Guests started arriving for the June 9th chamber luncheon around 11:20 AM, gathering in one of Southwest Technical College’s spacious and modern classrooms at their Kane Campus located at 733 S Cowboy Way in Kanab. We’ve had some hot weather this week, so the comfortable seats and cool interior were welcome. Their AV game was on point, as well, with a giant touchscreen at the front of the room and integrated audio – very cool!
JR Quarnberg, Director of Programs at the Kane Campus, was on hand to greet everyone as they arrived, and about two dozen chamber members and local business owners spent a pleasant half-hour catching up over cold sodas and iced water.
Three chamber board officers were present at the meeting: Pat Guerrero, President; Matt Claflin, Treasurer; and Don Jennings, Secretary. Businesses at the meeting included Best Friends Animal Society, Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile, Burro Flats High Desert Lodge, Datalogiq360, Desert Air Heating & Cooling, Lotus, Mortgage Mate, Mountain America Credit Union, Quantum NLP, Realty ONE Group, and Southwest Technical College.
Lunch was provided by Southwest Tech via Pizza Hut and included a wide range of delicious pies. Pat Guerrero and Matt Claflin brought salad, cookies, and cold drinks.
As lunch was finishing Matt Claflin handed the program over to JR Quarnberg, who provided a broad overview of Southwest Tech’s programs and services in Kanab, including GED and CDL training and short-term courses like CPR and first aid. He noted that they’re currently building the fall schedule and that business owners can reach out if they’re interested in the trainings above, or additional trainings on topics like computer basics, Google docs, web design, and QuickBooks, which have been popular courses in the past.
JR also talked about community trainings sponsored by Southwest Tech featuring Brad Anderson of Blueprint Creation on topics like customer service, and effective leadership. Brad’s half-day professional trainings are in high demand across the US, and his dynamic style reaches audiences across a wide spectrum. Southwest Tech hosted Brad most recently in March of this year and plans to bring him back for more.
JR then introduced Kaden McBride, Business Training Manager, and Taylor Larsen, Community Relations Manager, who drove in from Southwest Tech’s primary campus in Cedar City.
Kaden narrated a detailed PowerPoint about Southwest Tech’s programs, including certificate programs in computer science, nursing, culinary arts, manufacturing, health professions, and transportation. Taylor took the floor to talk about Southwest Tech’s “Custom Fit,” a statewide training program that allows companies and employees to benefit from state-of-the-art training and development. The Utah State Legislature appropriates funds each year as an investment in Utah’s economy through Custom Fit, and these funds allow STECH to subsidize up to 40% of the cost of training to qualified for-profit companies.
After the luncheon we asked JR what he’s most passionate about at STECH’s Kane campus, and he replied, “The Custom Fit program, our ability to customize trainings and coursework for individuals and businesses, and all of the ways Southwest Tech is able to meet the community’s needs.”
Learn more about Southwest Tech’s programs here: stech.edu
Learn more about Southwest Tech’s Custom Fit program here: stech.edu/community/custom-fit
Don Jennings followed the STECH crew with a PowerPoint and handout called “A Guide to Google My Business,” the Google search feature that allows local businesses to claim their search result listing and leverage the information to drive customers to their brick-and-mortar locations and/or online services. If you’re interested in more information about using Google My Business, contact Don at secretary@kanabchamber.org, or click here to download the handout.
We were thrilled to have Dave Baird (Come Fly With Us) and Shanell Healy (Realty ONE Group) renew their memberships today. If you’d like to join the chamber visit kanabchamber.org and click on “JOIN NOW.”
The next chamber luncheon will be held at Kanab Center on July 14th from 11:30 – 1:00, where we’ll be hearing from Kane County Commissioner Wade Heaton on the state of the county and receive a tourism update from Kane County Tourism Office Executive Director Camille Johnson Taylor. Save the date!