Business Connection Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce
Spending more time golfing is at the top of retirement's "to-do" list for CEO Bill Marcum.
Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Bill Marcum CEO
k August 2022
Volume 14 • Issue 8 Business Connection is published monthly by the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Minor Road • Kelso, WA 98626
STAFF
Bill Marcum, CEO Julie Rinard, Project Manager Pam Fierst, Bookkeeper
There's plenty to do before hitting the links
W
golf course.
ell, by now most of you have heard the news I am retiring at the end of February. I joined the Kelso Longview Chamber in January 2012. I turn 65 in early December and honestly, 42 years of working is enough. I will probably keep working some, but I hope it is at a
Why February? What will I do with all my free time? I chose February because I have several projects I need to complete between now and then. One of those projects is the Cowlitz Career Link website, where I hope to have 50-100 business profiles loaded with information about each company, the number of employees who work there and the different jobs/careers they provide, and which are currently available. The goal of this website is to provide local educators and students with a better picture of the companies, jobs and career opportunities in Cowlitz County, along with information about what it takes to obtain one of those jobs – education, training, certificate, internship, apprenticeship, etc. Next week, I will be on the phone and walking into your office asking you those questions or helping you sign up. Keep in mind most students only see about 6,000 jobs in our county, when in fact there are more than 45,000. Let’s help those students have a better understanding of the opportunities, and where those opportunities are located.
k CONTACT US
360-423-8400 kelsolongviewchamber.org To advertise, call Bill Marcum 360-423-8400 or bmarcum@kelsolongviewchamber.org Ad Deadline 20th of Each Month
The Chamber will also be hosting the Cowlitz Career Exploration Fair Oct. 20 at the Cowlitz County Expo Center. We did this initially in November 2019 with 80 businesses and 2,300 eightthrough 10th-grade students from Longview, Kelso and Castle Rock. In 2022 we are hoping to grow those numbers to 100 local businesses from Woodland to Wahkiakum and 3,500 students from all eight school districts in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. What’s the goal? The same as the website, but with a personal touch, to educate our youth. To create a pipeline of students who might be interested in coming to work for you. Imagine the impact as an eighth grader. For the next three to four years, you have the opportunity to speak to 20 or 30 businesses about what they do, how they do it and how you might fit into their company. For more CEO, see page 2