Secrets in Leadership Shared in 2-Day Chamber Summit

Last month on November 3rd & 4th, 2021, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce held its third annual Leadership Summit. This event provided the opportunity for professional leadership development and organizational management training. Speakers and topics spoke to real time challenges businesses are facing in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all centered around our greatest organizational and community resource – TALENT.

The keynote speakers on the first day were Brent Beardall, President and Chief Executive Officer of WaFd Bank, and Deborah Mersino, Principal Consultant at Mersino Consulting. Brent spoke on leading employees through change, and Deborah spoke on how to make and keep organizations healthy. Day two’s keynote speaker was Rachelle Strawther, Director of Leadership Training and Development at Gonzaga University, and she presented on traits of emotionally intelligent leaders and how to be one.

Day one’s keynote presentations were followed with a speaker spotlight series featuring great presentations from leaders of 3 local organizations. Tom Armenti, Founder and Creator of Fat Shack, a casual fast-food restaurant serving up late-night cravings, presented on growing talent from within your organization. Jessica Mermis, Owner/Operator of The UPS Store locations in Springfield and Junction City and avid Springfield Greeter, presented on hiring employees for the right fit within your organization. The final speaker spotlight was Clyde Miller, Chief Operating Officer of Partnered Solutions IT, who presented on leading teams with flexibility, and how effective communication and giving your team more autonomy without sacrificing service is not only beneficial for success, but essential in our current climate. Clyde was also our on-point IT specialist who helped this virtual conference run smoothly – we are very grateful for his technology expertise!

Day two’s keynote presentation from Rachelle was followed by two breakout tracks where participants got to choose between two different presentations, with one focusing on organizational leadership and the other on civic leadership. Breakout track one options were Mayor of Springfield Sean VanGordon, and Deborah Mersino with her second presentation. Mayor VanGordon spoke on Work, Life and Volunteer Balance, and Deborah taught us about the 5 Critical Responsibilities of a Leader. The second track featured Jess Hampton, the Nonprofit Learning Programs Manager at The Nonprofit Association of Oregon, and Elena Fracchia VP and Wealth and Philanthropic Advisor at Columbia Bank. Jess presented on how different generations can better work together, and Elena taught us how serving on boards can benefit your career and personal development.

We were also graced with some special guest appearances from other leaders in the community! Our first guest was Bev Smith, Executive Director of KidSports, our second guest was Ken Brown of Rexius Forest By-Products, and our final guest was Bayne Gardner, local muralist and artist. They each gave short quips on their experience as leaders, and what made them choose their respective paths. Bev Smith was also a featured speaker at our inaugural Leadership Summit back in 2019!

A big thank you to Storm Kennedy as well for being our Summit host and MC! Storm was an excellent facilitator and not only helped us stay on track but kept the whole audience engaged and excited throughout the entire two days of content!

This two-day summit was held online. While we miss being in-person, the virtual format gave more flexibility for attendees to join, as well as easy recording capabilities for participants and anyone in the community to watch back any of the presentations. All recordings have been made available on the Springfield Chamber Leadership Summit webpage – check it out here or through the button below! YouTube links or other presentation materials are available under each speaker bio on the page.

Thank you so much to all of our sponsors for this event!

Summit Sponsor