Dear Chamber Supporters: Happy Friday the 13th!! Even though a Friday which falls on the 13th day of the month has long been considered a harbinger of bad luck, no one really knows the origin of the superstition. Mind you, there are many theories…not many good ones. I’d venture the movie film industry has done the most to promote the myth…and also made the most profit from it. Suffice to say…just in case – don’t walk under any ladders today or let a black cat cross your path, or break any mirrors!! Just to be safe, I wouldn’t step on any sidewalk cracks either!! I’m assuming all got the mothers/significant women in your life celebrated…and for those who are mothers, I hope you had a great day and felt honored! Here is a picture of me and my mom with two of my kids…and of Cherry with the kids. Taken after church, we all went for brunch following and followed with a relaxing afternoon. Political Season: I think it is safe to say we are into the political season and the next election cycle. The Kansas Supreme Court still hasn’t ruled on the lawsuits filed by concerned citizens claiming extreme gerrymandering regarding the new congressional district lines which the state legislature approved…the candidate filing deadline is Wednesday, June 1. It keeps candidates for these particular positions in limbo. Still…two candidates were in Ottawa this week vying for a couple of different seats. Jake LaTurner, 2nd District Congressman ( pictures here ) who currently represents all of Franklin County…but stands to lose the north half if the redistricting proposed is sustained. He visited AdventHealth-Ottawa last Monday to tour our local hospital and hear directly our concerns surrounding the healthcare system. For my part, I feel he has done a good job in representing our needs locally…and he was duly impressed with our hospital facilities and all services we provide here in Ottawa. Certainly a hospital of Ottawa’s caliber is the exception compared to hospitals in most of his district…which is primarily Southeast Kansas. Amanda Adkins ( pictures here ) was also in town Thursday this week, working to meet local voters and get to know our concerns and more about our Ottawa community. Currently running against the incumbent Sharice Davids, Congresswoman for the 3rd District, which is currently Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. If the proposed redistricting map stands, the new 3rd district will additionally incorporate the north half of Franklin County…at least for the next 10 years. This was my first time officially meeting Amanda…I was impressed. She and her campaign purchased lunch for 20 local voters and opened the floor to any and all questions. Additionally she queried us with questions about Ottawa and Franklin County. Locally the change will put us at a bit of a disadvantage…almost certain to be represented by an urban congressperson going forward. Still…her roots go back to agriculture, and she demonstrated genuinely interested in who and what we are. I’m yet to meet Congresswoman Davids…if the districts are changed, I’m sure I will and let you know about her too. Lastly, our own Blaine Finch ( pictures here ) spoke to the Franklin County Development Board this week, giving a breakdown of the recently completed Kansas Legislative Session and what we can expect from the wrapup session in a couple of weeks. Albeit Blaine has not yet filed for reelection (so is not a candidate yet)…I for one certainly hope he does. Ottawa has not been represented in the Kansas House Leadership since the late 1800s. Most don’t realize what value it brings our community to have a local leader on the leadership team…and this aside, Blaine is a tremendous leader who has the ability to see the bigger picture. Truly a statesman…which benefits all of Kansas. Blaine felt the elimination of the state food sales tax and additional funding of KPERS were big accomplishments of this year’s lawmakers. Particularly challenging this year were all the federal COVID dollars in the Kansas coffers…complaining about too much money is something we rarely do. What needs to be factored in is, this money is one-time money…it needs to be spent on those “rainy-day projects” and things which will bolster the future and not necessarily require a continuous ongoing funding stream. Ottawa was able to access $5 million of these dollars to build a new water tower, gas lines and sewage lift station, all for Proximity Park…this is a great use of these funds and also very beneficial to us locally (a firsthand example of what having a local leader representing our concerns locally provides)!! Thanks for all you do Blaine to serve Kansas and Ottawa!! KansasWorks District II Workforce: Gina Coffman ( pictures here ) became the director of Heartland Works (Kansas District II Workforce) at the end of December and has hit the ground running. She was in Ottawa Tuesday speaking with Rotary members about the current challenges of finding enough labor to fill the workforce needs of the 2nd District. The 2nd District is made up mostly of Franklin, Douglas, Shawnee and Riley Counties. Her assignment is to learn what employers need in terms of numbers of employees and training to provide labor for their industry and develop the workforce to meet those needs…not necessarily an easy task. Our current unemployment in Franklin County is 2.7 percent…which equates to 403 workers. Deceptive in this number is it represents the number of people receiving unemployment benefits…not necessarily all the unemployed. Many have exhausted their benefits and still are without jobs; others are just plain leaving the workforce for a variety of reasons…including retirement and staying home with kids. Suffice to say…our labor force nationwide will look different in a post COVID world. Following Gina’s speaking to Rotary, Paul Bean and I took her to see our new Career and Technical Education center at Ottawa High School and the simulated hospital at Neosho County Community College ( pictures here ). When you factor in that in addition to all these opportunities, we also have a 4-year Liberal Arts College in town, Gina had to admit the opportunities here in Franklin County are tremendous. We are set up to train and educate the next generation of workers…now we just need to grow them up!! I will add this…on Saturday another 400+ students from Franklin County will enter the adult world by graduating from our four area high schools. Congratulations and best of luck to them…we need you!! Ottawa Herald/CherryRoad Media: The new company which has purchased our local paper hosted Chamber members this morning ( pictures here ) in order to introduce themselves and also meet the community…the new owner, Jeremy Gulban, came from New Jersey to be in Ottawa. CherryRoad is a family-owned business and to date has purchased 64 Kansas newspapers in the United States…14 in Kansas communities that are comparable to Ottawa. In addition to newspapers, they also provide technology services such as webpage design and eCommerce solutions. They promise to continue to provide a printed paper, and are committed to returning to local news. They have reopened the local location on Hickory Street with regular hours (9:00-2:00 Monday-Thursday) and also have a new phone number (785.992.0001). The paper will continue to print with a Tuesday and Saturday circulation. We are fortunate to have this new group investing in Franklin County and willing to report our local news…I’ve renewed my subscription. Many have already noticed a big improvement in the local paper. We are learning we need an independent organization to report local news…otherwise we rely on gossip and social media. Thanks to CherryRoad and all the staff at The Herald…we appreciate you!! End of School Year: I already mentioned graduation…next week most students will be officially released to summer. It’s been a while for me, but I still remember the great feeling of walking out of the school building on the last day to begin my summer freedom!! This week, we had a 4-year-old end-of-school preschool program…Jase Roger Flory made us proud ( pictures here ). I know my wife is ready for a break from school too…teachers and administrators are faced with challenges as never before. Mostly with reporting requirements which continue to increase…this in addition to still teaching our children. Now included are the challenges the pandemic has left in its wake. Seemingly we are experiencing an evolution or shifting of our culture…which admittedly happens from time to time. It will eventually all work for good…but there are always pains with change and learning new adaptions and processes. Glad the weekend is here…don’t forget to watch the AdventHealth 400 at the Kansas Speedway on Sunday. Talk to you next week… Onward ~ John John Coen President/CEO Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce john@ottawakansas.org 785-242-1000

Dear Chamber Supporters: Chamber friends delighted in an absolutely fabulous evening at the 2021 annual awards banquet last night, hosted at Ottawa University. There was much fellowship and together we honored all our local citizens whose service has been above and beyond self in the last year or two. A big event such as, ohhh, say…a worldwide pandemic didn’t cause some leaders to withdraw…only find a new gear. Without these types of citizens, I’m not sure how communities can thrive. Every year, beginning in December, members begin nominating other Chamber members for their service…which are typically awarded in January. This last January, COVID was surging, and we postponed the original event for 2-months…how fortuitous. It allowed for the biggest turnout for an event I’ve attended since pre-COVID. With nearly 250 in attendance, all participated as we watched our community’s highest awards being presented…the highest honor, the Russel Crites Service award, followed by the Community Builder Award, Entrepreneur of the Year, Horizon Award and The Smile of the Year. Each year, the committee for the nominations is comprised of the 5 previous winners of the Russel Crites Award. After our annual banquet concludes for the evening, I always contemplate the inevitable…we will never have as great a slate of honorees as we did this year… the following year, a whole new set of servant leaders burst on the scene and lead in ways unimagined. This year has been no different. The 2021 Community Award winners: The 2021 Russel Crites honoree is Dr. Bud Ransom, for 40-years of caring for patients in Ottawa, but more specifically serving as the County Health Director during a pandemic, making unfavorable but necessary decisions and leading county and city leaders in one hard choice after another. Community Builder Award…to the Joe McLiney family for investing in Ottawa since the 1970s when they purchased Kansas State Bank…since then, the family has continued purchasing development ground in South Ottawa which has allowed businesses such as PrimeTime Bar and Grille, Fusion Alley, Home Base, Thriftopia, The Dollar Store to locate in Ottawa. And the family continues to make investments owning more development ground to the south of 23rd Street for future growth for who knows how far into the future. Entrepreneur of the Year, to Dusty and Melody Gentry for their vision for creating a new brewery on Main Street, Not Lost Brewery, and for having the vision and fortitude to manage it through the pandemic. The Horizon Award to, Anna Bricker, an up-and-coming young Chamber member who serves on the Chamber Board and volunteers in the community beyond belief. When the pandemic struck, she worked with her company, American Eagle Outfitters, to pump into Ottawa, $50,000.00 of Chamber currency to ensure local spending by helping their workers with extra cash…and local retailers by making sure it was spent in Ottawa. Smile of the Year…to Paula Patterson, a perineal optimist and always exudes a wonderful, positive attitude. During the pandemic, Paula led children in singing and story hour outdoors at Haley Park, continued to promote library programs, books and movies as a method of coping with the isolation crisis…and always with a smile!! A BIG, BIG thank you and congratulations to all our leaders and those specifically who we honored last evening ( here are the pictures ). Without their example, we would be less and for sure lacking! Now we can officially begin looking for the next community citizens who rise to the top and lead in 2022!! Additionally at the banquet, we honored retiring Chamber board directors…going off the board after serving the number of allowable years. Maybe the most notable, is Pam Harris…completing her second stint on the Executive Committee; in my ten years of service as President/CEO, Pam has been a member of the Chamber Exec Committee for 8-years. Pam is an Ottawa native and stalwart! Terming off, after serving on the board, were Adam Fritts, with Fashion, Inc., Mary Raley, owner of Maggie’s Popcorn and Nuts, and Tiffany Evans, Director of the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium. Additionally, we honored Terry Chartier for her board leadership as Chair in 2021. Introduced and preparing to begin service, are Ryan Wilkerson, with Impact Wealth Planners, Jacob Boyd, an Edward Jones investor and Shelby John, with Kalmar industries. Mallory Hull will lead the board as Chamber Board Chair, and Donald Anderson, Dean of Students with Ottawa University is stepping on the executive committee. Legislative Coffee: Please note…the Legislative Coffee scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, April 2 is being changed/postponed. Last evening, Legislators were still on the floor debating bills until midnight. In visiting with our local representative, Blaine Finch, he predicts another long day and into the evening again tonight…this to complete by first adjournment all the work needed to be accomplished to allow the legislature to take a break until May. We would rather our local representatives be fresh and ready to report back to us…please watch social media, our website, and in all places you receive your news for the new date. Thanks for understanding. Pam Harris: I mentioned Pam earlier when listing members going off the Chamber Board…coincidently, yesterday (Thursday) was Pam’s final day at AdventHealth Ottawa, an organization she has served for 42-years. Here is a picture from her reception. Absolutely no way to replace institutional knowledge of this magnitude. Pam began work at (then) Ransom Memorial Hospital while still in high school before graduation and completing nursing school. At that early time, she worked for her mom Aurelia Johnson, who was director of nursing at the time…a position Pam held for a period during her total tenure at our local hospital. I must mention too, as someone who has served over 20+-years on our hospital board, Pam has been a tremendous friend and confidant. Pam and her husband Rod and I were all in high school at the same time…our history and friendship runs much deeper than is easy to describe. Pam is not quitting…only moving across the street to work in the Franklin County Health Department. Glad we are not losing her healthcare experience…still her, or her mother, has been a servant at the hospital for well over 60-years!! Amazing!! Thanks Pam for all you do not only at the Chamber but for this community. If you see Pam, be sure to thank her for her very broad, longtime, and inclusive service in Ottawa! New City Commissioner: Most know Tom Weigand resigned his city commission seat in February…last week the four remaining commissioners interviewed potential candidates to fill the unexpired term. For my part, I thought they had a deep list of possible citizens wanting to fill the vacancy. Each applicant brought different skill sets and levels of experience to the position. Following their study session and discussion, they indicated through a series of straw polls to choose Zach Clayton ( here is a picture ). Since it was a study session and not an official commission meeting, the nomination and vote will need to be blessed next week at their official commission meeting on Wednesday. Zach was a candidate in the last city commission race and just finished out of the running…3 candidates were being selected and Zach finished in fourth place in the balloting. His easy demeanor and exposure to the voters during the election process seemed to be the tipping points for commissioners. Cherry use to babysit Zach and his sister Emily years ago…when he was pretty small. I’ve watched him grow up…I’m thrilled to see his interest in public service and anxious for his input. Congrats to Zach…I’ll tell you it won’t always be easy, but it will be good for him to grow in this capacity. Excitement on Main Street: There was a little more than the usual excitement on Main Street this week. Monday, around 1:00, a car parked on the west side of Main Street in the 200 block, backed out of their parking spot, across 4-lanes of traffic, through an open parking spot and into the Cornerstone Book store at 217 S. Main ( picture here ). No one was injured seriously…the driver was taken to the hospital. It’s unknown if there was a medical issue, or a cognitive problem…just thankful Cornerstone was closed at the time and no car or person was hit. I visited with Bruce and Joyce Beatty, owners, on Tuesday morning…both were just shaking their heads. As with any disaster, the first moments are only overwhelming. They didn’t know at this point about the driver’s insurance or what the next steps would look like. Also complicating the accident was the fact the gas meter was run over causing gas to escape. The entire block of Main Street had to be evacuated. I just happened to be walking along headed north from the 400 block…in talking with owners and workers from the other stores, most were pretty shaken up…as would be natural in cases such as this. The one thing Bruce offered as advice to all business owners is to install a “knock box” which is located on the outside of the building with a key that only the police have access to. Also, in addition to all the other damage, safety patrolmen had to break the door down to gain access to get to the driver…with a knock box, at least this damage could have been avoided. Prayers for the Beattys as they put order back from chaos…they have been longtime downtown business owners. Always sad when something such as this happens. Ottawa High Track Invitational: At one time, one of the largest high school track and field events in Eastern Kansas…the event now has dwindled into a much smaller competition. Still…it’s a great opportunity to showcase Ottawa and the great facilities we have here for students. What a cold day it was Thursday, the day of the event. Here are a few pictures of the student-athletes performing. Six schools participated and the Ottawa High girls’ and boys’ teams both finished number 1 on the day…good job Ottawa athletes. I also feel sorry for the parents of the high school competitors…it would have been freezing sitting in the stands watching the performers. Cherry and I are headed south this afternoon to see our Cedar Vale babies…Johnnie, born November 23, is growing so fast! If we don’t get down there she’ll be walking!! I’m sure I’ll have pictures of grandkids next week. Also…no April Fools jokes embedded today…I know I should have taken advantage of today being April Fools Day but there was too darn much important stuff going on this week. Keep your guard up for all the community jokesters who thrive on this day!! Talk to you next week… Onward ~ John John Coen President/CEO Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce john@ottawakansas.org 785-242-1000