DATE: April 18, 2023
START TIME: Meeting 8:00 AM
LOCATION: Town Hall, Council Chambers,
9312 W Smith St, Yorktown, IN 47396

8:00 am Call to order / Pledge of Allegiance

Introduction and Welcome: Erin Ailstock, Kat Blankenbaker, Brendon Comp, Katadyn Connerley, Kylee Eller, Tyler Ewing, Keith Gary, Mark Goodpaster, Carolyn Grieves, Kristi Ingram, Scott Jordan, Brianne Kelly, Carol Kosisko, Rich Lee, Sarah McCord, Chad Ray, Jennifer Halt, Coty Craft, Matt Anderson, Tim Williams, Carly Acree-King, Erin Hurley, Robin Greulich, Eric Baize, Maura Hoff, Jennifer Hart, Mike Stevenson, Mandee Mikulski, Greg Hinshaw, Morgan Titamer, Megan Huff,

Question of the Day: Now that it is Spring, what Spring projects do you have on your list to get done?

Hot Spot: Coffee Cravings-Mike Stevenson: Tina and Mike own Coffee Cravings, they have been open since July 5th, 2022. They are both Yorktown graduates. They wanted to move back home and really liked the revitalization that was taking place in Yorktown. Tina originally wanted to do a pet boutique but when they saw the space, they decided it looked more like a coffee shop instead. They are excited to be a part of Yorktown and enjoy watching the growth that is going on in the community. They have lots of options besides coffee. They can pretty much make anything that you like. They have items from Cinnamon and Sea Salt and Concannon’s. They are looking to bring in other local items.

Approval of last month’s Minutes: Erin Ailstock-submitted as presented.

Treasurer Report: Kristi Ingram-Approved as submitted.
Old National Bank account was closed on 3/31.
Actual Chamber Balance: $46,888.81

School Report: Dr. Greg Hinshaw-Spring sports are underway and have had a strong start. One of the things that they just completed was an outside safety audit. They came on-site and reviewed Yorktown Schools safety reports and then gave them a report on where they stood. Yorktown had no SROs when Dr. Hinshaw started. They now have SROs that are full-time at each school. The board asked for a job description for a part-time communication specialist for the district to enhance their communication. Facility improvements are always something they are thinking about. They are working on schedules and staffing for next school year. They don’t have very many openings but prepping for the 2023-2024 school year.

Town Report: Erin Hurley (filled in for Chase Bruton)-Marrow Meadow has had some road work going on to make it flow better and it is almost complete. The council took a tour of the Yorktown wastewater treatment plant. It was an eye-opening experience. The town of Yorktown has a few job openings and they will be posting them soon.

Program: Tania Said presents “Belonging ~ More than a Buzz Word”
Tania loves coming to Yorktown. She enjoys the Four for the Fourth race. She started her own consulting business in the summer of 2022. It is something she has wanted to do. Tania’s motto is “Do more good for people”. She became an American Citizen 5 days before she got married. She did her Theis on Mixed Blessings: Interviews with Cross-Cultural and Interracial Couples at Ball State University. Goals for Today: Understand what belonging is, reflect on your own workplace belonging for you and for others, and have an action item. Tania went over Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When we think about who is in the room, do we have a group that reflects the community in the workplace in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging? Why is it important to understand belonging at work? 40% of people say that they feel isolated at work, leading to lower organizational commitment and engagement. High belonging was linked to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. Belonging is the right thing to do, but the average amount of money saved per employee is $5,200 due to retaining them. How’s your team’s belonging? Are your team members comfortable bringing their full, authentic selves to the workplace? Do your team members feel they are treated fairly and with respect? Do your team members identify with the work (team goals, function, department, geography, etc.)? How’s your team’s well-being? Do your team members feel they can safely and confidently share their views? Do you provide team members autonomy in how they do their work? Is your team enabled by the technology to promote more connectivity and collaboration? How’s your team’s productivity? Does your team clearly understand the team goals and how they align with the broader business goals? Do your team members have the training required to give their best performance? And learn from disagreements in order to generate new insights (i.e., “productive friction”)? Ask the questions, but simply said, take this to heart. Eliminate outsiderness, bring everyone on board, and demonstrate care through benefits and initiatives. Tania gave each attendee an index card and asked us to write down something you will do to address belonging at our workplace.

Q&A: Maura Hoff asked, now that a lot of companies have employees working from home, how has that affected those employees when it comes to belonging? Tania gave some examples of what her husband’s workplace does for the employees that work from home to include them and make them feel like they belong.

Lunch and Learns: Brendon Comp- the next Lunch and Learn will be on Wednesday, May 24th, 2023 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Yorktown Pizza King. Tisha Gierhart will be the presenter and the topic is Generational Gaps. It will soon be on the website and a link for you to make reservations to attend.

Ambassador news: Brendon Comp (lead of the Ambassador Committee) – Brendon introduced the new ambassadors, and they are: Sarah McCord, Katadyn Connerley, Kylee Eller, Brianne Kelly, Keith Gary, and Matt Anderson. Brendon passed a form around to sign up to work the concerts. The chamber will have a booth to sell the new metal signs. We need 3 people at each concert to volunteer.

Civic Green Report: Kat B – Kat has posters for the concerts that have the entire schedule on them and who will be performing. Mommas on a Mission will be producing the concert t-shirts that will be sold at each concert. The t-shirts will be available to purchase when the design gets approved. Kat brought the sample of the metal signs that will be sold. The signs will be attached to the fence for 5 years. They are for businesses, in memory of, or what you’d like as long as it is approved by the Chamber. The signs are $200 each. The T-shirts are $25 each.

Member Announcements:
Kurt – The National Night Out 2023 is scheduled for August 1st, 2023 from 6-9 p.m. Neighborhoods throughout Yorktown are being invited to join forces with thousands of communities nationwide for the “40th Annual National Night Out” crime and drug prevention event. National Night Out is designed to: heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. During the event, they hope to have a bounce house, free hotdogs and popsicles, a bicycle raffle, free gun locks, educational booths, a canine demonstration, and other fun things to do. The Yorktown Police Department is looking for monetary donations in hopes to make this a successful event.
Kat-Mad Hatter event on May 10th. It is a fundraiser to help with more events in the summer. Buy tickets online, $150 a pair, includes dinner and 4 drinks. There will be a live auction during the event. Get your tickets, there is a limited amount! Kat is looking for raffle items/baskets.

Tip of the day: Mark Goodpaster – If you travel and have luggage, put a piece of ribbon on your luggage. You will be able to identify your luggage quicker/easier as it is going around the luggage area at the airport.

If you are someone that buys a bundle of bananas and struggle to eat them before they turn brown this tip is for you. To keep bananas fresh, put plastic at the top, it will keep them fresher for longer.

If you have written something on a notepad that you don’t want someone else to be able to read, don’t put lines through it. If you write different letters over the top of it, it will not be readable to anyone.

When taking pictures, squint your eyes to make your smile look more genuine.

Wine drinkers, here is a quick way to chill your white wine. Freeze grapes and put them in your wine, and it will cool it down a lot quicker. The grapes will also ensure to not water your wine down!

Adjournment: Promptly at 9:00 am

Next Meeting:
May 16th, 2023 at 8:00 am
We will be meeting at Indiana Mosaics’ new location:
9152 W Smith St, Yorktown
Presentation: Indiana Mosaic presents “Increase Your Online Visibility”