“Rats off to ya! Wonderful!” that’s what I texted my friend, Jessica Duncan, as I left the Discovery Theatre tonight after the 52nd Anchorage Chamber Gold Pan Awards, an event she helped coordinate as staff of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. The phrase is from a ridiculous animated sitcom called Tom Goes to the Mayor, and it's a joke we have to prop each other. Anyway, I was at the debut of the re-polished and rejuvenated business community award ceremony, and it was fabulous.
A chamber of commerce does many things. They wear many community hats, and have many community faces. That doesn’t mean they are fake- not that anyone thinks they are, but because the membership is involved. A very large part of the Anchorage Chamber membership is involved, which was so apparent tonight by the class of people in the room, and the level of commitment and dedication and volunteerism they all shared.
I guess I underestimated what this event was going to be like. I dismissed it because the time had changed from Saturday night at 7pm to Thursday after work at 5pm, and the event was not a “formal dinner” as it had been in the last 50 years. The beginning was a cocktail reception at 5pm with the ceremony starting promptly at 6. I mean promptly. There was no sneaking in late, or crouching in the background. You have Jessica Moreno to thank for that. As I understand it, she was the mastermind of this evening’s beautiful ceremony, which lasted exactly one hour. Painless and entertaining, it was an awards ceremony of none other I have attended. Afterwards, guests were treated to hors d'vours and the group again networked with each other.
Megan Baldino was the MC. She was able to bump her Alaska Club work-out for the fun-loving business community, before she reported the evening news. I didn’t see any cameras there, but I thought she added a creditability and relevancy, and tradition to the night. I think many people bumped their work-out schedules for an early evening out, and the crowd looked great.
The script was elegantly written and thought out, and two podiums were placed at each end of the stage with a brightly lit burnt-orange background. The program moved smoothly along from speaker to winner to photo to speaker. The categories were delivered straight to the point and the recipients stood up in the crowd as a bio of their works and dedication was read.
Sammi Glascott welcomed the audience, nervous and contained. She's the new president of the chamber of commerce, and she looked extremely proud to have a dedicated and caring staff , the foundation this membership, who are truly amazing.
I realized tonight the genius of our chamber of commerce were the people behind the scenes of the event. The people who greet you with a smile and a warm hug or handshake. The people who play politico best, who represent 1300 diverse business interests, who aren't afraid to change what they started, and who embrace their membership. They work their asses off for the membership. For someone to be in their club.
I wonder if it stopped being cool to be part of a membership. Did it stop being fun to be around people who held similar interests and desires? I wondered why the backlash of being a part of something that legitimizes and enhances a business community, and I realized it has everything to do with the organization. It's a circular relationship- one that feeds off each other. The health of the membership is determined by the efforts of the staff and to some extent, the board. And the health of the staff and to some extend the board, is fueled by the active participation of members. The organization is only as good as the membership, which tonight left no doubt in my mind is a high class of dedicated, experienced, determined and engaged business people.
For years, I've been going to the Make it Monday forums. It was the one of the first things I did when I moved to Alaska in 2003. The chamber was my introduction to Anchorage through these lunch meetings where we prayed and said the pledge of allegiance, and had lunch with bankers and politicians, and salespeople. And it was always a nice occasion. I sat in the back and made friends with old men and they liked to tell me how the chamber of commerce "used to be" and how they "just don't know about that man on the stage." They were (and still are) dutiful and supportive.
I quickly became aware of an after hours event called Business After Hours where I got out of work early to come plan a party for business owners, board members, and salespeople where wine and beer was served free of charge and the food was catered. I stood at the front desk and greeted every person that walked in and I observed the relationships between them.
I also began to notice that this BAH crowd, was mostly not the MIMF crowd. Actually, I may not have noticed that until tonight.
Then, I discovered that I could be on a committee!!! So I signed up for things like the Citywide Cleanup, the Ambassadors, and the membership committee where I met newer people and had my first direct contact with an active board member.
Then I decided I should work there as their Membership Director. Then I decided I shouldn't.
After all this time, the chamber of commerce and I have had a love affair. Our Anchorage City Chamber is a four star rated chamber. That means it is recognized as one of the leading chambers of commerce in the United States. Even more than that, it serves as the gold standard of professionalism in business and community spirit for the entire state of Alaska.
Change being inevitable, is still very difficult. Changing a 50 year tradition of the business community takes patience, savvy, vision and guts, and this chamber of commerce did it perfectly. I know they would say it is because of the membership that this was able to come true, and to an extend they are correct. The people and membership makes this organization rich, but the staff of the Anchorage Chamber, every one of them, is an outstanding individual.
I like this event because it highlights the people in the community who do care about their impact, and they have made it a piece of their business model. I wonder if people are always nominated based on their popularity, or of their monetary support throughout the year, or because of some friendship somewhere. My conclusion is: probably. And that's okay, because those are characteristics that a business and a person must embody to be awarded a Gold Pan Award. Those suckers are huge! It's a big deal and it should be treated as such. In the end, the people who stand out are the people who care, for whatever reason it may be, they care. The level of care in this community and from the chamber of commerce membership is outstanding. Tonight, it was apparent, as all the leaders of the crowds, the BAH crowd, the MIMF crowd, The BOD crowd, the Ambassador Crowd, the Staff crowd, and all the other crowds which represent the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, that our business community is political, active, fun, and thriving.
"Rats off" to the next 50 years, and beyond!
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