Chamber hires


Vol. 100, No. 11	March 12, 2008

Chamber hires new coordinator

By Brittany Emerson
Staff Writer

With a resume that includes military experience, work at a global software corporation as well as a small equipment company, and running a family magazine and publishing company, Blaine Staat is ready to bring his varied interests and experiences to the Liberty-Casey County Chamber of Commerce.
Staat, 41, has lived in Liberty for approximately two-and-a-half years and started his new job as the chamber's full-time membership coordinator on Feb. 28.
“I think this job is perfect for me,” Staat said. “I hope the results will really impact other people in the community. If we can do this right, it's going to help people.”
In a broad sense, Staat says one of his biggest goals will be to let business owners and individuals

STAAT

know that the Chamber of Commerce is something valuable to be a part of.
“I want people to have confidence in the Chamber and know it's not an expense, but an investment,” he said, adding that he hopes to build upon the foundation that was placed by the organization's past executive directors.
Staat said he hopes to bring energy and some new ideas to the Chamber of Commerce, including the possibility of lunch-time workshops that will give business owners, employees or individuals the opportunity to eat lunch and have some time to learn about a variety of skills such as customer service, selling and goal-setting, among other things.
“We want to teach things that can benefit everyone and things you can fit into a lunch hour,” he said.
Staat comes to the Chamber with more than eight years in the U.S. Navy's nuclear power program. Following his military career, he gained experience at Cues, Inc. of Orlando, Fla., a small company that made sewer inspection equipment. He then worked with Symantec and Veritas software companies, also in Orlando, where he was in sales and was a sales manager.
“In all three, I gained experience as a front-line employee and a manager or leader,” he said.
It was while in Orlando that he and his wife, Catherine, realized that small-town life was exactly what they wanted. The couple found their home in Liberty on the Internet and relocated here with two of their children, Sarah, 13, and David, 11. Their two other children, Christopher and Lillian, live out-of-state.
“There is a quality of life here that you can't find anywhere else,” he said. “That's why I'm here.”
Because he and his family realize the importance of Liberty's presence on the Web, Staat says he hopes to work to update and maintain the Chamber's Web site, working with Tami Vater, the executive director of the Economic Development Authority of Liberty-Casey County.
“That is a big priority,” Staat said. “Tami and I will be working on that this year, getting it updated and having more of a powerful presence.”
In addition to his business and military backgrounds, Staat also is an author, with three published books and a production company, Linear Wave Publishing. He and his wife formerly published a Christian women's magazine, “Making It Home.”
He also helps to coach a softball team at Gateway Park and attends Liberty First Baptist Church.
Using his publishing experience, he plans to eventually have a chamber newsletter available to members.
It is his hope that with more awareness and involvement in the chamber, local businesses can grow together and help one another even more.
“All businesses in Liberty and Casey County have an obligation to each other,” he said. “How someone conducts business in Casey County reflects on everyone else's business. We're all affecting each other, whether it be in a good or bad way.”
Chamber President Katie York said she is excited about the new ideas Staat can bring to the organization.
“He wants to help the community,” York said, adding that his enthusiasm paired with his professionalism and work history in sales and marketing made him a great candidate for the position.
Staat comes to the Chamber following former Executive Director Anita Skaggs, who resigned in December 2007 after six months with the organization. Prior to Skaggs' tenure, the Chamber had been without a director since November 2006, when Linda Gosser Spears resigned the post.

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