“The 1% county sales tax has allowed the city of Emporia the opportunity to make significant infrastructure investments that are critical to a good quality of life,” City of Emporia Mayor Rob Gilligan stated. An extension of the 1% county sales tax will be on the ballot for the upcoming November 2 election. This is … Read more

On Wednesday, October 20, we will be celebrating Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day–and we hope you will, too. This holiday was created to celebrate the primary objective of chambers of commerce across the country and abroad: strengthening local businesses of all sizes. The best way to honor your own local chamber is to … Read more

“This year, everything is going to take longer, be harder to find, and there’ll be more competition for inventory, employees, customers. Even something as simple as sending out greeting cards to your clients is going to be more challenging this year.” –Rhonda Abrams, in USA Today Here at the Emporia Chamber, we’re working with the … Read more

In this era of a shrinking pool of prospective employees and a growing glut of positions to be filled, one area where employers have some breathing room is with employees who are approaching retirement age. As noted last week, Baby Boomers are aging out to the tune of nearly 10,000  per day. Yes, you read … Read more

Something every business owner can likely agree on is the current employment squeeze. Large or small, local or global, companies in every industry are having a hard time filling open positions. In the face of the pandemic that shows no signs of abating, employers are vying for what appears to be an ever-shrinking pool of … Read more

It’s Small Business Week! On behalf of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, I extend hearty congratulations and thanks to every small business owner in our community, out there living the dream every single day. The U.S. Small Business Administration hosted its virtual small business summit this week, spotlighting the resilience of America’s entrepreneurs and … Read more

You might not be thinking about winter weather just now, but after last year’s arctic blast, it might be a good idea. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts well below normal temperatures for the central United States, especially next February. Sort of conjures up old memories of frozen pipes and power outages, doesn’t it? As a business … Read more

Labor Day always holds a special significance for me. It’s not so much about that last long summer weekend at the lake, 0r attending a killer concert, or a barbecue on the back patio with family and friends. To me, Labor Day is all about, well, work. In the late 1800s, people commonly worked 12-hour … Read more

This time of year, it seems that everybody is snapping and sharing first-day-of-school and my-summer-vacation photos. Do you have a stellar photo highlighting Emporia area landscapes or people? Submit your work in the 2021 inaugural “Live, Work, & Play” photo contest hosted by the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber produces a yearly Relocation … Read more

Read this week’s column in The Emporia Gazette.    It’s the first day of school as I write this, which always brings a wave of nostalgia for the freshness of new beginnings. The start of a new school year seems to serve as a new beginning for everyone, as though we’re all hard-wired for that … Read more