CEO's initiative Serving Mason County since 1922, the Chamber is a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion of our community. Within my office and at the Board meetings, we say the three C’s regularly (Catalyst, Convener, Champion). Within the Chamber world, industry leaders describe a three P’s organization (Pageants, Parades, and Pancake breakfasts) or a three C’s Chamber. A three P’s Chamber is how many of us recall the Chambers of the 1980s: throwing events, fundraising, a ‘good old boy’s club.’ Not necessarily a bad thing, but not something working to affect change.
Heidi McCutcheon Chamber President/CEO
2022 Board Members
On the other hand, a three C’s Chamber is one which actively engages with leadership and government stakeholders, taking part in a two-way conversation on a multitude of topics and changes. An instance of this is the conversations we’ve had about the sign ordinances that the City Council is adopting. We’ve had great communication with the city manager, and he has taken many of our suggestions into consideration and worked them into the code. Another ‘C’ initiative that we have recently undertaken is the creation of CEO roundtables. In the midst of the pandemic, a community leader shared with me that they had not had the ability to connect with other leaders and build strong relationships. This led to the Chamber convening roundtables where leaders in similar roles had a chance to network with one another in smaller, consistent environment. The first two groups are comprised of those in leadership with more than 200 employees and those leaders work on behalf of a board. Both groups will begin meeting monthly in the next few weeks. We plant to implement several other roundtables and are currently considering multigenerational businesses and owners in the trades. If you are a leader looking to convene with others, please reach out! We plan to institute more roundtables as they are called for. After a century of promoting our business community, we know that the only thing that stays the same in business is change.
Tanya Frazier, Chair
Crossroads Housing & Martha Reed Foundation
Melanie Bakala, Past Chair State Farm Insurance
Lisa Woodard, Treasurer Columbia Bank Shelton
Dave Aykens
ASC Security & Investigations
Eileen Bailey
Tanya Frazier Crossroads Housing & Martha Reed Foundation
Introducing the Chair
EI. Kristyn & Sons Construction
Dan Berner
Berner Law Office, PLLC
Ashley Brady
Brady Trucking & Landscape Supply
Marvin Campbell Squaxin Island Tribe
Kelley Crabtree Artegan/Maple Glen Senior Living
Steph Fyfe
Steph’s Espresso
Mendy Harlow
The Salmon Center
Jamie Mell
John L Scott Mell Property Management
Mitch Newman
Newman Family Chiropractic
Ken Oakes
South Sound Appliance
CJ Singh
Joe’s Market & Shell Station
Randy Smith
Shelton Athletic Club
Tanya Frazier is the 2022 Chamber Board Chairman. For decades, she has been a strong positive force in Mason County. Tanya, along with firefighter husband Mark, have raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, the Scott Firefighting Stair Climb Fundraiser, while previously serving as chair for Mason General Hospital Foundation’s Fantasy Forest, and currently with the Martha Reed Foundation. She never hesitates in volunteering to accelerate others' fundraising efforts and just this last month helped with the baseball auction. Professionally, Tanya serves as the executive director of Crossroads Housing. Since Tanya’s arrival, the organization increased their housing and their funding exponentially thanks to her focus on grant funding. Crossroads provides family emergency shelter and temporary housing, education, guidance, and comprehensive case management often leading to referrals for specialized care. A drastic increase in housing crisis due to loss of job or illness directly connected with COVID-19 led to Crossroads tripling its team and working tirelessly to secure grant funding, successfully providing rental assistance, diverting clients from homelessness, and increasing emergency shelter programs. To date, nearly $1M has been paid to 84 Mason County landlords on behalf of 120 households, to help prevent them from becoming homeless. “Landlords love me,” she laughs. Near the end of February, Crossroads conducted the Point in Time (PIT) Count. “The PIT Count is a driving force in how state, federal and local funding is distributed in the fight against homelessness,” says Tanya. The PIT Count in January of 2020, accounted for 111 homeless in our community. This year staff took a hands-on approach by hitting the streets and woods at 6:00am. Their efforts paid off, as the count increased to 254 homeless individuals. She laments that although a significant increase was captured, it still isn’t a full picture. "Tanya is driven to do great things in our community," Says Chamber CEO Heidi McCutcheon. "Her business acumen coupled with her knowledge and success within the nonprofit industry makes her an ideal Chair of the Chamber Board. I believe the Chamber and our business community will see great achievements under her leadership."
BUSINESS MATTERS is produced in Mason County by the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce. Serving Mason County since 1922, the Chamber is a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion of our community. COVER PHOTO: Chamber Members enjoying networking at Skookum Creek Tobacco. More on pg. 9. Page 3 - Business Matters
