Four Years In: A Little Rest, a Lot of Character, and So Much to Be Grateful For

Four years ago today, I started working at the Chamber. But did you know it almost never happened?

Six months before I was hired, I had applied to be the executive assistant. I only knew a little bit about the Chamber back then, mostly through my volunteer work with Main Street. I didn’t fully understand what I was taking on, but it was enough to be dangerous. What I did know was that I was falling more and more in love with the town that built me, and I wanted to be a bigger part of it. I felt really good about my interview, but in the end, I was turned down. It broke my heart.

I spent the months that followed putting in the work behind the scenes to make myself better. By then, I had given up on the Chamber entirely. I went back to finish school and started to search for whatever I was supposed to do next. Just when I had put the Chamber out of my mind, the phone rang about a different position in the office.

Now here we are at the start of year number five, and I could not be happier to say it! In just a few more weeks, I will also celebrate two years as your Chamber director.

Ask little Amanda what she wanted to do when she grew up, and “Chamber of Commerce” would never have made the list. I didn’t know it was even an option! But once I got into chamber world, I knew I had found where I belonged. Then, just when I got comfortable, life handed me a new position and, much to my chagrin at the time, a spot in the limelight. I have learned to love that too, even when it has pushed me into some uncomfortable places. Those are the places where we grow the most, aren’t they?

Even just a year ago, I never would have imagined I would be working from home. This historic building that I love for its charm and character turned out to have so much character that it needed a complete emergency makeover. For everything there is a season, and this more recent one has been about rest, recovery, and internal growth. We are still active and still here for you, although it looks a little different right now. The Chamber is settling into a quieter stretch for the rest of the year, and honestly, we need it. 

If these years have taught me anything, it is that plans change and the unexpected happens. Me being here at all, in this role, in this town, in this building with all of its... character, is proof of that. Life rarely follows the plan, and somehow, it has still led me exactly where I needed to be.

I did not get here alone. We have been through a lot together, especially these last two years. Y’all, it has been A LOT. I have made my fair share of mistakes that probably left you scratching your heads, and we have also had some great times as well. Through it all, we have made the Chamber better, and I hope we have made our businesses better too. I have laughed and cried with so many of you, and I am grateful for your friendship. You have cheered me on through my victories and held me up through my personal losses. In my toughest moments, you showed up for me, even when I was supposed to be the one showing up for you. You sent the kind notes, the casseroles, the check-in calls, and the patience. I don't mean to be cliche when I say that we have become our own little family, but I mean it. I care about each one of you.

In just one more month, I turn 40, and the weeks leading up to it feel like a threshold, a doorway I am standing in and waiting to cross. I have realized that the old building and I have a lot in common. We are both in a quiet season on the outside, and we are both busy on the inside. Picture a butterfly in its chrysalis. It looks still, but a lot is happening in there. Something is stirring in the bones of that old building, and in my own bones as well.

When the new year arrives, this butterfly is going to take flight. As I turn the page to the next chapter in my life, the Chamber and the building will turn it with me. I cannot wait to share some of the biggest news we have planned for next year. The energy being poured back into this organization has me smiling every morning. New ideas are taking shape, new faces are getting involved, and I want every one of you to have a seat at the table as we build what comes next. There is plenty to celebrate!

My love for you all grows each year, and with every turning of the page comes a fresh start and bigger, better things ahead.

Thank you for bearing with me through the easy times and the hard ones. Here’s to year five!

With gratitude,

Amanda