What to do when a pandemic messes with your party plans? Here’s the chamber’s idea

The coronavirus pandemic has ruined a lot of party plans along with a lot of other things this year, but Junetta Everett has found the positive side of it.

“Well, it has been challenging,” said the chair of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. “It has totally redefined what I call leveling up . . . to kind of a different definition.”

Previously, Everett said she thought if you can’t show measurable progress toward goals, “then you’re not leveling up,” which is how she defines making progress.

She said this year has forced the Chamber to reevaluate its goals on the fly and shift its focus as it went. That includes plans for its annual Honors Night, which was canceled this spring, and its annual fall meeting.

Now, the two will be somewhat combined in a virtual LevelUp 2020 event at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12. Anyone can join the hour-long event via several streaming options (check wichitachamber.org/levelup2020).

The event will kick off with remarks from Dale Carnegie Training president and CEO Joe Hart, who will discuss “Developing Resilience — How to Thrive in the Face of Adversity.”

The Honors Night honorees will be recognized, including Uncommon Citizen recipient Walter Berry, president and CEO of the Berry Cos.; Exceptional Young Leader recipient Lily Wu, KWCH, Channel 12, reporter and anchor; Spirit of Wichita recipient Music Theatre Wichita; Over the Years recipients Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Occidental Management; and Keeper of the Plains recipient Cargill Protein.

The event is free, but there are VIP boxes and host packages available for purchase.

Everett said in addition to the pandemic, the economy, the aviation industry and racial divides have prompted shifts at the Chamber, too.

She said as the Chamber’s focus changed, it “shined a different light in diversity and intentional inclusion.”

Everett is the sixth female and first Black person to hold the role of chair, and she said she’s gratified to see the progress the Chamber has made this year with diversity.

“It is one of our largest initiatives now.”

She said overall membership is still what she called the bread and butter of the Chamber, “but part of the membership has to be inclusive as well.”

Everett said there are now almost a dozen people of color on the Chamber board compared to just a few in the past.

Also, there now are automatic seats for representatives of the Hispanic and Black chambers to serve on the larger Chamber board. Everett said other board members have sponsored 40 memberships for minority businesses.

Some of the Chamber’s business that’s normally conducted at its Annual Meeting will now take place at a separate in-person December meeting.

Though it’s been an unexpected term for Everett, she said it’s forced innovation and creativity.

“It’s made us step up five years quicker . . . in technology than we would have been had this not happened.”

She said that it also “made us all look at each other from a people’s perspective.”

“I wouldn’t trade this year in spite of all these things that have happened.”

This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 11:28 AM.