beginnings
how I got started | I got started sort of by accident. I retired
from being a college basketball coach after twenty years and moved back
to Northern Nevada (original home). I found out after two months that my
personality would not allow me to be a retired person. I wasn't suited
for that. People in the community alerted me that this position was
available and thought it would be a good fit for me. The people who
interviewed me agreed so I was hired.
inspiration
why this job?| I lived here before and I have always loved this
community. I knew that when I retired I would come back here to live. I
love the people in this community so this was a way to be involved in a
community endeavor where I could help people and be involved in the
development of what happens here. This position turned out to be a
great fit for me.
love
why I love this job!| (1) Interacting with people - it's
something I am able to do every single day. This is not a job where I
have to sit behind a desk. I am able to be out and about. This job
allows me a great deal of diversity, and the opportunity to meet people
from all walks of life and every day I learn something new. (2) I love
seeing success stories; people who start out in business, work very hard
and become successful business people. I get to play a role in that by
providing opportunities through education or development to help them
grow their business. (3) Growing our chamber - seeing it grow from 550
members to 1600. I'm glad to have taken part in the first merger with
the Hispanic Chamber, the first known merger of this kind on the west
coast. To be able to bring two bodies of people together and create a
diverse chamber has been a great experience.
work
my typical day| I start by answering 60-100 emails; a lot of them
asking for advice, help and direction on where they can go to find
certain agencies or entities to help them grow their business. The next
part of my day is being involved in the community. I'm involved in three
other boards in addition to the chamber. That gives me a sense of
what's going on in the community. There are also a number of committees
and meetings that I attend daily. The final and most important part of
my day is interaction with our membership to better serve them,
frequently at a number of events and programs. This is definitely a full
time job. When you grow as a chamber, there are a lot of services you
have to provide. You also have to remember why you grew and provide the
same services you did when you were a small chamber.
challenges
what they are | They change from day to day. During these
economic times, the biggest challenge is to find ways to help people
stay in business and find resources for them. We have to be more
involved in communities and know the various agencies out there to
provide that as a resource. We also have to be a mirror of our
community. We have a very diverse community and the challenge upon us
every day is to be diverse in our chamber and do the things that serve
our whole community. We have a large population of Hispanic business
owners. Integrating the whole workforce and business community is one of
the challenges we face every day.
upside
all about growth | The demand for this kind of career is relative
to how business people see their chamber of commerce. If you are an
effective chamber and providing what your membership wants, then there
is a demand to be really proficient and informative in many different
areas. However if you're a chamber that simply collects dues and puts on
a couple mixers and luncheons, the demand isn't nearly as great. It is
also relative to the individual. The chamber director has the direct
responsibility to decide what kind of chamber he (or she) is going to
have. Finally, it is dependent upon the membership. If they're really
active, they will provide the direction that's desired for the success
of the chamber.
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