Thank you Rochester. As many of you know, I will be leaving the Rochester Area Chamber in the very capable hands of Mr. Ryan Parsons. Ryan has most recently been serving at the Bismark Mandan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation for twelve years. He has served in a variety of roles, from membership and programming, to advocacy and strategic planning. He is well-prepared to assume leadership of the Chamber and has a strong, dedicated, and motivated team to support him in the transition. When I first stepped forward to serve as Chamber President, I did so because I firmly believed in the critical role small business plays in our local and national economy. It has been a great privilege to help amplify the voice of small business and to provide a variety of services to strengthen this valuable sector and source of one in three jobs in our community. Our home is truly unique - from the world famous Mayo Clinic, to the thousands of small businesses, to some of the most productive farms in the country. I have been so blessed to have worked at the Chamber and Mayo Clinic. My time at both organizations is marked with constant learning and meeting extraordinary people dedicated to healing, creating jobs and a strong vibrant community of caring. This was most evident during the past ten months. The pandemic has hit everyone
hard, but the resilience of this community is marked by the incredible generosity of so many helping those most in need, to the innovation of our small business men and women who are constantly reinventing themselves to make it through this incredibly challenging time, to all the essential workers who have kept our community operating and most especially, to the nurses, doctors and all the health care workers who are putting themselves at risk every day to care for the very sick. It has been the Chamber’s honor to serve in our small way during this time and I am confident that my successor will continue the Chamber’s tradition of service ensuring that our community builds on it resilience and recovers together. It has been my great privilege to witness this amazing symphony of human caring, collaboration and connection. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Most sincerely, Kathleen Harrington
Chamber Advantage USPS 446-900 is published monthly by the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce at 220 S Broadway Ste 100 | Rochester, MN 55904 | Phone: 507-288-1122 Issue #1 Volume #13 Periodical Postage paid at Rochester, Minnesota | Annual Subscription: $20 (free to Chamber members) |Lizzy Haywood, Chair of the Board | Editor: Kathleen Harrington and Sam Gill Printed by Johnson Printing | Postmaster: Send address changes to: Chamber Advantage, 220 S Broadway Ste 100, Rochester, MN 55904 or email: chamber@rochestermnchamber.com
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