Tuesday was one of those days. It began early with rain that dumped buckets all over our city and our farms. At the office, things just were not hitting on all cylinders. It seemed all of the work we were putting out was just not flowing well. We were dealing with several issues and deadlines that were approaching too quickly.
Then we had a ribbon cutting. It was at Owensboro Family Pharmacy. The owners, Jessica Mills and her husband, were taking over the family business that her parents had established and nurtured. Mom and Dad, Daisy and Don, were proudly there to cut the ribbon with their daughter, staff and many friends.
A couple of hours later, the Chamber was part of the Independence Bank Groundbreaking Ceremony for a new operations center. The operations center is extremely important for several reasons. First, our community needs corporate headquarters to be a player in the state. With 341 employees in 12 counties, the job expansion and corporate citizenship that Independence demonstrates in the community are of accepted importance. What a win!
But the theme I could not help but focus on was family. In less than three hours, two families in our community were making continued commitments to the people and the economy of Greater Owensboro.
Two sets of parents, Don and Daisy Thomason and Chris and Janet Reid watched proudly as their respective children, Jessica Mills and Jacob Reid spoke at events celebrating the success and foundation-building of the past and anticipating their successes of the future.
Two young business people and their spouses — all in their early thirties — committed to growing our economy, creating jobs and establishing deeper roots which were started by others before them.
It reminded me of the scores of people in this generation that we have welcomed to our Chamber in the past two weeks — among them, Big O Bike Shop, a family business, and Wilson Family Pharmacy, a husband and wife team. The businesses show people who are taking chances to build their dreams and to create jobs and investment in our community. Each time we open a new business or celebrate an expansion or anniversary, we are reminded of the people that make us Greater Owensboro.
By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce