Happy holidays to everyone! I hope your holiday season is off to a wonderful beginning! The board made special plans for a merry holiday party in lieu of our December dinner meeting and they look forward to seeing each of you there. Please know there is no extra charge to you if you choose to bring your spouse or a special guest. The cash bar will be available as usual for wine, beer and cocktails. We’ve planned a great evening, so come celebrate the season and share in this time of fellowship. Your early response with an RSVP is appreciated as we finalize these plans.
We have had a change in leadership with our Executive Director. Kelli Fogel recently resigned her position as Executive Director and will be leaving SME at the end of this month. While her stay was brief, Kelli was able to make a positive impact even in her short time. Please join me in wishing her all the best in her future endeavors.
Beth Mathews has accepted the contract to be SME’s Executive Director and is looking forward to meeting you. If you did not get the chance to meet her at the November meeting, please make a point to say hello at the holiday party. Beth recently completed an advanced degree earning a Master of Communication and Leadership at Washburn University. She brings with her a wealth of experience in event planning and working with committees and volunteers. In this season of thanksgiving, I am grateful to both of these ladies for their good service to SME.
A gentle reminder here that SME’s January dinner meeting will come a bit later in the month, as we have planned to have our January membership dinner meeting on Tuesday the 16th of January. We will have a great program that evening with three young entrepreneurs forming a panel to discuss sales and marketing from a small business perspective. Rich LeJuerrne will moderate the panel and you will have the opportunity to share your questions too.
Save the date now for the big SME Live event coming this spring. Our SME-Topeka organization will host this community event on Tuesday morning April 23, 2024 at Topeka Civic Theatre. All SME members receive one free ticket to attend. Block off the morning to attend and be watching for more news about this to come.
Best wishes to all as you celebrate the season,
Jeannie
