A few months ago, I comleted my final three-day session of the the Community Collaboration Academy. A joint venture between the Kansas Leadership Center and the University of Kansas Public Adminis-tration Program, this leadership program provided 25 individuals from across the state an opportunity to learn some of the latest research on how communities ad-dress challenging issues.

I came away from this training with a better understanding of why community issues are so difficult to resolve and why many of the processes we attempt to use to resolve them are doomed to failure. I also learned many communities across the country are facing the same kind of issues we face here in Lawrence/Douglas County. At times I think we believe we are the only ones going through land use and development issues but they permeate communities everywhere. What I found to be different is how communities choose to deal with these issues.

For a long time the ways communities have gathered input used technical solutions to resolve what are really adaptive issues. Technical solutions work great for issues such as determining how large a sewage treatment plant needs to be to handle future growth in a community. But all too often we attempt to use a technical process to solve an adaptive issue. Coming to an agreement and understanding how to deal with growth in a community or how to use economic incentives to encourage economic development in a community are adaptive issues and require a different approach to solution building.

As I went through this training program I came away with a question I believe our community really needs to ask itself: “What does success look like to Lawrence/Doug-las County?”. It seems to me that unless we, as a community, are able to answer that question we will never be able to truly make any significant progress. Without that community understanding, a lot of energy is expended by individuals and groups to move the community in one direction or another (i.e., to focus our efforts expand-ing the inventory of industrial property) while other groups expend effort trying to neutralize those efforts because they feel our community priorities should be

focused in another direction (focus all our resources on developing the biosciences.) Almost every time these issues come into the public arena there are individuals and groups that both advocate for and against these issues.

Before we can really begin to look at answering the big question there is an underlying issue that needs to be resolved if we are ever to be able to move for-ward as a community. That issue is trust between people. There have been trust issues between individuals and groups in almost every community in which I have ever worked. In communities where people were willing to sit down and talk with people who feel differently than they do, I saw forward progress. Individuals and groups in Lawrence/Douglas County have, at times, had a high level of mistrust. Developers don’t trust neighborhood associations. Downtown merchants don’t trust retailers from S. Iowa. Large farming interests don’t trust the grow local/land preservation groups. And the list goes on and on.

However, when you sit down to talk with these individuals or groups you find out that, first off, they are just people like you and me and that they care very deeply about our community. I have also found out that, in reality, everyone in our commu-nity agrees on about 80% of everything but what we choose to focus our energy on is the 20% where we disagree.

My hope is that we, as a community, can develop a process for all of use to get to know each other a little better as people first and advocates for our interests second. In community after community across this country people are solving complex com-munity issues in a manner that is a win-win for all. But at the core of that process is a sense of trust among people.

In the months to come I believe you will see this Chamber, along with a number of other organizations in this community, come forward with a plan to begin this community process. In the meantime if you have a good idea or any thoughts on the issues please feel free to contact me.

- Tom Kern

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE TO LAWRENCE/DOUGLAS COUNTY?

NovemberAmerican Business Women’s AssociationJayhawk PharmacyJim CongroveOrange Leaf Frozen YogurtPapa John’s PizzaTryyaki

DecemberAustin Nichols-Terry DemmonJon Davis Blue Heron Home FurnishingsEagles’ Rest Natural HomeFoxtrot Howard JohnsonKansas EmployAbilityPhoenix GalleryPrime LendingUS Food Service

JanuaryCielito Lindo Gran-Daddy’s Que Hurricane Alley Car Wash Knology Lawrence Family VisionMeadowlark Music TogetherSmart Building ServicesThe SelectionWyldewood Cellars

February

Advanced Health Center Allen Belot, Architect All-N-1 LandscapeBambino’s Dennis Spratt Desktop & Data Solutions Eagle Ridge LLCFamous Dave’s

Keating & Associates-Daniel KeatingPickleman’s Gourmet Café Pro-Print, Inc.Toland Hippe-Stephens Real Estate

MarchAspen Creek LandscapingCustom WoodworksGlenda Wales-Lawrence Real EstateLeatherman Consultancy

Please visit:www.lawrencechamber.com to view complete member listings.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Our Vision The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will be the leading force for economic vitality in Lawrence and Douglas County.

Our Mission The mission of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce is to represent the interests of our members and the Lawrence/Douglas County business community by:

• Facilitating strategic partnerships for the benefit of our community

• Educating the community on the benefits of economic development

• Advocating for local and regional competitive economic viability

• Promoting civic leadership and community engagement

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T

TOM KERNCHAMBER PRESIDENT

As most of you reading this are already aware, after more than 20 years at our 734 Vermont address, we have recently relo-cated to our new home at 646 Vermont St., Ste. 200.

Yes, it was a lot of sweat and toil to relocate less than one block away, but the dust has settled, our pictures are hung, our offices organized and, while we don’t yet recall where we’ve stashed everything, we love our new space and are quickly at home.

As such, we’re excited to showcase the new office and play host to our own Business After Hours! We invite everyone to please join us on Wednesday, April 20, from 5-7 p.m., for an informal house-warming cel-ebration. We’ll enjoy some delicious BBQ,

beer and wine courtesy of our sponsors: Emprise Bank, O’Malley Beverage, and Jim Otten, D.D.S.. We are now located on the second floor of the building on the north-east corner of 7th& Vermont, in the space above what was formerly known as Talbots. Parking is available in the 2-hour free lot on the southeast corner as well as along 7th& Vermont Streets (the lots adjacent to the building are by permit only.

Business After Hours mixers are the Chamber’s premier networking events, offering members a relationship-building experience in a relaxed, social environment. As business representatives in attendance vary from one mixer to the next, each event represents a unique opportunity to add to your company’s contacts and resources. Held monthly at a location designated by a sponsor company, Business After Hours are free for Chamber members to attend and do not require a reservation.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the 20th, at which time perhaps one of you might help us find our wine glasses!

B U S I N E S S

A F T E R H O U R S

AT T H E

C H A M B E R

APRIL 20th 5pm-7pm

3

Emprise Bank O’Malley Bev Jim Otten, D.D.S.

Thank you event sponsors:

The 2011 Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting paid homage to the Hollywood movie premiere, complete with red carpets, spotlights, bowties, cocktail dresses and just a touch of glitz! While there were no TMZ, paparazzi, lapdogs or compromising photos (that we know of ), with more than 500 guests in attendance, what there was plenty of was good times with old friends.

The evening boasted a slight air of genuine celebrity with Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President, Gary Toebben, on hand as the event’s keynote speaker. Gary led the Lawrence Chamber for 18 years and, as evidenced by the long lines of guests waiting to personally welcome him back, still maintains strong ties and personal friendships within the community.

While his comments focused on the importance of business leadership in a community, some of his more memorable reminiscences noted the use of the Eldridge as senior hous-ing, Wakarusa Drive as a gravel road, Kansas’ lack of liquor by the drink and the approval of the South Lawrence Traf-ficway by voters in 1986.

More than a social outing, the event honored four Lawrence residents for their significant and ongoing contributions to the community. Congratulations, once again, to this year’s award winners: John McGrew, winner of the Citizen of the Years Award; Sharon Spratt, winner of the Buford M. Watson Jr. Public Service Award; Ranelle Fischer, winner of the Wally Galluzzi Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award; and Jane Bateman, winner of the ATHENA Award. In addition to all of this, the evening also marked the unveil-ing of the Chamber’s newly produced highlight video. The video showcased the Chamber’s recent success stories and community developments, capturing Lawrence’s vitality,

its top-notch services, facilities and overall quality of life. The video can be viewed at the Chamber website, www.lawrencechamber.com or on the Chamber’s Facebook page, facebook.com/LawrenceChamber.

All in all, the 2011 Chamber Annual Meeting can truly be said to have been a memorable and fun-filled evening. In no small part was the success of the event due to the generos-ity of our sponsors, to whom we’d like to offer one more, very sincere “thank you!”

Lawrence Journal-World subscribers, come and pick up your complimentary copy of the2010/11 Lawrence & Douglas County Area Map, featuring individual maps of

• Lawrence• Douglas County• University of Kansas• Downtown Lawrence

Available now at the Lawrence Journal-World, 609 New Hampshire.

Your town, on us.

J IM MOORE, ALLISON VANCE MOORE, ROB CHESTNUT

A N N U A L M E E T I N G 2 0 1 1 Rec ap

GARY TOEBBEN & GEORGE PALEY

In the years of eBay, Amazon and Overstock, among the endless online shopping sites, people used the internet as an information source. Today, we are in a new era of the internet often referred to as Web 2.0.

No longer do we have this esoteric, online database of information. Instead, we have an infinite resource that begs us for contributions. When you shop for a product, you don’t simply read the advertisement and buy; you read the reviews, the comments, the opinions and more importantly, the complaints. After the purchase, it is now customary to give feedback on the product and rate your buying experience.

The internet is now a continual conversation of sorts. With the exception of blogs, walls, comments, discussion boards and Wikis, we now have an internet by the people for the people; it has left the tech savvy world and entered the household desktop. When you hear the term “social media,” it is simply referring to the interactive elements of the inter-net in which users primarily generate the content.

Social media spans ages and co-horts. In fact, Facebook claims over 250 million users with the fastest-growing demographic being over 35 years old. The notion that social networking is an aimless pastime for youth is long gone. But with so much publicity about Twitter and Facebook, people may want to resist simply going with the flow. Al-though Twitter and Facebook are the current favorites, social media is here to stay. As with the cell phone, social media is an upgrade in communica-tive technologies.

Many times when I try to recruit peo-ple for Facebook or Twitter, I get the response “why would anyone care if I’m tying my shoes…”. The purposes of social media are so much deeper than updates on mundane parts of your life. It is about having a pres-ence in a world that is exponentially larger than the physical space you inhabit. This could mean being con-nected to what is going on outside of your house, your neighborhood, you city or your state. It’s about expanding who you talk to and to whom you are listening.

Building bonds on social media does not replace the person-to-person interaction; it expands your web of connection.

Andy Huckaba, an elected official in Kansas City, searches his Twitter feed for opinions and com-plaints about local civic issues. In one instance, complaints about changing the route of an annual bike ride allowed them not to make similar mistakes next year. In a simple way this illustrates how valuable a tool social media can be in diagnosing civic issues.

Social media entails not only check-ing the temperature, but also raising and lowering the heat in the water. Thousands of non-profits and chari-ties are using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and even creating interactive social websites to raise the heat on important issues. Social media fosters awareness and builds momentum on issues people deeply value. This includes many life-changing issues as well as smaller, local matters.

LEADE R SH I P 2.0LEVERAGING SOCIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PURSUIT OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Excerpted from an article by Thomas Stanley in the Fall

2009 Kansas Leadership Center “Journal”With success stories of how social me-dia has been used for good, I couldn’t help but imagine what Kansas would look like if we took advantage of so-cial media’s potential. I wonder if we would have an entirely new definition of collaboration or a much deeper understanding of community.

The truth is we may not know what will happen unless we allow ourselves to experiment with our current op-tions. I believe that engaging in social media for civic purposes is an act of leadership and a means of making progress on difficult issues. If we don’t do what is uncomfortable, we won’t see the change we envision.

“Social media isn’t a fad; it is a fundamental shift in the way

we communicate.” Erik Qualman, economist and author of “Socialnomics.

A good local health care system may itself be part of the pre-scription for maintaining a healthy economy.

That was the bottom line from a recent study of the economic contribution of Douglas County’s health care system. The re-port was produced by researchers at K-State Research and Ex-tension.

The study is part of a statewide initiative called the Kansas Ru-ral Health Work program, sponsored by the Kansas Rural Health Options Project and the Kansas Hospital Association. As part of the program, a county-level analysis of the economic impacts and potential of the local health care sector was generated.

According to the report, the health care sector accounted for an estimated 6.9 percent of Douglas County’s total employ-ment, or about 4,510 jobs, in 2010. Further, the study’s authors calculated economic multipliers for eight health care sectors and estimated that health care directly and indirectly account-ed for 6,582 jobs throughout the Douglas County economy. They go on to estimate that these same sectors accounted for almost $300 million in total county income and about $108.5 million in county retail sales.Many may be surprised by the overall scale of the existing ac-

LMH CONTRIBUTES TO DOUGLAS COUNTY ECONOMYRecent Study Shows Health Care Impact

Contributed by Gene MeyerPresident & Chief Executive Officer

Lawrence Memorial Hospital

tivity in the health care sector in Douglas County. I think most people tend to take our local health services for granted, just a little, and may not realize how important health care is to Douglas County’s economic wellbeing.

In the past five years, Lawrence Memorial Hospi-tal has invested $101 million in capital asset ad-ditions. That capital investment includes facilities expansions and a new medical office building at the main hospital campus, a new medical office building currently under construction in Eudora, and new state-of-the-art medical equipment and information technology. Last year alone, capital asset additions totaled $10.2 million.

LMH is one of the top five employers in Douglas County with a staff of 1,270 employees with a median wage of $22.39 an hour. Our 2011 payroll is $76.5 million for salaries and benefits.

It is not only the mission of Lawrence Memo-rial Hospital to provide personal and high qual-ity health and wellness services for the people of Lawrence and the extended community, it is also a point of pride. The trustees, physicians and staff are dedicated to serving their friends and neigh-

1 The Economic Contribution of the Health Care Sector in Douglas County, Kansas. Kansas Rural Health Options Project Report by Kansas Hospital Association and the Office of Local Government/K-State Research and Extension. December 2010.

2 American College of Cardiology ranking based on average door-to-balloon time for treatment of patient with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) among 949 hospitals of similar size.

3 Wichita Community Clinical Oncology Program

• Economic Development• Estimated impact of health services on employment in Doug-las County: 6,582 jobs resulting in $300 million for the local economy1

• Estimated impact of health services on retail sales in Douglas County: $108.5 million 1

• Capital Investment• $101 million in capital asset additions (construction, equipment) since 2005

• Workforce• 2011 salaries and benefits: $76.5 million• 1,270 employees; median wage $22.39/hr• 17% increase in workforce since 2001

• Quality• Ranked #1 in country for heart attack care 2• Over 100 clinical trials for cancer research 3

LAWRENCE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL BY THE NUMBERS

bors and improving our community.According to Dr. John Leatherman, lead author of the report, research has shown time and again that local health care and education are two enormously impor-tant factors for economic development. He said the local health care system has sometimes been the “tie-breaker” in industry location decisions and that re-tirees view quality local health care as a “must have” local service. Access to affordable quality local health care services is essential to attracting and retaining local businesses and re-tirees. Health care has been among the fastest growing economic sectors for the past 30 years. Given demo-graphic trends, prospects for continued growth are good – even in the midst of

health care reform – and Lawrence and Douglas County need to be in a position to respond appropriately and capitalize on that growth.

Increasing awareness of the link between the vitality of the local health care system and the local economy is the first step. LMH looks forward to the partnership with the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce on our journey ahead.

9

The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will host a seminar on “How to do Business with the Public Sector” begin-ning at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, April 14 in the Big 6 Room of the historic Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St.

Local business owners will learn first-hand how to navigate the city, county and educational procurement systems from a panel of experts. Confirmed participants include Jackie Waggoner, purchasing director for Douglas County; Alan Landis, purchasing specialist for the City of Lawrence; Barry Swanson, director of purchasing and strategic sourcing for the University of Kansas; Frank Har-wood, chief operations officer-administrative support for USD 497; and Mike Lewis, chief financial officer for Haskell Indian Nations University.

“This is an opportunity for our local businesses to talk directly with procurement experts from the public sector,” said Tom Kern, president of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. “The government procurement process can seem intimidating and we want people to understand there have been some recent changes that should allow the public sector to purchase more goods and services from our local businesses. The goal for this event is to provide attendees with a greatly increased understand-ing of how they can easily do business with the public sector.”

Each panelist will provide an overview of the purchasing requirements and options for their organization and then take questions from attendees. The event is open to the public. Cost is $15 for Chamber members and $20 for non-members. Reservations may be made online at www.lawrencechamber.com through 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 12.

CHAMBER HOSTS “HOW TO” EVENT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

“This is an opportunity for our local businesses

to talk directly with procurement experts

from the public sector.”

“The Lawrence Chamber of Com-merce will be the leading force for economic vitality in Lawrence and Douglas County”.

That’s your Chamber’s vision state-ment, short and sweet. In 2010, un-der the terrific leadership of Matt Hoy, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce made great strides in bringing that vision closer to reality. In the com-ing year, we will continue to build our strategic partnerships with the University of Kansas, Baker Univer-sity, Haskell Indian Nations University, USD-497, the City of Lawrence, Doug-las County and others.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE VITAL TO OUR FORWARD PROGRESS.

We will work to educate the com-munity on the benefits of economic development, advocate for local and regional competitive economic vi-ability and promote civic leadership and community engagement. We will make our vision a reality by le-veraging the individual and collec-tive talents of so many exceptional stakeholders and by building lasting relationships. In the coming year, your Chamber will reach out to the Lawrence and Douglas County com-munity in new and different ways to educate and inform. We will work to

bring additional value to every, single Chamber member and by proving value to new members. But it is in-deed a collective effort. No single in-dividual can bring this about – it must be done through combining talents and developing relationships.

With relationships comes trust and with trust comes progress. While a single individual may motivate and help create a changed environment – and Tom Kern has done just that in his first two years as our Chamber Presi-dent - the change must come about through the participation of many. We must see new, increased and re-newed participation from everyone in our membership. The Chamber staff is committed to reviewing programs and services to bring new and added value to our offerings and we look for-ward to doing just that in 2011. How-ever, at the end of the day, it really will be about building individual relation-ships one by one.

MOVE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I challenge each of you to truly en-gage with the Chamber this year. It may be deciding at the end of a long day to stop off at a fellow member’s Business-After-Hours mixer and re-new a relationship with someone you

haven’t seen in awhile. It may be re-alizing that attending a new business ribbon cutting in the middle of a busy day encourages that same entrepre-neurial spirit you have in your own business each day. It may be giving a new member a call to invite them to attend a Chamber event with you because you remember that walking into a room full of unknown faces isn’t always easy.

At Chamber events seek out some-one outside your normal circle. In-deed, seek out someone you know you couldn’t possibly have anything in common with! You’ll find you have more in common than not. And one thing we all have in common is the desire to tap into the vibrancy of Law-rence and create an even better place to live and work. Building new and better relationships is how we will be successful.

BE PART OF THE PROCESS

If you have ideas, questions, or simply want to build a relationship, please contact us! Visit our website at www.lawrencechamber.com or give us a call at 865-4411. We look forward to working with you in the coming year.

A MESSAGE FROM CINDY YULICH

10

A friendship forged with another couple while watching their sons play baseball in the hot Lou-isiana summers took two Lawrence residents on a journey they never could have imagined.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Or-leans, Connie and Mike Cook knew they had to be there to help their old friends recover. Mike climbed in his motorhome and headed south. His only goal was to see how he could help his friends dig out and move forward.

“There were no moving vehicles on the road,” Cook said. “Just pockets of fire all around you.” He arrived at his friends’ home and set to work. Almost immediately it became obvious that his professional expertise was a valuable and much-needed resource in the hard-hit area.

EMR: RESPONDING TO DISASTER

Their experience responding to Hurricane Katrina, and more than 20 years providing emergency response to the railroad industry, gave EMR a strong foundation when disaster once again hit the Gulf Coast. When an oil platform exploded and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf, EMR once again was on the scene.

“We ran toward the disaster,” Mike said, “just as police and park rangers run to-ward the shots fired.” Applying the les-sons learned during Katrina, EMR stood up a small team and began providing safety support during the initial clean-up efforts. The work start-ed small in Louisiana with a handful of key workers, and grew to

employ more than 300 people in 55 separate locations.

EMR was responsible for managing logistics in a disaster zone, making sure equipment was avail-able where needed. Its most visible and critical role, however, was providing safety services for any operations taking place at the 55 locations responding to the oil spill. Connie Cook arrived and guided a move to Mobile, Alabama where BP moved its center of operations.

“We were overseeing the safety of all the work-ers involved in cleaning the beaches and out on

the ‘fast boats’ going out to the oil rigs,” Connie said. “We were in logistics yards, on the beaches, at decontamination sites and out

Connie and Mike Cook own and op-erate EMR, Inc., a company specializ-ing in safety management, environ-mental remediation and emergency response. Word quickly spread that Cook could help and soon more and more requests for assistance came his way, ultimately leading to a job performing subsurface cleaning in Metairie, New Orleans and other hurricane-stricken areas.

EMR brought in close to 90 “super-sucker” trucks and 200 people to clear our storm basins to protect against flooding in the event of more rain.

“The things we found in those ba-sins were amazing,” Mike said. “We found alligators and so many guns that the city just provided us a bar-rel to load them in.”

According to Connie Cook, their ability to “demonstrate how a small business can respond to such a na-tional disaster gave us a lot of cred-ibility.” As a result of that credibility, EMR now has several pre-disaster contracts in place that will allow them to respond even more quickly if needed in the future.

on the Gulf.” One of the first safety responders on the scene, EMR’s team became state-wide leads for much of the safety activity taking place in the Gulf region over the course of several months.

“Small businesses have an ability to react quickly and provide ex-pertise,” Connie said. “That flexibility doesn’t always exist in larger corporations and our ability to mobilize quickly was an asset in the immediate response.” The volume and diversity of work be-ing managed by EMR required a broad range of skills at a statewide level. Connie Cook responded by building a coalition of seven small and minority-owned businesses to provide expertise and workers throughout the emergency response.

The EMR team spent about seven months on the Gulf Coast sup-

porting safety operations, providing logistics support and conducting environmental sampling of the bayous and gulf waters. The Cooks said the thing that most impressed them was the incredible response from the communities hard hit by disaster who came and did difficult work in a harsh envi-ronment.

“It was an intense, emotional time,” Cindy said. “You could see the dignity of having a job was important to these peo-ple whose lives had been so disrupted by the disaster.” Mike recalls the challenge of working with men who had spent their entire lives on boats fishing the Gulf waters. “Suddenly we’re on a boat and we’re imposing safety restrictions on their private boats because it was important for them to fol-

12

Every day business owners face risks that could jeopardize their operations. Whether by natural disasters, human error, deception, or an abrupt change in circumstances, a business could be forced to close without warning. This one-day short course will help you prepare to overcome such a blow to your business.

You will receive hands-on instruction from John Marmon, emergency management coordinator for the University of Kansas Public Safety Office with activities and tools to build a comprehen-sive business continuity plan. Led by John and his 10 years’ experience in emergency prepared-ness, you will learn to identify critical functions in your business, and if a disaster occurs, to plan how to quickly restore those functions. You will designate a planning coordinator and those pivotal employees who will be part of a continu-ity planning team, and you’ll develop a command and management structure to be implemented in an emergency.

Course materials include a business continuity planning manual with instructions, a planning template, and other helpful documents. When you leave the course, you will be armed with the knowledge and materials you need to complete a comprehensive business continuity plan.

Presented by KU Continuing Education Overland Park (KU Edwards Campus): Wednesday, April 13 8:30 – 5:00 (lunch included) Topeka: Wednesday, April 27 8:30 – 5:00 (lunch included)

low safety regulations given the harsh working conditions,” he said. “We needed to be sensitive. To recognize their expertise and yet ensure they were operating safely as part of the clean-up.”

To ensure the safety of the men and women hired to work the disaster response, the EMR team provided safety and other training. Mike Cook implemented a requirement for 40 hours of OSHA training for all workers they hired and provided additional site-specific training to ensure safety. The EMR team established guidelines for inclement weather condi-tions, including rules for evacuating workers from the beach when lightning was in the area. Workers also were evacuated due to tropical storms and hurricanes during the clean-up process. In each instance, Cook’s message to his safety team was “you are responsible for your workers’ safety, and also for your own safety.”

Both Connie and Mike agree it’s not the harsh conditions or the oil spill they will most remember. Connie said they receive emails on a regular basis from people they hired to work dur-ing the emergency response. “They just want to say ‘thank you’ for the opportunity,” Connie said. Mike echoed the sen-timent saying he will “remember the people whose lives we changed, and who changed ours.”

That desire to change peoples’ lives is part of the EMR corporate philosophy. Connie said the company had done “all the usual things companies do,” crafting a mission and vision statement when it occurred to them to go one level deeper and define the purpose for which EMR exists. That purpose, simply stated, is to “improve the lives of others.”

According to Mike, EMR’s corporate philosophy is “if you don’t try to find some good in any situation, you’re missing your purpose in life.”

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

Visit: www.continuinged.ku.edu/programs/continuity

Les Dreiling, President of Lawrence Bank is proud to announce the promotion of Derek Bailey as Vice President of Lending and Courtney Nowak as Vice President of Mortgage Lending.

A Lawrence native, Bailey attended Quail Run Elementary, Southwest Junior High School and graduated as the Valedicto-rian from Lawrence High School in 2002. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Business with a Major in Finance from the University of Kansas in 2006. Derek has also attained four different banking diplomas with the American Bankers Association since Graduat-ing KU. Derek resides in Lawrence with his wife, Jackie, and their 8 month old son.

Courtney Nowak, a Lawrence native, graduated from Free State High School, and has been in the banking industry for 13 years. Courtney has completed Principles of Banking, Mortgage Lend-ing and Financial Accounting through the American Bankers Association. Courtney resides in Lawrence with her husband, Jason, and two boys.

Lawrence Bank is a locally owned community bank commit-ted to giving our customers old-fashioned banking services with modern conveniences. Lawrence Bank offers a wide variety of products to meet the needs of both consumers as well as commercial customers.

BAILEY & NOWAK PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT POSITIONS

Mize, Houser & Company, Professional Association, Certified Public Accountants, is pleased to announce that Kenneth R. Hite, CPA, and Bryan C. Phillips, CPA/ABV, CVA, have been admitted as shareholders in the practice of public accounting as of January 1, 2011.

Ken graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1996. He has focused his career on providing ac-counting, consulting and tax planning services to small and medium‐sized businesses and nonprofit organizations and enjoys working with his clients to help them achieve their goals. Ken has served on the boards of Ballard Community Services, Family Prom-ise of Lawrence, and the Douglas County Chapter of the American Red Cross. He is a member of the Law-rence Chamber of Commerce and the 2006 Class of Leadership Lawrence. Ken and his wife, April, have four children and are active in their church.

Bryan is a graduate of York College, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance. He joined Mize, Houser twelve years ago and has focused his efforts on serving McDonald’s owner/operators across the country. His areas of expertise include consulting and business valuation projects and tax planning. He serves as treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Topeka Ronald McDonald House. Bryan and his wife, Cheri, have three children. Mize, Houser is a CPA and business consulting firm. Founded in Topeka in 1956, Mize, Houser has 160 associates with offices in Tope-ka, Lawrence and Overland Park, Kansas.

TWO ADMITTED AS SHAREHOLDERS

15

646 Vermont, Suite 200 Lawrence, KS 66044 785.843.8844

THE RIGHT START *A group learning session for start-ups

Considering starting a company? In this fast-paced, hour and a half long session, you will learn the key items as-sociated with starting a company and some of the pitfalls to avoid. The session will be conducted in an interac-tive group format so individual questions can be addressed. Extensive companion resource notebook may be purchased for $20.

Cost: FREE (please pre-register)

DATE TIME LOCATIONTues, April 12 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of CommerceThurs, April 26 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of CommerceTues, May 10 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of CommerceTues, May 24 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Tues, June 7 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of CommerceTues, June 21 6:00 – 8:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

* This free class is required for new KU-KSBDC clients who are starting or planning to start a business.

LET’S WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN! A step by step, guided workshop

Seminar attendees will collaborate with KU-KSBDC Director Will Katz and KU-KSBDC Consultant Maggie Born-holdt to write a business plan in this three hour, hands-on seminar. At the end of the session, you will have a basic sample business plan and a template you can use to write your very own business plan. This class is rec-ommended for start-up and early-stage businesses as a follow-up to “The Right Start” seminar.

Cost: $25

DATE TIME LOCATIONFriday, April 8 1:00 – 3:00 PM Lawrence Chamber of CommerceFriday, May 6 1:00 – 3:00 PM Lawrence Chamber of CommerceFriday, June 17 1:00 – 3:00 PM Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

MEET THE TAX MAN FOR RETAILKDOR State Tax Workshop for Small BusinessesHear it straight from the Kansas Department of Revenue. Topics include sales tax and employee tax processing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! CLE and CPE approved. Presented the by the Kansas Depart-ment of Revenue.

Cost: $20 (pre-registration) $25 (walk-in)

DATE TIME LOCATIONTues, April 19 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

MEET THE TAX MAN FOR CONTRACTORSKDOR special extended workshop for contractors This workshop is designed for contractors, subcontractors, and repairmen. This includes those who provide plumbing, electrical, carpentry, roofing, heating and air, landscaping and similar services. It will focus on how sales and use taxes apply to materials, labor, filing returns, billing, exemptions and related issues.

Cost: $20 (pre-registration) $25 (walk-in) DATE TIME LOCATIONTues, April 19 1:00 – 3:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Business I Learned From Star Wars Entrepreneurship meets pop culture The Star Wars series is an iconic tale of human nature. It’s a simple story that appeals to all generations. The best businesses are successful because they follow simple concepts and they execute them flawlessly. Serial entrepreneur Devin Walker shares some wisdom accumulated from his many ventures and his many viewings of Star Wars.

Cost: FREE (please pre-register) DATE TIME LOCATIONTues, April 19 1:00 – 3:00 pm Lawrence Chamber of Commerce

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY – CALL 785-843-8844 or register online:http://ksbdc.ecenterdirect.com/Conferences.action

Seminar series sponsored by:

SBDCs are a program supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration & are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. The SBA cannot endorse any products, opinions, or services of any external parties or activities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact Maggie Bornholdt, 734 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-843-8844 for arrangements. The KU-SBDC is cooperatively sponsored by the SBA, the Kansas Department of Commerce, the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, & the University of Kansas.

S E M I

N A R S

S E M I

N A R S

Spring

2011

Spring

2011

CUTTINGSRIBBON

PHEONIX GALLERY

BLUE HERON/EAGLES’ REST

COFFEE CORNER

DR. SUESS PIANO & VOICE

IMAGINE NUTRITION

JAYHAWK SPORTS MARKETING

FAMOUS DAVE’S

ORANGE LEAF FROZEN YOGURT

KNOLOGY

WHEAT STATE PIZZA

TRYYAKI

EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS

LIED CENTER

KAMEHAMEHA MASSAGE

HECK FAMILY DENTISTRY

18

808 W. 24th, Ste. B

1000 Iowa Street

2523 W. 9th Terr.

3320 Clinton Parkway Ct. #110

711 W. 23rd Street., Ste. 19

821 Iowa Street

4801 Bauer Farm Dr., Ste. E

3300 Bob Billings Pkwy., Ste. B4

1 Riverfront Plaza

123 W. 8th Street, Ste. 303642 & 646 Locust Street

1200 Oread Ave

825 Massachusetts St.

4931 W. 6th St., Ste. 130

1600 Stewart Dr

Tom Kern President & CEO tkern@lawrencechamber.com

Cathy LewisVice President Membership clewis@lawrencechamber.com

Beth JohnsonVice President Economic Development bjohnson@lawrencechamber.com

Sue HackExecutive Director Leadership Lawrence shack@lawrencechamber.com

Christy BognerAccountant & Office Operations cbogner@lawrencechamber.com

Hank BoothDirector of Government & Community Affairs hbooth@lawrencechamber.com

Eileen HawleyDirector of Business Retention & Marketing for Economic Development ehawley@lawrencechamber.com

Adam HandshyManager of Special Projects & Programs ahandshy@lawrencechamber.com Darlene LantzAdministrative Assistant frontdest@lawrencechamber.com

Alice HuntCommunications Assistant ahunt@lawrencechamber.com

Meredithe McCormickMember Sales Executive meredithandgary@sunflower.com

Board of Directors Chair Cindy Yulich, Emprise Bank

Past-ChairMatt Hoy, Stevens and Brand(Vice Chair of Leadership Lawrence)

Incoming ChairJohn Ross, Laser Logic (Vice Chair of University Relations) TreasurerDoug Gaumer, INTRUST Bank

Secretary & President/CEOTom Kern

Permanent Ex-Officio PositionsKeith YehleKU Chancellor’s Office Steve PrueHaskell Indian Nations University

Dr. Rick DollUSD 497 Superintendent Three-year terms expiring Dec 31, 2011Bradley BurnsideU.S Bank (Vice Chair of Economic Development)

Bill FuerstKU School of Business Rodger HenryLawrence Medical Plaza

Debra Vignatelli KonzemAT&T (Vice Chair of Government & Community Affairs)

Trudy RiceRice Enterprises

Linda RobinsonKU Center for Research on Learning

Steve SchwadaMeadowbrook Apts. Todd ThompsonThompson, Ramsdell & Qualseth, P.A.

Three-year terms expiring Dec 31, 2012Sheryle D’AmicoLawrence Memorial Hospital

George Grieb Lynn Electric, Inc. (Vice Chair of Communications/ Operations)

Saralyn Reece HardySpencer Museum of Art

Tim HerndonArch/Engineering Consultant Frank MaleLawrence Landscape (Vice Chair of Membership)

Jeffrey MorrisonPrairie Asset Management Group (Vice Chair of Economic Development)

George PaleyPaley Properties/Caspian Group

Delbert PhilipotAmarr Garage Door

Three-year terms expiring Dec 31, 2013 Phillip Brown ICL Performance

Ken HiteMize, Houser & Company

Ernesto HodisonDouglas County Bank

Chad LuceWestar Energy Mike McGrew McGrew Real Estate (Vice Chair of Government & Community Affairs) Miles Schnaer Crown Automotive

Paul WernerPaul Werner Architects

Constance WolfeHalcyon House & Lawrence Giveback

Doug Gaumer INTRUST Bank

Finance Committee Cindy Yulich, Emprise Bank

John Ross, Laser Logic

Doug Gaumer, INTRUST Bank George Grieb, Lynn Electric

Ken Hite, Mize, Houser & Co.

Jim Moore, Wells Fargo

20

11

BO

AR

D O

F D

IREC

TOR

S20

11 C

HA

MBE

R O

F CO

MM

ERCE

ST

AFF

LIS

TIN

G