As you might expect, my radar is always up for examples of entrepreneurism in our community. Last night's Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting filled the radar screen!
Let's start with the Chamber leadership. Outgoing 2009 Board Chair Susan Guess's day job is Vice President of Marketing at Paducah Bank. EntrePaducah receives support and encouragement from all our local banks, but, Susan (who also serves on the EntrePaducah Advisory Board) and the leadership at Paducah Bank have been especially supportive of the effort to develop and promote entrepreneurism in Paducah/McCracken County. We also appreciate Susan calling out EntrePaducah in her speech as one of the initiatives supported by the Chamber. We are proud to be a strategic and financial partner of the Chamber.
Incoming Chamber Board Chair Helen Sims and her family are local entrepreneurs as well, Founders and Owners of Superior Care Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Helen's inauguration speech last night reflected so many of the characteristics and values of true, successful entrepreneurs.
Chambers of Commerce are all about their members...and Paducah's Chamber is full of self-made local businesses. Winners of last night's awards are wonderful examples of entrepreneurism.
Three short years ago, in was difficult to go online to find a concise "community calendar" of events in the area. Mary Thorsby and Nikki May, winner of the Chamber's "Innovator Award", changed all that with ilistpaducah.com. Not only has "ilist" become a source of community event information, some of its other features have created a new culture in the area conducive to locals who see the beauty, value and potential of our great community. Their entrepreneurial spirit launched a service that's slowly becoming a legacy in the community.
Swift & Staley, Inc., led by entrepreneurs Bill and Pat Holsapple, was named "Business of the Year" for 2009 by the Chamber...a well-deserved honor for a company that supports its community in so many ways.
If there was ever a person to lead people up a hill to tackle a challenge, it would be John A. Williams, Sr., Founder of Computer Systems, Inc. (CSI). John Williams has tackled many challenges for his community and was appropriately honored with the Chamber's "Summit Award" in appreciation for his efforts. John's current project is an in-depth study of local poverty and the policies that govern the issue and how it affects our educational system. John's corporate and civic leadership is a classic example of entrepreneurism at its best!
Last night's Chamber event celebrates the year past, and sets the tone for the coming year. The tone we heard was one of a pragmatic approach to the country's economic factors...a tone of challenge to DO something to effect positive change...and a tone of optimism that sends a signal that Paducah and McCracken are ready, willing and able to support successful businesses!
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Wow, Terry, thank you so much for your kind words and for your longtime support of our site! Nikki and I so appreciate that. We love doing iList Paducah and very much believe that there's never been a better time to start a business in Paducah. And that's primarily thanks to EntrePaducah and the other wonderful resources here. Thank you again! Mary
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