet I’ve had more. LOL!

Twelve to fifteen each year. Sometimes sixteen in a good year. With seats rotating annually. Over 30 years, that’s a LOT of bosses.

That’s about 30 Presidents. Well… kind of. We’ve had some overachievers who served two or even three terms. Glenda Straughn. Jim Eaton. Brenda Jordan. Even with repeats, that’s still roughly 25 Presidents. And that doesn’t even count my City bosses.

But here’s what I can say that many people cannot.

I have had the most outstanding slate of bosses anyone could ever ask for.

For 30 years, I have felt appreciated. Respected. And yes, I’ll say it, loved. Without the leadership that has served this Chamber, I would not be celebrating this milestone. Every single board member made this organization better in some way. And every one of you made me want to stay.

Without you, this Chamber would not succeed.

Ambassadors! What a fantastic program that was.

And how much fun we had watching everyone compete for those points! Brenda. Kelly. Melissa. Tracy. Tish. Randy. Ronni. Mike.

That program created leaders. It strengthened connections. It built lifelong friendships. Some of our strongest board members came through that program. I would love to see it revived someday.

I cannot forget my fellow Chamber Directors.

Over the years, so many have come and gone. And I’ve built dear friendships with nearly all of them. Some of my closest professional friendships came from this network.

And then there are the reigning Kings and Queens of St. Francois County Chamber Land. Cheri. Matt. Candy. Brad.

Each one has been an inspiration. A mentor. A sounding board. A counselor at times. And a friend. We may serve different communities, but we walk the same road. And that camaraderie is priceless.

Many of you know I have also worked for the City for nearly all of these 30 years. In that time, I’ve built relationships that are just as meaningful.

Terri Richardson. Norman Lucas. Anna Margaret Kleiner. Dustin Winick. Zach Franklin. Tracy Grefrath Fisher. Katie Graves. Brandy Marler. Lisa Whaley Sisk. Christal Nelson. Dustin Mckinney. Deborah McCarver. Andrea Hall. Holly Hutson Buxton. Stacey Easter. John Clark. David Easter. Rob McClary. Paula Lee.

Working in a dual role that supports both the Chamber and the City is rare. Having those relationships has strengthened this organization in ways that cannot be measured. The partnership between a Chamber and a City can make or break a community’s growth. I have been incredibly blessed to work in an environment where collaboration truly exists.

And there is the topic of help. In 1996, I was hired at the same time as Lois Lester. Lois, however, was through the Area Agency on Aging. Lois was one of the sweetest ladies you would ever meet. We worked side by side for a few years, followed by Juanita Mahurin. Both were extraordinary women to work alongside.

After that, there were a few interns here and there, but they were only around for a few weeks at a time. Truthfully, it’s been just me, part-time, for most of these 30 years… until last year.

We finally hired help! My Executive Assistant, MacKenzie Page! My “replacement,” or so I keep saying… though I’m not sure she’s sold on that idea just yet. After this post, she might run! LOL! But truly, she’s excellent. I couldn’t ask for anyone better to hopefully run this beautiful Chamber world someday. Watching her grow into this role has been such a joy, and knowing there is someone beside me now who cares deeply about this organization gives me such peace.

Then of course there’s my family.

My boys grew up in the Chamber. They each witnessed, attended, and volunteered at nearly every event from the time they could walk. Heck, each of them spent time in their portable cribs, still in diapers, just weeks old, right in my office! The Chamber wasn’t just my job. It was their childhood backdrop.

Even now, with families of their own, they’re still attached to the Chamber. Whether it’s attending events with their significant others and children, helping where needed, or simply listening to Mom talk through her triumphs and her troubles, they’ve always been there.

Not only my boys, but my bonus family and the grandkids too. Maybe not quite as deeply embedded in Chamber life as my boys were, but they’ve had their share. Enough to understand that this has always been more than a job. It’s a family affair.

Thank you ALL for understanding. Thank you for the sacrifices. Thank you for being so incredibly supportive.

And of course… my significant other.

If you’re married to a Chamber Director, you are also married to the Chamber.

The last-minute errands. The late-night agendas. The middle-of-dinner phone calls. The event emergencies. “Forgot this.” “Please fix that.” “Can you move those?” Sometimes they deal with too much laughter. Sometimes it’s frustration. Sometimes, and honestly, most of the time, it’s anxiety.

But Alan… he is my constant.

He is my sounding board. My calm when I think I’ve reached my limit. The one who handles whatever I throw at him without complaint. He’s in the depths of it all, right alongside me, even when no one else sees it.

Appreciation is something he gets far too little of. And when he does receive it, he’s humble enough to say he doesn’t deserve it. That’s what Chamber husbands, wives, and significant others do. And that’s one of the reasons we marry them.

I’m sorry, sweetie. I probably should have put it in the vows! LOL!

The biggest question I’ve been asked lately is, “How much longer before you retire?”

Honestly, I don’t truly have an answer. I’d love to say 10 years, tops! LOL! And maybe deep down, that is the goal.

But truthfully… I don’t know what I would do if I weren’t the Chamber Director anymore. I’d probably volunteer… for the Chamber… and then silently criticize how I would have done something differently. Hahaha!

I don’t know how long my body will allow me to keep doing this job. I’m not the same 13-year-old I was when I started, you know! LOL! And I don’t know how long the board will want to keep me around either.

None of us truly knows what lies ahead. Not tomorrow. Not ten years from now.

What I do know is that for however many years I am blessed to serve in this role, I can’t wait to meet new friends and make new connections that I will cherish just as deeply as the ones I already hold in my heart… until the good Lord calls me home.

I know I’ve left out the names of so many who are so important to me. I promise you, it’s not intentional. My mind simply cannot recall every single person who has touched my life throughout these thirty years.

But please know this. If we have crossed paths at any point during this journey, I am forever grateful for you.

I could go on with this for days, but I’ve already taken up far too much of your time.

So I’ll end with words that somehow feel both simple and enormous all at once.

Thank you.

Thank you for being my cheerleaders. My mentors. My examples. My guidance. My counselors. My friends. My family.

There is a place in my heart, my mind, and my soul that belongs to each and every one of you.

My life is as full and as blessed as it is because you have been part of it.

From the bottom of my heart… thank you.