Chamber Chimes

I would like to introduce the 2011 Board of Directors for the Watonga Chamber of Commerce: Linda Barrett, President, Brandon Kalicki, Vice President, Todd Lafferty, Past President, Jerry Benson, Kristi Bruner, Trinna Caldwell, Alison Clark,  Aaron Clewell, Paul Hursh, Ladd Lafferty, Lanee Mahoney, Kim Pinkerton, Tim Scott, Dr. Robert Spencer, and Fred Teply.  They have our admiration for their willingness to share of their time to help make Watonga all that it can be.   I would also like to acknowledge appreciation for those Directors who's terms ended in December, Denise Adkisson, Travis Bradt, Prissy Ice, Tim Nelson, Judy Schaffler, Cynthia Scheffler, Jerry Sinclair, and Brenda Wigington. The Watonga Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is made up of 14 members, plus a past president.  According to our by-laws, those members serve a 2 year term with half of the positions expiring each year, creating 7 new openings each year.

Board Members are volunteers who not only attend monthly Board meetings (typically the 2nd Thursday of the month), but also assist in the planning and carrying out of all the events that the Chamber sponsors or is involved with.  This include things like the Annual Chamber Banquet, Trout Derby, Ag Banquet, Roman Nose Mountain Bike Festival and Cheese Festival, to name a few.  In addition, these volunteers form committees such as Economic Development, Highway and Legislation, Retail Trade, Tourism and Agriculture to implement action plans that support our community in those and other areas. 

The Watonga Chamber of Commerce Board is a working board made up of individuals passionate about making a positive investment in our community.  Anyone interested in serving alongside these individuals on committees or who has an interest in serving on future boards is welcome to contact the office at 623-5452 or by email, cwatonga@pldi.net.  We'd be happy to have you on board!

The Watonga Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet will be Monday, February 7th at 6:00pm.  First Baptist Church has kindly agreed to allow us the use of their facilities and End-O-Main will be catering.  Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for non-members and available from any current board member or at the Chamber office.  Our speaker will be Jeffrey Hall, VP of Exploration from Devon Energy.  I'm sure it will be a lovely evening so please put it on your calendar and plan to attend.

January 5, 2011

Welcome back to everyday life!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are ready to move forward and make 2011 an exceptional year.  As you review your resolutions for the New Year, I ask that you consider adding one:  to shop local whenever possible.  We decided early on in the holiday season to do as much Christmas shopping in Watonga as we could and, with the exception of three gifts (1 on E-Bay, 1 craft kit on the internet and 1 DVD in Yukon) we did it.  The result was happy gift

recipients, less stress spending time I didn't have on the road to go shopping and a positive impact on our local economy.  Many of you have benefited from this type of commitment in the last year by purchasing or receiving Watonga Gift Certificates.  Since it's inception 13 months ago, just shy of $4,000 have been spent on these certificates.  With estimates of a $7 re-circulation on every $1 spent locally, that means an impact in Watonga of $28,000!  That is pretty impressive and my hat is off to all who used this program.  We continue to offer these certificates year round (available at the Chamber office) in customizable certificates to fit the event.  Consider this for the birthdays, weddings, retirements and other celebrations of 2011.

Following the holidays, Oklahoma Blood Institute is always in dire need of blood products.  To aid in our local need, OBI has partnered with Watonga Hospital on a blood drive that will be held January 7th in the Bloodmobile at the hospital parking lot.  Donors will receive a pair of OBI fleece gloves and the comfort of knowing that they helped save a life!  Donations can be made every 56 days by a healthy donor and new rules allow for more lenient donating.   No longer will all tattoos, piercings and abroad travel, defer you from donating, nor is medication or medical condition always a deterrent.  Please do not assume you can't donate but instead check with OBI by calling 877-340-8777. 

Chamber members are once again reminded that Annual Awards Nominations are due in the Chamber office no later than Friday, January 14th.  Awards will be given at the Annual Chamber Banquet, tentatively scheduled for February 7th, pending confirmation of our speaker.

January 14th is also the deadline for registration for the Annual School Board Elections.  If you are not registered or have had a change in address, stop in at the Blaine County Election Board (basement of the Courthouse) or give them a call for further information at 623-5518.  the election will be held on February 8th.

We still have a Community Calendar  available on the Chamber website, www.watongachamber.com, but I have not received much to put on it.  If you are involved with an organization that puts on events, please forward me a copy of your calendar or event notifications.  This could be a useful tool for everyone to avoid overlapping events but I need to have input, so keep it in mind.

I leave you with a thought for the year:  "Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success." - Henry Ford

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