The Rose Hill Chamber of Commerce proudly hosted their annual chamber dinner on Thursday, June 23rd. They were joined by guest speaker, Master Sergeant Ricky Longnecker of the 22nd Security Forces Squadron at McConnell AFB. Guests enjoyed the fine cuisine provided by Louis’ Café Catering, including delicious chicken, succulent vegetables, savory dirty rice, and scrumptious cobbler.

With nearly 50 present, attendees were able to mix and mingle for a period before being welcomed by Chamber President, Jason Jones. As each were finishing dinner, Jason Jones announced the recipient of the 2016 Young Entrepreneur scholarship, which was awarded to Kristen Bohm. Katie Ortstadt of Lee Media Group then gave a short presentation about the benefits of becoming a chamber member and having a small business website through the chamber website. Katie showcased a tutorial video that has been added to the website to assist members in building their own web page, and invited everyone to the upcoming Google workshop to help further enhance each business’s web presence.

The highlight of the evening was speaker MSgt Longnecker. Having grown up on a small farm in Missouri, MSgt Longnecker learned the value of hard work at an early age. Between his extensive career in the air force, and his experience owning several small businesses, MSgt Longnecker has gleaned a lot of insight and wisdom that he has developed over the years. MSgt Longnecker shared his advice on team building and employee development through a series of anecdotes and comical tales. As he recalled each amusing story, MSgr Longnecker demonstrated the lessons he’s learned and the values he’s gained from his experiences, and shared how he has integrated those lessons into his work ethic.

The Chamber would like to express our appreciation to MSgt Longnecker for joining us, and thank everyone who was able to attend. The night was very entertaining, and we hope everyone can join us again for next year’s chamber dinner.