April Chamber Connection
April Chamber Connection
with Chamber CEO Shelley Arrott
The following article appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine. Get full access to all online articles, videos and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.
The year 2024 marks an investment drive year for the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce. As we embark on this year’s investment drive for our Chamber of Commerce, we are poised at a pivotal moment. It is a time to come together, to innovate and to invest in the future that we envision for our businesses, our residents and the collective heartbeat of Ponca City.
Six years have slipped by since our last investment drive for the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce. We focus on an investment drive each year following The Party at the Palace Chamber Fund-Raising Year. Keep in mind we only have a focused fund-raiser biennially, or every other year! The year 2023 was a Party at the Palace Fund-Raiser, and in 2022 rather than having an investment drive, Chamber Chair Wendy Stobbe Martin focused on a Kindness Campaign after our world, state and community disconnected during the pandemic as lockdowns isolated individuals, businesses faced closures and differing opinions on safety measures created rifts among neighbors. With that said, we should have had an investment year in 2020, but it was derailed when the pandemic was in full force throughout 2020, challenging our community with unprecedented health, economic and social impacts, which disrupted everyone’s plans and priorities. So, the last Chamber Investment Drive was in 2018.
As the dust settles on the passing six years, we find ourselves at a crossroads of opportunity and renewal. The last year our Chamber of Commerce rallied for an investment drive of this scale was 2018. In that time, our community has evolved, businesses have thrived and faced challenges, and our collective aspirations have grown more ambitious. With our 2024 Chamber Chair Kelsey Wagner at the helm, we stand on the cusp of a new era of growth and collaboration. It’s a moment to reignite the spirit of Ponca City, forge new partnerships and lay the groundwork for a future that reflects our shared vision. The time is ripe for us to come together once again, to invest not just in our businesses but in the very spirit of our community. Let’s seize this opportunity, harness our collective energy and pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous future!
Wagner’s Invest in Success Campaign is designed to help our businesses and community overcome challenges the pandemic brought, such as inflation, rising interest rates and rising costs of doing business. Her goals are to focus on telling our businesses and community’s success stories and sharing how they have overcome obstacles to help other businesses. We need to expand our thinking and come up with new and innovative ways to serve business, because what worked 130 years ago certainly will not work today. This year we will focus on building the Chamber of the future and we have to make certain we are open to new ideas for the businesses we represent.
Together, we are going to create a stronger, more prosperous Ponca City. Help us Invest in Success with the Ponca City Chamber. The pulse of our community beats the promise of progress and prosperity, and we want you to be a part of that progress.
As we move toward the future, it is important to remember we have a very storied past that helped make Ponca City the wonderful and vibrant community it is today. Last month I shared some nostalgia about four past Chamber Chairs, the Northcutt cousins. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with some more of the Chamber’s history, where the threads of our community’s success stories are woven together. We are going to focus on the connections to the Ponca City Chamber of three generations of Muchmores!
Clyde Estes Muchmore was our Chamber Chair in 1930 and as the publisher of The Ponca City News for 40 years, he was very invested in our community by engaging with local events, maintaining a network of community contacts and listening to the feedback of our community. In addition to serving as the publisher of The Ponca City News, he was also the Managing Director of the Radio Station WBBZ from 1949-60, which gave him a direct line to the pulse and voice of the Ponca City that shaped our narrative. Clyde and his wife, Leola, had four children – Gareth, Allan, Harold and Marjorie. Of course, these children grew up with community service and dedication in their lives!
In 1960, Allan Muchmore served as the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce Chamber Chair. Allan and his brother Gareth purchased the Ponca City Publishing Company from their father, Clyde, in February of 1960, with Gareth serving as the editor and Allan as the business manager of The Ponca City News. The brothers were also partners in their dad’s venture with WBBZ. With his strong business and journalistic acumen and respect from his professional peers, Allan was the first person to ever serve as president of both major news media organizations – the Oklahoma Press Association and the Oklahoma Broadcasters Association. Allan devoted much of his time to Ponca City community affairs, earning him the 1975 “Outstanding Citizen” award of the Ponca City Chamber. He was also named “Outstanding Boss” at the Jaycees’ 19th Annual Boss’ Appreciation Banquet in 1970. Allan and his wife, Lyntha, had three sons – Clyde, James and Thomas.
Following in his civic-minded father’s footsteps, Thomas (Tom) Muchmore took the helm of the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce and served as the Chamber Chair in 1995. Tom was the third-generation publisher of The Ponca City News and was an owner and manager of WBBZ Radio and president of poncacity.net, an early internet provider. Tom graduated from Ponca City High School and earned a B.A. degree from OU. He was involved in a multitude of professional organizations in Oklahoma and served on the Lew Wentz Foundation at OSU. He was also a member of the OSU Student Media Board. Tom received the Chamber’s Outstanding Citizen Award in 2001. He served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 1997 and was the recipient of OPA’s high honor, the Milt Phillips Award in 2009. He and his wife, Sherry, still reside in Ponca City.
The impact of three generations of Chamber chairs is woven into the heart of Ponca City as their collective vision, dedication and leadership have shaped the Chamber’s initiatives, partnerships and growth over the years. Their multigenerational commitment not only showcases a deep-rooted passion for our Chamber, but also creates a unique continuity of vision and values that sets our Chamber apart, fostering long-term relationships and sustainable growth within our community.
I can’t wait to share more history next month!
Have a wonderful April, Ponca City!
For more information about the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.poncacitychamber.com.
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