How the Chamber Makes Connections

by Debbie Kirkland, Director of Investor Relations, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce

Connections have been a long-time staple of Chambers of Commerce offerings. As a Chamber staff member, making those connections can also be one of the most rewarding parts of the job. In my nearly eleven years, I have witnessed a lot of great connections, but the following may have been one of the most rewarding connections of all.

I am also a member of the Riverview Woman’s Club and was an attendee at their annual Scholarship Awards Dinner. Upon my arrival, I connected with most everyone in the room. There were some of our Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce members in attendance, there were of course Riverview Woman’s Club members, and then there were the scholarship winners and their families who knew no one else in the room. The time had come when I needed to select a seat for myself. I could have sat at the hostess table, since I was going to be a speaker at this event. I could have sat with my Chamber members, where I am sure there would have been interesting conversation and laughter. Instead, I chose to sit with one of the scholarship winners and her guest who had plenty of empty seats at their table. Eventually, another Chamber member sat with us at this table as well - Janice Bayruns with FirstLight Home Care.

Before the program began, we made introductions and began to learn a little bit about each other. Of course, I told them what a Chamber was all about and how great our members are at their jobs and out in the community. This led me to introducing them to our other table mate, Janice Bayruns. That immediately led to how wonderful she is and what a fantastic business she runs. While we enjoyed our dinner, we continued our conversation. Janice and I discovered that the “guest” was not this young lady’s father, stepfather, or even brother. He was