The Iola Area Chamber of Commerce is back in the market for a new executive director.
Mary Benningfield, hired in October to take the Chambers reins, is resigning at the end of the month, due to a family medical issue that is forcing her and her family to move back to her native Tulsa.
Were heartbroken, for Mary and her family, Shilo Eggers, president of the Chambers board of directors, told the Register. She has done a terrific job.
Benningfields arrival, and now departure, comes amid a period of transition for the Chamber.
In less than three months, the Chamber has been a blur of activity: they’ve relocated from its old building at 208 W. Madison to an office in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center; a behind-the-scenes effort to relaunch the organizations website and Facebook page are nearly complete; and plans are in place for a strategic planning session Jan. 9 to re-examine the Chambers vision.
Benningfield had been integral in all of those elements, Eggers noted, while assisting with holiday Chamber activities, such as the Santa house, and still managing to recruit new Chamber members.
The door remains open, Eggers said, for Benningfield to assist remotely from Tulsa, if the logistics can be worked out.
Meanwhile, the search begins for Benningfields successor. Eggers said that due to the demands of the position, the Chamber board likely will make the directors position full-time instead of part-time.
The website relaunch, due in early January, will better link the Chamber to various social media platforms and other agencies, Eggers said.
Other items on the agenda include developing a visitors guide to the Iola area, promoting such concepts as agri-tourism and providing education to members and the community through such venues as the Kansas Small Business Development Council.
The Jan. 9 strategic planning session will be split into two primary discussions. The first will cover upcoming events and how to allocate Chamber resources to make those activities a reality. The second part is more conceptual. How to continue promoting Iola and its businesses as a non-profit organization.
Even with Benningfields departure, the Chambers new office in the lower level of the Bowlus will remain open, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number also remains the same, 365-5252.
Eggers hopes to hear from Chamber members and others in the community while the board of directors prepares for its strategic planning session.
