Rotareminder for the Rotary Club of Kent
Meeting on July 15, 2025
President Amanda Senn called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. Our patriotic song was America the Beautiful accompanied by David Dix on piano, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance; Dominique Bolenbacher led us in singing New York, New York with David Dix on piano. The Invocation was offered by Anne Moneypenny. Mark Pennell and Roger Kramer worked tech; Nithya Venkataraman took our photos. Roger informed the club that today’s meeting was not online due to technical difficulties.
There were no visiting Rotarians today. Guests were as follows:
- Shawn Gordon’s guest was Alyssa Blackburn
- Rachel Kerns’s guests were Joy Contreras, from Habitat for Humanity, and Rachel’s niece Serra Gingrich, visiting from her home in Turkey
- Matt Carter’s guest was his daughter Mallory
Announcements
- Jennifer Lennox announced:
- Next week’s meeting will be catered by Bellaria
- Our July 29th meeting will be off site at KSU’s Crawford Business Building. Lunch is $15. RSVP to Jen at jennifer.lennox@davey.com with your choise of ham, turkey, or veggie sandwich.
- Dominique Bollenbacher announced three events sponsored by the City of Kent:
- Community neighborhood beautification program
- Jackie Smigel informed us that Open Arms Adoption is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a fundraising auction. Donated items are welcome, particularly events or experiences.
- Nancy Whitehead is selling insulated Rotary mugs to raise money for our club’s foundation. See Nancy to purchase a mug.
- Tom Hatch announced two Tap Talks at 7:00 p.m. at North Water Brewing
- Tonight with speaker Chuck Ayers
- Next Tuesday night (7/22) with a speaker from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Amanda Senn announced that next week our speaker will be District Governor Bob Oborn. She encouraged us all to attend to welcome our DG!
July Birthdays
Jeff Roeger led us in acknowledging July birthdays, announcing that the new question for celebrants is: What is your favorite vacation destination? The following Rotarians have birthdays this month:
- Sandee Reid – absent
- David Dix – His favorite vacation spot is his recent trip to El Salvador. It was educational and enjoyable. “If you get the opportunity to go, do it,” said David.
- Lee Higgins favorite spot is Oxford, England. He loves all the history in the Oxford area.
- Steve Smith – absent
- Roger Kramer says El Salvador is also a favorite spot. Fifty years ago he and some friends made a three-month road trip through Mexico and Central America. He had a wonderful time.
- Steve Dennis – absent
- Sabrina Christian-Bennett – absent
- Charlie Zumkehr – absent
- Ben Wolford – absent
- Ted McKown – absent
This month’s free lunch winner was Steve Dennis.
Happy Bucks
- Dominique Bollenbacher is happy that Rotarians turned out for the tour of the new City Hall and that her family is having fun vacationing out west.
- Chris Martin recently welcomed a new granddaughter, and is proud that his daughter, Laura Martin Miller, was honored this month with a Fellowship in Dentistry by the Academy of General Dentistry.
- Rachel Kerns is happy about her daughter’s recent birthday and that Amanda Senn is now Rotary president.
- Shawn Gordon is happy that her son has passed the first of his board exams to get his CPA.
- Jackie Smigel is happy because all three of her kids are coming home.
- Todd Kamenash is happy to mark five years since our club hosted Christmas in July and raised $13,000.
- Carol Crimi is happy that the Italian dinner she offered as a Rotary auction item and that she recently hosted was a great success, thanks in part to help from Dom Bollenbacher.
- Amanda Senn is happy that she is now the first grade flag football coach for St. Patrick School.
Program
President Amanda Senn introduced today’s speaker, Dennis Campbell, Executive Director, Kent Area Chamber of Commerce. Dennis updated us on the Chamber’s many and varied activities.
The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce:
- Started in 1910
- Works with businesses in the Kent Area specifically but includes members from inside and outside Portage County
- Not For Profit Membership Based Organization
- Staff of three
- Executive Director, Executive Assistant, and Intern
- 13 Board Members
- Active Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce Member
- Over 330 members
The Chamber is refocusing its work serving area businesses to
- Advocate for Business
- Connect Businesses to Resources and Each Other
- Engage Membership in Meaningful Programming
Advocate:
- Help businesses navigate governmental processes
- Discuss with local, state, and federal representatives concerns of community
- Engage in regular dialogue with city staff and collaborate on solutions
- Meet with County leadership
- Engage with local stakeholders to find solutions for challenges
Connect businesses to resources and to each other:
- Meet with businesses to learn about their needs
- Make referrals for members to each other and the public
- Member Benefits
- Business Ignite
- Multi-Chamber Opportunities
- Women 2 Women with Stow
- Multi- Chamber Networking
- Multi Chamber programming with UH Portage
Chamber member benefits:
- Insurance: Two plans with Anthem
- Energy Program. Aggregates to lower energy costs
- Working on a shared 401k administration program
Engage Membership in Meaningful Programming
- Programming always has a defined purpose and goal
- Everything helps businesses grow their expertise, employee support, or save financially
- Offered at multiple times of the day
- Coffee Hours & Breakfasts
- Luncheons
- After Hours
- Programs are hosted by experts or member businesses
- Programming is not designed to meet everyone’s needs every time
- Quarterly Manufacturing Breakfasts
- Business Ignite
- Downtown Meet Ups with Main Street Kent
- Bars and Restaurants Meeting
- South End Programming
- AI Implementation
- Co-Sponsoring Programs with Portage Development Board
- City Government Engagement
- Planned Property and Contractors Meeting
Chamber Highlights
- Membership Growth
- Over 140 New Members added since Feb 2024
- Visitor Bureau Management
- Partnership with Main Street Kent
- Annual Membership Survey
- Engagement with NOACC
- Education about Membership Benefit Programs
- One-on-one meetings and facility tours
- Meet with all businesses regardless of membership status
- Celebrate and Support
Future Plans
- Programming with Leadership Portage County
- South End and Brimfield Engagement
- More sector focused programming
- Targeted Programming with Kent State
- Continue 1:1 meetings
- Continue Community Events
- Heritage Fest
- Festival of Lights
- Tree City Dinner & Awards
- Bowman Breakfast
- Development of Membership Benefits
- Five Year Strategic Plan
Q&A
Q: What do businesses say is their greatest challenge?
A: Rising costs
Q: Does the Chamber bring in new businesses to the area?
A: No, the Chamber focuses on supporting existing businesses.
Q: How did you bring in 140 new members in less than two years?
A: By listening, responding to needs, and visiting the businesses rather than waiting for them to come to the Chamber.
Response
Anne Moneypenny, who has been with the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce since 1970, thanked Dennis for his dynamic, caring, and engaged leadership.
We closed our meeting with a recitation of the Rotary 4-Way Test.
Respectfully submitted,
Will Underwood
