Volume 6, No. 1
January 2014
Business Kelso Longview
Non-Profit Night kicks off 2014
Connection Chamber of Commerce
Frank McShane recently was a presenter at the Chamber’s Boot Camp while Jerri Henry played in the Golf Classic.
Start the year off with energy and a positive boost by supporting or participating in the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce’s annual Non-Profit Night. This year’s event is scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 17, at Mark Morris High School (1602 Mark Morris Ct., Longview). This is an opportunity for Chamber member nonprofit organizations to showcase their work. For a $25 participation fee, members will receive a table, chairs, personal set-up liaison and admission for two representatives. Non-Chamber nonprofits are also encouraged to participate at a $40 rate. The event is organized as a way to inform the public, current Chamber members and other local organizations about the services you provide and the impact you make in our community. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Students and children under 18 years old can purchase tickets for $5. To register visit the Chamber website at www.kelsolongviewchamber. org.
Hanson and Board share vision of value for members McShane leaves after more than a decade of service The New Year brings change to the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors as Jerri Henry steps down as president to make way for Joel Hanson and Frank McShane retires from his longtime role as a Board leader. McShane joined the Board in 2005 and served as its president for two years before filling the past president position, which he maintained through 2013. His leadership saw the Chamber through some turbulent times. “The Chamber paralleled the economy the past four or five years,” McShane said. The “stress period” as he referred to it included consolidation, a change in leader-
ship, and a membership bubble that burst with the falling economy and tough times for businesses across the community. “We had to take a hard look at ourselves to see what we were doing to offer value to those businesses who were members,” McShane said. “It was a significant period of change for our chamber. We had to reinvent ourselves.” Now, he said, there’s a new energy and revitalization at the Chamber and an influx of new members to the organization and the board are bringing fresh ideas and drive. “My term is coming to a natural end,” McShane said. “But the timing is good. The Chamber is in good hands with Bill (Marcum, CEO) and Joel (Hanson, president) and Jerri (Henry, past president) as a good resource. There’s good momentum and energy. It is in very good hands.”
Please see New Roles, page 2