Livingston Chamber’s Community Outreach Coordinator Now Full-Time, Paid

Overton County Chamber of Commerce has added a new full-time paid position for Community Outreach Coordinator Joe Kalis.

Director Shannon Cantrell said the position had previously been just volunteer. She said as the county has grown, it became harder to keep up with chamber needs working on her own.

“Especially with all the different facets of this job,” Cantrell said. “I didn’t want anything to fall through the cracks. So we had to start planning to add a new position to help with the growth.”

Cantrell said the chamber has had to come up with some strategic ways to raise funds in the chamber, including for this position. She said the funding for the salary comes from a mixture of sources, including donations from the city, the county, and other memberships and sponsorships.

Cantrell said the additional personnel will help to ease the workload in office to allow for more out-of-office work. Cantrell said she tries to make it a point to get out into the community and help chamber members and businesses directly.

“There’s a fine line between doing the behind the desk job and getting out into the community,” Cantrell said. “Of course, I do my share of office work too, but it’s being out the community that will only continue to help our county grow and for me to help grow relationships with our chamber members. So Joe coming on board in this kind of capacity is really helpful.”