π¬ A Message from the President
August has been a little different for me, and there is some news I have not had the chance to share with everyone yet.
Earlier this month, I was elected President of the Severance Chamber of Commerce, in addition to continuing to serve as President of the Timnath Chamber of Commerce.
It was not something I necessarily expected when the summer started, but the more conversations I had with people in both communities, the more sense it made. Timnath and Severance are separate towns and the Chambers remain separate organizations, but our businesses, residents, customers, and relationships overlap constantly.
I now have the opportunity to help both Chambers work more closely where it makes sense while still protecting what makes each community its own.
We are already starting to see what that can look like.
This month, Towns Connecting Over Coffee brought people from neighboring communities together for a simple morning of introductions and conversation. There was no complicated agenda. Just good people in the same room getting to know one another, which is usually where the best things start.
Timnath Connect continues to grow as a place for local businesses, vendors, families, and neighbors to spend time together at Pedroβs. Taste of Timnath is also taking shape, giving us another way to encourage people to discover local businesses, try something new, and keep more of their spending close to home.
We also made a practical change that I think adds real value for some of our members: Severance Chamber of Commerce membership is now included with Timnath Chamber Corporate Membership.
That does not mean the Chambers are merging. They are not.
It simply means that when there is an opportunity to give our members a larger network, more relationships, and more places to do business without adding another expense, I think we should take advantage of it.
The more time I spend doing this work, the more convinced I am that a Chamber does not need to make things complicated to be useful.
Sometimes our job is to advocate for a business. Sometimes it is to host an event. Sometimes it is to create a new opportunity. And sometimes it is just introducing two people who should probably already know each other.
That is what I want both Chambers to keep getting better at.
If you have not been to something lately, come out. Bring somebody with you. Visit another member. Make an introduction. Tell me what your business is working on, what is going well, or where you could use some help.
There is a lot happening right now, and I am excited about where both communities are headed.
More than anything, I am grateful for the people who continue to show up and help build it with us.
See you out there.
- Dustin Peyser, President
| 
