Gabi Kautz

2018 is coming to a close, and what a year it’s been for us here at Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce!

It’s been quite the ride. We welcomed 18 new members over the course of 2018, held Business After Hours events for current and new members, held ribbon cuttings for new members and other celebratory events, and facilitated five major events (four of them being fundraisers for the chamber). The best part about all of these things are the people behind them. We are so fortunate to live and work within the West End and interact with our community in this capacity.

GINCC has gone through some internal shifts in 2018. We welcomed our high school intern, Caitlyn Hendrickson, in May and were fortunate to have her spend the summer with us. Our college intern, Carley Dole, returned this fall and has been helping us with events and other projects. Our former Executive Director, Kelsey Reyes, accepted a position with Great Lakes Radio earlier this fall. It was bittersweet, as it was difficult to say goodbye, but the GINCC Board of Directors and I are excited for her and this opportunity. We then welcomed our current executive director, Bob Hendrickson, in October. Bob jumped in one week before our Annual Dinner and has now gotten into the swing of things. He’s a great fit for GINCC and we’re so happy to have him on board. If you haven’t met him yet, stop by our office to grab a cup of coffee and say hi!

Looking into 2019, Bob and I are excited to see what’s in store for the chamber. We have many exciting ideas and are looking forward to serving the chamber membership for another great year. We are currently gearing up for our third annual West End Winter Wonderland event at Wawonowin Country Club on Feb. 9. Stay tuned for more details on this… it’s going to be different, and it’s going to be fun. Save the date for Vegas Comes to Ishpeming on March 16 at River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center, and the Chamber Children’s Carnival on May 17 also at River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center. If you have any ideas you want to share with us regarding our events, keep in mind that our members can serve on event committees! We’d love to hear from you and we strive to make each event better than the last. You can follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/GINCC to stay up to date with us, our members, and the community. You can also check out our website at gincc.org.

We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. May your holiday season be safe, warm and comforting. It’s so easy to get caught up in stress this time of the year with everything going on. This is a gentle reminder to slow down, take a breath, and count your blessings. I’ll see you in 2019!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Gabi Kautz is the communications & marketing assistant for GINCC. She currently resides in Ishpeming. She enjoys traveling, yoga and photography.