Kent business community sees new faces

There are some new faces in the local business community as of late, including a new membership director at the Kent Chamber of Commerce.

Shannon Collins started this month as the Chamber’s newest member, with the goal of getting more businesses throughout the city to follow her example and join up as well.

The membership director position has been in flux since Dana Krawchuk left earlier this year to return to Alaska to be around family. Susie Cushen briefly held the position, but it “didn’t work out,” according to Executive Director Andrea Keikkala.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Collins worked for Navis, a shipping and packing company located in Kent. She served as member of the chamber’s Ambassador Committee and was scheduled to take over as co-chair next year, but said the new position “fits my personality.”

“This position came open and it was a good fit for me,” she said. “I’ve always been involved in chambers of commerce.”

Collins said the new gig with the chamber involves working with the community, acting as a liaison for the chamber’s various committees and planning events, something she looks forward to.

“I love putting on events,” Collins said, adding that there is nothing better than when someone walks away “wowed.”

Collins, who lives in Federal Way with her husband and five children, said she will focus on building new members as well as retaining current members.

“I think a lot of people have found good value in what we offer,” she said.

Collins also said she was beginning work on the chamber’s legislative coalition breakfast in January as well as the President’s Gala in April.

So far, Collins said she loves “absolutely everything” about the new job and said she looks forward to being able to engage her passion for business in a creative way while she works to “create community awareness in the marketplace.”

Keikkala said Collins appears to be a great fit so far for the membership director position.

“We’re extremely happy to have her,” she said. “She’ll do great.”

Also new downtown is Lucrecia Whitehead, the new administrative assistant at the Kent Downtown Partnership. According to KDP Executive Director Barb Smith, Whitehead is a student at Green River Community College where she is studying child care.

According to Smith, Whitehead contacted her when she heard of the vacancy at the office and stopped Smith on the street to ask for an interview. After checking her references, Smith said she discovered that Whitehead has a reputation as an excellent employee with “wonderful people skills.”

“I had already picked up that Lucretia is good with people and passionate about Kent,” Smith said in an e-mail message to the Kent Reporter.

“The Kent Downtown Partnership is very lucky to have Lucretia as part of the team.”

Whitehead is responsible for day-to-day operations at the office as well as Web site updates, new member data processing, research and helps arrange events.