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Dear Chamber Members,
I hope this newsletter finds you doing well and excited for the holiday season. November is full with activities and opportunities for abundance on all fronts. There are numerous holiday events and activities featured in this month’s newsletter for you to get out and enjoy with your friends and family. I hope you’ll scroll down and take a look at what’s happening.
As a whole, November offers us a reminder to focus on all the good in our lives and to appreciate all that we have. I’d like to start by extending my gratitude to everyone that to everyone who attended our events in October and especially to everyone who helped us with planning and implementation of our Fisheries Debate, our Annual Meeting & Dinner and to everyone who participated in a Downtown Trick or Treat last month. We are deeply thankful for your expertise, time and dedication.
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Board Members, Nichole Miles and Rebecca Skinner. Both Rebecca and Nichole were born and raised in Kodiak and bring a wealth of experience to the Board. We look forward to working with them over the next three years. I’d also like to welcome our newest Chamber Member, Peninsula Building & Design. They are hosting an open house tomorrow, the 16th from 5 to 7pm at the Best Western Harbor Room where you can learn about their new construction and affordable home options.
Behind the scenes our staff is getting ready for Pacific Marine Expo next week, our 5th Annual Holiday Decorating Contest, our very first Winter Holiday Raffle, and the City’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 30th downtown in front of the Harbor Master Building at 4:30. We’ll have Carolers, Cocoa, Cookies and Santa at the Christmas Tree Lighting. Bring the family out and join us to kick off the holiday shopping season on Small Business Saturday.
On December 5th I hope you’ll make time to join us at Grand Slam Toys & Games for their Holiday Business After Hours. This event is always a lot of fun with good food, deals on shopping, great networking opportunities and Santa!
Last week our Small Business Collaboration Group met with a good sized and diverse group of attendees. We talked about everything from Moonlight Madness, A Downtown Trick or Treat & the upcoming holiday shopping season, to how our small businesses are doing. We heard from Annika Woods, the new Employment Services Manager about some of the resources available for employers and job seekers through our local Job Service. Cooper Curtis, owner of Highmark Marine and KEDC Board Member, shared with the group some of his experiences with KEDC’s Job Fair earlier this year and we shared ideas for getting more involvement from our different industries and businesses, as well as ideas for improvements. Our next meeting will be on January 13th at 11:30, I hope you can carve out time to join us.
Please reach out to Ericka or I with information on your Black Friday and Small Business Saturday specials so we can help share them. If you didn’t have a chance to fill out our small business survey it is still open. Here is the link. The information we gather from the survey helps us to know how things are going, what if any challenges you have and what you would like to see more of from the Chamber.
Kodiak is a community full of residents with jobs, families, interests and hobbies, they all need food, housing, clothing, goods, services and they’re looking to enjoy a better quality of life. Reach out and invite them in, communicate with them, let them know what you have to offer and build relationships. It doesn’t matter whether you are a business, service organization or in industry, if you find that people don’t know about what you have to offer or what you can do for them, it’s always good to let them know about your business and there are numerous ways to do that.
If you’re looking to get involved and be more active in the community there are numerous groups in need of volunteers and more participation. The Kiwanis Club, the Kodiak Elks Lodge, Morning & Noon Rotary, the Kodiak Lions Club and more. At this time of year, the Salvation Army is always looking for bell ringers and donations. Our membership directory on our website has contact information for you to get in touch and find out more. Next week is KMXT’s Fall Membership Drive with a focus on connections in Kodiak. It’s a great time to listen, become a member, and support KMXT.
May you bring the best to your business, organization, and all that you do this holiday season. Practicing gratitude is a great way to dive into the colder, darker months, it can instantly change your mood and focus, it sets the tone for your future and how you’ll perceive and act on what’s right in front of you.
Warm Regards, Happy Thanksgiving and THANK YOU for your support of the Chamber!
Ellen Simeonoff, Executive Director, Kodiak Chamber of Commerce
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