“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” — Vince Lombardi
“Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they’ve never seen before, something that does not yet exist.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Above are two of my favorite quotes about leadership and especially the famous statement that leaders are made and not born. That is why a few months ago the Chamber Board of Directors gave the go-ahead to create a youth version of our Leadership Logan program. The first class will consist of students from Russellville and Logan County high schools and will be exposed to a similar program as the (adult) Leadership Logan.
The idea is to expose the students to Logan County in ways and opportunities they may not be aware of because how are we supposed to prepare leaders for tomorrow if they don’t have knowledge about the place and people they are supposed to lead?
The selections have been made and we are proud to announce the first ever Youth Leadership Logan Class. I think we can all be proud of this program and of these students.
Logan County High School selections: Kennedy Campbell, Anjali Evans, Caroline Baker, Shelby Hardison, John Mark Page, Katherine Brooks, Austin Rayno, Jessalyn Robey, Riley Wharton and Evan Hughes.
Russellville High School selections: Luci Suiter, Phillip Wilkerson, Kristen Vanzant, Dillon Porter, Katie Paul, Emma McReynolds, TaJada Hampton, Skyler Hale, Ashlee Gilbert and William Mullen.
Congratulations to all of the students. It is my hope the students get all they can from this program and in turn give back their skills and leadership to Logan County and its future.
The Orientation/History Day Youth Leadership Logan will be held Sept. 15 at the Chamber Office. They will meet monthly through April with themes of Agricultural Day, Government Day, Small Business Day, Industry Day and Historic Day. The graduation is set for April 12, 2016.
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” — John C. Maxwell
RIBBON CUTTING FOR LEVINE GROUP
Trevor Coe, a Certified Financial Planner, and the Levine Group Inc. Russellville office had a great turnout Wednesday for the ribbon-cutting celebrating the business’ new location. There was good food, good weather (it didn’t rain until after the ribbon was cut!) and good fellowship. If you need a financial planner, go out and see Trevor and he will take care of you.
COFFEE AND NETWORKING AT DAYMAR COLLEGE
A great time was had by all Tuesday — Tuesday was a busy day! — as the great staff and students at Daymar College hosted a Coffee and Networking lunch, and what a lunch it was! If you missed it, then your taste buds will hate you for it. We also were given a tour of Daymar’s impressive facility. Thanks to Daymar College for their support of the community and the Chamber.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS SEPT. 3
Don’t delay getting your tickets for the Women in Business Luncheon on Sept. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Logan County Extension Facility. The cost is $15. The speaker this year is Evelyn Richardson, who will discuss the role women have played in businesses in Logan County. We have a full house each year, so get your tickets now! Call Amanda at the Chamber at 270-776-2206.
FIRST SOUTHERN BANK COFFEE AND NETWORKING
Also, in September there will be a Coffee and Networking event on Sept. 9 at First Southern Bank, located at the new Russellville location, from 7-8:30 a.m.
AIRPORT GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY FOR NEW RUNWAY ADDITION
There was a great crowd Aug. 11 for the ground breaking ceremony for the Russellville/Logan County Airport’s runway extension. Included in the ceremony were representatives from Sen. Rand Paul’s state office and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield’s state office. The Russellville-Logan County Airport Board received a federal grant of $367,957.00 for the county’s airport. The award, given by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will fund the design of a runway extension, which will extend the runway to 4,500 feet. The funding will also help acquire approximately 11 acres of land.
LEADERSHIP LOGAN HAS FIRST BIG DAY
It was a day of icebreakers. Eggs were dropped in protective chambers of a section of newspaper, five straws and three feet of Scotch tape, but alas, none survived the journey through gravity to the ground. There were plenty of get-to-know-you games — including two truths and a lie, which included a mini-class on finding people’s ticks when they are lying! On a Thursday, 2015 Chamber President Shane Hayes facilitated the orientation for the brand new Leadership Logan Class and he made it fun and interesting. Now that they “know” each other better, they head into the first official class next week as a group and not a bunch of strangers.
The 2015-2016 Leadership Logan class is a very impressive group of people and next Thursday they will begin the journey of discovering Logan County in a way that only Leadership Logan can bring. Here are the class members for this year: Gary Bickett, Ben Kemplin, Melanie Manley, Hope Strode, Ryan Coleman, Crystal Cavanah, Barry Goley, Brad Rogers, Marius Beard, James Justice, Timothy Nugent, Penni Nugent, Amanda Baker, Rachel Barnett, Nicholas Scarbrough, Debbie Tolladay and Thadd Kistler.Good luck to this year’s Leadership Logan class!
Last week was the orientation, but this week the (Adult) Leadership Logan had their first class and it was Agriculture Day. The stops on the nearly day-long tour included A&W Sod, Robey Dairy, Walnut Grove Farms, J&D Milk, and Poore’s Nursery. A big thanks to all the agri-businesses who helped us and thanks to Logan County Cooperative Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent Leann Martin, who led the tour!
So that’s all for this week, have a great weekend and let me leave you with an inspirational quote that actually came from my dad — barber, farmer and philosopher — Richard Craig:
IF THE TIGER IS GROWLING IN THE BUSH, DON’T SAY, “HERE, KITTY, KITTY …”
Words to live by …