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Katie Johnson offered our invocation, preceded by the Pledge of Allegiance and followed by recitation of The Four Way Test. Keith Olson then introduced our Student Guests from Hillcrest: Owen Ewan, son of Eric and Kathy and Student Body Vice-President, a member of the National Honor Society and a player on the school's soccer and golf teams; and Madison Foss, daughter of Kevin and Debbie from Battle Lake, Student Body Treasurer and on the volleyball, basketball and softball teams. The Student Athletes were Madison Ballweg, daughter of Lonnie and Danielle and Senior Class President that participates in the same sports as the other Madison; and Christopher Thompson, son of Cory and Kathy and Student Body President who played football.  Pictured left to right: Owen, Chris, Madison F. and Madison B. Ryan Welle had more shirts to hand out and is still waiting for five that were ordered for club members to arrive. There was a Rotary Minute Plus quiz and we still managed not to know the country where a huge monolith was pictured in the November Rotary magazine (albeit the correct answer of Nigeria had been replaced by Kenya but still no one guessed none of the above), on the second and third pages no less! There was a small Salvation Army kettle that made the rounds at the meeting and John MacFarlane reported that when he rang people seemed to be in a more generous mood than on prior occasions Lisa MacFarland contributed to the Fine & Brag bucket for a missed meeting or two while Kathy reported on a fabulous trip that first took them to Pennsylvania, then on to Washington D.C. (where they toured the Museum of the Bible) and included a celebration of her father's 90th birthday. Tim Hunt followed by letting us know he had been to the Carolinas where they saw their fourth great-grandson and also two of their sons. Keith Olson reported he would miss this week as Guy and he are traveling to Mexico with their spouses. Mark Bring was the last to contribute, for missing a meeting and having to leave the day's meeting early. Lisa Workman from the Chamber of Commerce gave our program, indicating she has been at her job for over 15 years now, part of the Chamber's 136 years of existence. Interestingly, the first Chamber was formed in France in the 1600's. She reported on the success of Fergus Bucks and that over 1000 people attended Chamber events over the past year. In that time period Fergus Falls has seen 69 businesses open or expand, there have been two groundbreakings, 15 ribbon cuttings and 22 first dollars awarded. The Chamber also hosted a Senior Showcase Signing Day at the public high school where each senior received a certificate of appreciation and $10 in Fergus Bucks. The Chamber also has surveyed its members on issues of interest in the community, noting that the franchise fee the City Council discussed and then abandoned would not have added much to an individual resident's bill but that two of the Chamber's members would have been looking at an additional cost of $70,000. The Chamber has now rolled out a new membership menu and there have been staff changes, with Lisa and LeeAnn Barnett still there, the latter in a part-time role. Emily Frustol is now at Otter Tail County and Gina Ackerson has moved into Marketing Assistant. Paul Hicks has been added to handle membership and the Chamber is now looking for a full-time administrative assistant. In discussing issues that the Chamber may want to gather feedback from its members, two were mentioned: the impact that the legalization of marijuana use beyond medical purposes may have and the huge increase we all saw in the taxes levied for local needs. We also learned that the next "Shop, Move 'n Groove [and Quack?] will be on July 13th. The strategic priorities of the Chamber are to 1) drive local economic growth; 2) facilitate business relationships; 3) inspire community vitality; 4) leverage government liaisons; 5) support workforce strategies; 6) pursue clarity and distinction (regarding its role among area organizations) and 6) improve the real and perceived value of each member's investment in the Chamber. |
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