Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome
me to his time now for our community connection in from the Greater Bartlesville Chamber
of Commerce. We have Sherry Welt in with us. How are you doing,
Sherry? I am good. Thank you, Harry always good. Well,
you know to stay to mine. Yeah, I got to move to
that state, but no I want to. But we got a beautiful,
beautiful, beautiful week of hot, hot hot Bartlesville hot hot. But you
know what, we had rain, so thank goodness. Yes, it's good.
That's why everybody's smiling. It's like, yeah, that rain got rain.
So how are you doing down there at the chamber. What's happening?
Oh, we're doing good. Um. Last night we had a really fun
event. It was speed networking and it's a very it's a small event by
design, but they all have about four minutes to tell the group what they
do, and just they stay till six. It's supposed to be about five,
if that tells you anything, But that was by they want. I
mean, you know, they just kept asking questions and making connections and so
it's it's it's a really fun events of just a very diverse route all sorts
of different businesses, organizations you know represented and so anyhow, so that was
last night, and then another event kind of similar but on a bigger scale,
is UM on August third. We have our next Business after Hours.
Took a break in July and this after Hours will be August third. It's
at Wesleyan Christian School be hosted there right for school starts and this is just
a great opportunity. It's another free event for our members to make connections.
A lot of members join. That's what they're looking for is how to kind
of spread the word what they do, who they are. There may be
a newer business, a lot of them have been in business for a long
time, but people still aren't familiar or you're you're still always looking for connections,
new customers, potential customers, clients, that kind of thing. And
so that's what Business after Hours is all about. It's very informal. It's
not that there's not a program UM. It's kind of come and go.
If you can only stay for twenty minutes, you know, it's from four
to five each little after five. You know, if you need to leave,
you leave. It's no big deal. You don't have to. They're
right at for it's not like they're gonna walk in late. So it's a
popular event that we've actually done since nineteen I think it started in eighty six
and up until COVID, they we had not missed a month, but then
COVID hit and all that, and now we do have a few months where
we take off. We obviously don't do December because it's opening night at Christmas
in the Ville. We can't do two things at once. So but the
anyhow so that is coming up once off December August third, and then not
in December yet. August fifteenth is another really popular event. It's a free
event again for our members. It's called noha Ville. It's sponsored and hosted
by Tri County Tech, so it's at their event center. This is an
early morning event, but that way you're not missing work. It's seven thirty
to nine. There's a light breakfast. Well I've done it's in coffee.
But what it is, it's a way for our to give our members connection
to leaders in our community and here firsthand from leaders in our community. So
we have our city manager, Mike Bailey, we have our Economic Development Arm,
the barbs Will Development Authority, Chris Fatch, elder will be giving an
update on the latest things happening economic development, which everyone's always very curious about.
There is actually there is a lot, and so many times it's like
they can't they can't ever say anything, but there's stuff happening. But it's
just that kind of thing. I've always said this, I would not have
the patience because I'm the kind that you see something, you want to get
it done, you do it. We see something we want to do as
a chamber, we take it, we do it. You know, Um,
Christmas in the Bill is a great example seven years ago. Let's just
take it. Let's do it. You know, it's not that you know,
and let's do it. But you know they have it's just not a
quick process. So many they have a lot of procedurals. Yeah, it's
just and you're dealing with all sorts of things. So anyhow, but I
was weld about monthority of we're giving an update all that to say, um,
there is a lot happening most of the time, and a lot of
the times it's they can't say anything yet because you know, it's not a
done deal. So um, we also have Oh I know, I'd be
dying to tell people, oh, but you know what, but anyhow,
um so, anyhow, but there are some good things I think they're gonna
be able to report on hopefully um check mcaulay are school superintendent will be there
giving update on schools. Yeah. And then I go to for downtown,
Mark Caskell. If anyone knows Mark Caskill and our favorite people, I know
it. Everybody knows. Mark gives an update for downtown, which is always
interesting because you think we did this twice a year, about every six to
seven months to give enough time between for updates and things. You know that
happens not something you can do every month, but you always say, oh,
you know, I'll relate six months what's happened downtown. And he always
has pictures and slides and it's like, holy cow, there's a lot happening.
Things have changed or is this is going on or this has been,
this is new or whatever. So it's always it's very very interesting. And
then it's a very informal event. I always kind of scan the crowd,
ask if there's any announcements anything, you know, people want to announce or
you know, tell the group whatever. So just a fun event. We're
out of there by nine, and like I said, it's gonna be at
Tri County Tech, but you do need to registers, so who can kind
of have an idea how many donuts to buy? So that is going to
be August the fifteenth, and it's at Tri County Tech and then August seventeenth.
If there's any leadership bartle Well alumni out there listening, we have our
welcome reception for class thirty three. It was a we had a record number
of applications this year. Took them forever to get back with me on decisions
because it was just quality and it was so so hard. So that's what
happens. Yes, but I just I hate I dread just part I've read
this time of year every year. But anyhow, but they've made their decisions
and signed off on it and letters went out yesterday. So but there's a
welcome reception for the class with the alumni and this shirt's going to be at
Jarret Farm, the Jret Farm Resort on Highway seventy five, and I'm excited
about that. Always try to look for a different, unique venue and they've
done so much work out there and just renovating and just bringing new life to
the place. So anyhow, that'll be fun. We'll have that reception best
for alumni. And then August twenty second, we have eggs and issues breakfast
politics. So we're breakfast, I always say, and this is a full
hot breakfast. It is twenty five dollars. But we have the Attorney General
coming in, so UM lots happening in that office. UM. I was
just at an EVENTUM at a conference with a bunch of other Chamber UM execs,
and one of them had just had the Attorney General there, and I
said, well, you know, how was it, because you always want
to make sure you know, I've never heard him speak per se in that
type of setting. She said, he was very, very interesting. So
there's there's there's not a He doesn't have a lack of things to talk about.
I mean, there's plenty of things he could talk about, and he
will take UM. I checked with his staffer and they will he will have
some time for Q and A as well. So anyhow that is October or
what has my we've got problems with dates? This morning, August twenty second,
UM and UM at seven thirty to nine, hosted by Tri County Tech.
Sponsored by Tri County Tech again and so it'd be hosted out there again.
So yeah, So those are just a few things coming up. And
I always talk too long. Do we need to take a break? Yeah,
we did, Okay, real quick and we'll be right back. Well
we were on a row. Well that's a lot of information. We'll have
more with miss Sherry here in just a moment after these words from Tall Grass
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All right, well come back, we've got erry. What would the Greater
Bartellville Chamber of Commerce. Boy, we got a lot going on, Like
said the Attorney General, come into town and folks can ask him a lot
of questions that went out to be fine, Yes, yes it should be.
I want to be there. Like I said, there's not a lack
of things that he could talk about. He's got he's he's involved in a
lot. So that was a little bit about the chamber itself, because we
know we have a lot of activities, but there are some folks who might
not have a you know, clear picture what the chambers all about and what
we do for our businesses and citizens. Well, as you can see,
there's a lot of the events that we do that are getting towards our members
to make connections. We also give opportunities for members to be able to market
themselves to a very specific um, you know, business target audience which some
people are looking for that or something big like Christmas in the Ville where you
just you're exposed to just you know, over twenty twenty five thousand people.
And then we do a lot of advocacy that's right, and we try to
keep our members in for especially when they're in when state legislatures in session.
Um we do kind of follow federal but and we've got a great relationship with
our folks. If we need something, we can pick up the phone and
call them and if a member has an issue, I've hooked up members before
and said, hey, this is something that really you know, Senator Langford's
office could could help you with or whatever. UM. And so we do
a lot of advocacy. We try to be kind of a watchdog. We
watch business legislation, not so much social A lot of times it's social things,
but try to watch things that are going to affect business and UM,
you know, if there's something crazy coming down the pike, we want to
make sure our members are aware of that, then contact our local delegation or
if it's federal, you know, they can reach out to federal. So
UM. Anyhow, we do a lot with advocacy. UM have some events
like eggs and issues for instance. UM you know that ties into that.
We like to give our members direct access to our leaders. So why we
bring in UM usually at least once you know, Cenator Langford or Senator Mullen,
uh Congressman, our local delegation. We always have a preview with early
session and then at the end of wrap up. But anyhow, we'd like
to give our members direct access to the to the leaders, to the ones
that are you know, making those decisions. They need to hear from from
business leaders and so um we do, like I said, a lot with
advocacy u E. The education we do programming to give our small businesses focus
more on small business. Large businesses have their own resources and that kind of
thing, but small businesses, you know, you don't only want to pay
three hundred dollars to go a tend a conference and have to pay to get
there and you know, take a whole day out of the office. A
lot of times we do just hour long specific seminars workshops on topics that pertend
to small business. A lot of times it's on marketing or social media,
that kind of thing. And there's are usually you know free to our members
are like a very minimal ten twenty dollars fee. We found that sometimes if
there's a fee, people are more committed to come in and I get it.
If it's free and you've registered and you're like, oh, I don't
feel like going out, it's no big deal because it didn't cost anything.
So sometimes you know that's there's a small fee, but it's not the you
know fee that you're paying to go you know, drive to wherever or fly
to wherever, so so and then we do a lot of things, try
to I always stay behind the scenes type things. People don't realize that we're
working on issues that affect our community campaign not campaigns, but like geo bonds
that come up with the city. We try to help spread the word,
you know, the facts about that we do, like, for instance,
childcare, such as I think I've said this before, it's such an issue,
there's such a shortage around the state. It's not just Bartlesville. People
need to realize that there's just so many challenges to running childcare. And so
we have set up a task force to look at that. But it's one
of those you know, it's like homes. It's like it's so hard to
solve the problem because there's so many things you can't change because the state regulations
or whatever. But anyhow, so we try to tackle things that affect workforce
because let me tell you, childcare, lack of it is a part of
workforce. And that's part of why when people when you keep hearing other I
can't find workers, well, it's because they don't want to give three force
of their paycheck to you know, for childcare and have hardly anything left to
live on. But yet On the other flip side, childcare, what they
have to do based on regulations. They're losing money, which is unbelievable based
on how much you're paying them. I mean, so it's it's just a
it's a huge, huge issue. And that's just an example. But um
so we try to get involved in issues that affect business, UM and affect
our community. UM. A lot of times it's just educating the community,
educating our members when I say community, but our membership. UM. So
there's just a variety of things that that we do. UM. I'll tell
you what. You guys were the best navigators for business when COVID yet and
you want to talk about advocacy, education and implementation, you guys did it
well? Did We tried really want to have that happen again to show yeah,
the resources and you're you know that was everybody was walking through that blind.
But there are just so many resources and so much to wade through,
and just so much information, and we really tried to sift through and tried
to get out the most pertinent information and an easy to quick understand because so
many times you're reading it's like I don't have three hours to wade through this
us, and we did. We worked really really hard during COVID to help
our members and do things. If you can get through that and you can
navigate through a lot, lot of different scenarios and a lot of different situations,
that is, you guys do a great job. Oh, thank you,
you're so so kind. Now, this nice little booklet that folks get,
I shouldn't call it booklet looks like the Encyclopedia magazine magazine that the newcomers
get that right, you're getting ready to maybe kind of look forward on that.
Yes, we're looking for advertisers right now, and that the reason that
book looks so good is because of our advertisers that they do great. They
do cover our costs printing. People don't realize how much printing is, especially
the books one hundred and gosh, I should know this sixty pages, I
think, Yeah, But it covers all aspects of our community. And then
in the back it's a directory listing of all of our members um which I
love. But as soon as it's printed, of course the day but because
you know, new members join. But but there's also an online directory so
that's always up to date. Yeah. So, but yes, we are
looking for advertisers for this. UM. This is our we call it our
relocation community guy. We use it with obviously people relocating here, runing information
about the community, but we also give it tall our members. Just a
great resource, good piece, beautifully done. We do it in house.
Trust Cruise does all our graphics does a beautiful job. Spends hours, countless
hours because we have to go back and check all the information that's in there,
which there's tons of information in there regarding our community, make sure it's
all still up to date. And she has to design and then that directory
part is a bear to do so, and we have new software this year.
We've just switched software, so we're on that that learning curve and it's
like, oh gosh, lucky, oh my gosh, what were we thinking.
But but we've really needed to update and it came with a new website.
So now we have a new website and I encourage I think we've got
the kinks worked out. If not, please let us know if you see
something weird. But um, go to Bartlefield dot com. I love the
video that's at the top. It's like it just a running like a loop.
Yeah, but oh man, protect it portrays it portrays us so well.
So Bartlesville dot com go check it out. Next thing, you know,
we're gonna have new neighbors. You're going to take a look at that
sea. I want to live exactly. That's what I'm trying to do.
What we want, we want to try our community. Well, let's we
try really hard to do that and you do great. Hey Shry, is
there anything I missed? Just real quick? On September seventh, at our
next after hours, which will be at the Hilton Garden End, we are
going to be also incorporating a business expo with that, so we want our
members to the leachev a table or not. Whoever wants the table, they
want to register to do that, they have a table, and it's just
a great way to um once again, expose your opportunity, let people know
what you have, what your services are. And it was great. We
did it about five years ago, four years ago. We have to have
a location that's big enough to do it. Is why we don't do it
every year. And I'm so excited with the Hilton. Wanted to host an
after hours, so that will be going on on a September seventh. If
you're interested in that, it's informations on our website or call us three three
six eight seven zero eight and we can get you registered for that. All
right, Hey, thanks for being with it, absolutely thank you. My
brother in law died suddenly and now my sister and her kids have to sell
their home. That's why I told my husband we could not put off getting
life insurance any longer. An agent offered us a ten year, five hundred thousand dollar