After 5 months as interim leader, Mike Law has accepted a 2-year deal to be the Emporia Area Chamber Commerce President and CEO on a permanent basis.
Law was named as interim back in February, shortly after the departure of Christian Keisler — who lasted less than a year after longtime president Jeanine McKenna went to the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation.
Shortly after he started, Law commented about needing to clean up some things as a way to turn things around in a positive direction for the Chamber.
Law specified to a degree Tuesday.
Looking ahead, Law says the current emphasis on listening to members and adjusting to suit will continue. Law says members “pushed back” on the prior model. Law and recently-named Membership Director Ben Kohl are working to reverse a decline in membership.
On the event side, Business After Hours will continue and there is a new emphasis on the Coffee and Conversations activities. He sees additional “fun and outgoing” activities through the Chamber Ambassadors. Plans are also coming together for the Chamber’s annual Christmas Parade, and those will be announced soon.
In addition, conversations continue between the Chamber, Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas and Visit Emporia inside the Trusler Business Center — but also with Emporia Main Street, Emporia Enterprises, the City of Emporia and Lyon County when it comes to economic development in general and the relationships between the entities in specific.
An Emporia native and an Emporia State University graduate, Law made a name for himself as a broadcaster in the Kansas City metro area, earning spots in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and Country Radio Halls of Fame. He has retired from the radio business, but he has been active locally, with time on the Emporia State Foundation Board of Trustees, ESU School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and most recent ESU President Search Committee responsible for hiring current President Matthew Baker.
Besides membership, Law will oversee local business support and strategic partnership development. The Chamber also says Law has been tasked with “positioning the Chamber as a catalyst for economic vitality and community progress.”
4:15 pm Tuesday: Law signs two year commitment to now serve as permanent Emporia Chamber President and CEO following five months in interim role
The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce now has a permanent leader at the helm for at least the next two years.
It was announced Tuesday that Mike Law has dropped the interim tag as Chamber President and will now hold the official title after agreeing to a two-year commitment with the chamber. Law was named as the interim president back in March following the departure of previous interim President and CEO Christian Keisler back in February.
Law, the owner and operator of Law Communications, is a graduate of Emporia State University who, in addition to his 45-plus-year career in radio, has a lengthy background of volunteering and service on various boards and committees.
This includes serving on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Kansas City, the Emporia Area Chamber board, the ESU Foundation Board, and the ESU president search committee, which hired current President Matthew Baker. KVOE News has reached out to Law for comment on this recent development.
