Janelle Best has come a long way in her two years working at the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce.
On Jan. 16, the chamber Board of Directors announced Best was chosen as the new executive director after Penny Shanks announced her retirement from the position after 18 years serving the community.
During her first two years working with the chamber, the community seen Best always working right alongside Shanks, attending every event with a smile and her get-the-job done spirit.
Congratulation messages to Best from the community were plentiful.
‘Janelle, congratulations on your new position. You will do an awesome job,” Ron and Chris Ritchie wrote on Facebook. Several others echoed the same sentiment.
Chamber President Kevin Harrison said the board is very confident in Best and how Shanks spent those years preparing her for the job.
‘I know that Janelle will do a great job as our new executive director. Janelle is very thoughtful, very well spoken, and a hard worker,” said Harrison. ‘When Penny hired Janelle almost two years ago, the thought was to groom Janelle to be the executive director after Penny retired. So Penny and Janelle have worked closely for the last two years and Penny has done a great job of teaching Janelle the process of the chamber.”
Shanks said Best has done a lot of training, and when she hired her, she was looking for someone with the skills to eventually take her place.
“I think she is exceptional, and I cannot speak highly enough of her. She is not impulsive, she takes her time to research ideas and think about things. She has a great skill set, incredible people skills. Throughout the two years we worked together, she continued to amaze me. It’s impressive to me that as young as she is, she has such depth of knowledge,? said Shanks.
Shanks added Best comes up with great ideas, and unique ways to execute those ideas.
Shanks asked her last summer if she would be interested in the position. Best took some time to think about it, and later told Shanks she would love the job.
Working alongside Shanks, Best attended ribbon cutting ceremonies welcoming new businesses and monthly luncheons, and helped plan numerous events hosted by the chamber each year.
Best spent her first two years as the director of Economic and Workforce Development at the chamber.
‘I developed educational programming based on needs in the community, I worked a lot on Placemaking, Oakland County Main Street program, and planning along the Dixie Corridor,? she said.
Best also put in the work required to take the job. She attended a variety of courses focused on training new chamber of commerce directors. She learned legal policies directors need to know about a non-profit organization, how to handle volunteers, and many other educational courses focused on an executive job.
One thing Best has learned working at the chamber is it is an all-encompassing job, and you often have to do a variety of work you may not have expected.
During the very first event she worked for the chamber included cleaning up after pets at an event in Depot Park. It needed to be done to keep the area clean for vendors and visitors.
Best confesses she is fine with doing whatever it takes to make sure events are a success, and a variety of work is a part of the job.
‘You learn to wear many hats, and embrace them all,? she smiled.
Her first week was been busy with change. Best and her staff worked on restructuring positions in the office.
‘We are focusing on tackling some changes and finding what works best for our staff,” she said.
One new employee, Kristy Kaer, will start in February as the education communication specialist. Kaer will focus on educational programming, and keeping the community informed of events through flyers and press releases.
A new bookkeeper, Amanda Chappell, was also recently hired.
Best said her first week was also spent preparing for the chamber’s busy season, when the We Biz Series starts.
‘We have fantastic speakers, and I want people to know these classes are for everyone,? she said.
We Biz starts on Jan. 27 with a luncheon and speaker from Taxi Stand, teaching business owners and marketers how to understand and utilize digital media.
In February, Angela Avery will teach Backbone Building 101, a class which focuses on how to use your ‘natural backbone? to handle conflicts at work and home.
Classes run through April. In March, six-time Emmy Award winning media coach Shawne Duperon will speak on self-forgiveness. In April, Cindy Crandell from Clarkston’s Nuview Nutrition will teach ‘Strategy Guide for Health Living? and how to navigate the health food trends of 2015.
‘I have hit the ground running,? said Best. ‘We have a lot of big events coming up including the Body, Mind, Green Expo in March and our Golf Classic in summer.?
In between planning events, chamber staff continues working on promoting businesses and enhancing opportunities by creating unique ideas to promote members. She and the Chamber Board are working together on a strategic plan and mission.
Best, a Clarkston native and Clarkston High School graduate, resides in Grand Blanc with her husband, Brendon.
For more information about the Clarkston Chamber or the We Biz series visit www.Clarkston.org.