As the new director of the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce, Jill Hartman wants to bring a little bit of sunshine to local businesses.
My approach is to lead by example. Shop local. Keep a positive attitude and remember that a smile can be contagious. I want camaraderie. I want us to be working with other entities, she said.
Hartman took over as Chamber director a couple of months ago. Shell be available Friday for a meet-and-greet session during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Chambers new location in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. The event doubles as a retirement reception for the Chambers longtime secretary, Aileen Wilson, and will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the lobby at the Bowlus.
Visitors also can stop by to wish Wilson good luck in her retirement from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Chamber office. Enter through the new east entrance.
HARTMAN, the daughter of Gene and Kristi Hartman, grew up on a farm north of LaHarpe and graduated from Marmaton Valley High School, where she was known as an athlete.
She played basketball at Allen Community College for one year before attending the University of Kansas, where she graduated with a bachelors degree in sports management and a minor in business.
Despite growing up with a passion for sports, it was Hartmans business classes that most sparked her interest in college. She worked for the universitys recreation center, coordinating club events and team-building exercises.
As her friends and classmates took internships with various sports teams, Hartmans internship focused on event organization with the College Basketball Experience and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City. Later, a connection she made through that internship would help her land a job with a start-up business in Topeka, Advisors Excel.
The business served as a liaison between independent financial consultants and insurance companies. Hartmans role was in the marketing department, taking care of things like email lists, newsletters and promotional activities that a small business may not have time to manage. She soon was promoted and served as an account manager for more than three years, helping businesses develop a marketing strategy through print, radio and social media.
After a short stint at an advertising agency in Lawrence and then through freelance marketing work, Hartman decided she wanted to come back home. Friends suggested she apply for the Chamber position.
Her experience with marketing through Advisors Excel will be especially helpful in her role as Iolas Chamber director, Hartman said. She sees the Chamber as a liaison between local businesses and the public, similar to the role Advisors Excel played in the financial market.
She also wants to help teach local businesses how to utilize technology, including social media, to better promote themselves and their events.
Shes spent most of her early days helping with the development of a new website, a process that began before she took over the role but should be ready to launch soon. The site will make it easier to find information about the community, events and local businesses, she said. It will feature a calendar with local events and a tourism section to help visitors find places to eat and shop. Businesses can use an app to update their own information for things like sales and special events.
It will have a ton of search engine optimization to help people find things to do in this area, Hartman said. We have a lot of businesses that are unique but not a lot people know about them.
