Welcome to this week’s edition of What’s Up, Tigard?, your Friday rundown of how the Tigard Chamber has been championing local business and community vitality. From energizing networking events to behind-the-scenes advocacy at City Hall and beyond, we’ve packed a lot into the past few days and we’re excited to share the highlights with you. Grab your favorite drink and settle in for a quick read, and see how the Tigard Chamber has been working for you and the broader Tigard community.
One of our core objectives here at the Chamber is to represent the voice of business with government and our CEO Megan did just that during various meetings this week. She connected with Washington County Commissioner Jason Snider, House Majority Leader Representative Ben Bowman and the Tigard Kitchen Cabinet which includes Mayor Heidi Lueb. In addition to these important meetings, she also participated in the final Oregon State Chamber of Commerce Legislative Update call to ensure she is keeping up-to-date with legislation that impacts small business owners and our membership at large.
We value our partnership with the Tigard Downtown Alliance and regularly participate in their meetings and events. This week Megan met with the Executive Director Kyle Knepper to discuss topics relating to the downtown corridor and she attended a meeting where she learned about a new program they will be launching in September. Exciting!
Our membership is steadily growing which means new ideas and questions are always coming our way. Ainsley hosted a Member Orientation this week to give a warm welcome to new Tigard Chamber members and prepare them for all the ways we get to work together throughout the year. These informative meetings are always fun and allow our team to learn about new businesses in Tigard too! Are you looking for ways to maximize your membership or know of a business that would benefit from a Chamber membership? Contact Ainsley for more information!
We held our Annual Meeting at Broadway Rose Theatre on Thursday morning, in place of our normal Good Morning Tigard networking event, and we had a great turnout! Our Board of Directors presented our 3-year strategic plan and updates on our progress over the last year. We also celebrated our dedicated Board Members and Ambassadors who tirelessly advocate for the Chamber throughout the year. A huge thank you to Tom Engel for all of the progress he made as our Board Chair over the past 2 years as well as Greg Kozina, Lucie Dardis and Ray Ellison for their years of service on the Ambassador team! You are all amazing and we are so grateful to have you as part of our community! Looking ahead, we will have Sara Tanner as our new Board Chair and Dr. Whitney Green Bautista as Chair Elect.
What else is new?! At our Annual Meeting we announced a NEW partnership with Women to Women Network whose mission is to ignite the power of women at every stage of business and career – equipping them to lead with power, grow without limits, and drive lasting impact in their industries and communities. There will be more information about the benefits of this partnership to our members coming in July.
June is Pride Month and our community is wrapping it up with the Pride Parade & Festival! This event takes place on Saturday, June 28th beginning with the parade at 2pm along Durham Road. Keep a lookout for our Diversity and Community Engagement Committee in the parade, with their matching pride shirts generously donated by NW Accent, as they fulfill their mission to encourage belonging and empowerment in all we do.
Sundays are saved for the Tigard Farmers Market in Universal Plaza from 9:00am to 1:30pm. Be sure to grab your berries and flowers first as they are hot items each week! Then explore the entire plaza as vendors change week to week and there is always something new to discover, including local musicians. Plus, it’s cool to shop and eat local!
That wraps up our week, but the momentum doesn’t stop here. If one of these initiatives sparked an idea, a partnership, or a question, let us know! Comment below, reach out to the team, or stop by the Tigard Chamber office on Main Street. And don’t forget to mark your calendar for next week’s events (check the Tigard Chamber Calendar for all the details). Together, we’re building a thriving and resilient Tigard one conversation, one connection, and one bold step at a time.
See you out there!
Your Tigard Chamber Staff