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Meet the New Chairman of the Board - Keith Ordemann
By
Ellen Horan
 Spend
a few moments with Keith and you know he’s focused and energized –
and not just because he heads a battery company. Keith Ordemann,
President and CEO of Yuasa Battery, Inc. in Muhlenberg Township has
a clear vision for our Chamber and is looking forward to using his
energy and enthusiasm to enhance our value to members and the
community.
On July 1, Keith
Ordemann officially became the new chairman of the board of the
Chamber. Outgoing Chair Steve Schumacher passed the reigns over to
Keith ceremoniously at the Annual Dinner on May 12.
Keith sees three
clear priorities as he focuses on our mission. First, the Chamber is
a membership organization, and we must ensure that we are responsive
to the needs of our members. Continuous improvement as a small
business resource and providing meaningful networking opportunities
and effective training to all businesses will continue to be key
elements that drive the Chamber. Adding new staff members and
realigning responsibilities at the Chamber reflects this focus.
Karen Marsdale has been promoted as senior vice president of
operations and will oversee more of the Chamber’s day to day
operations which include helping small businesses thrive, providing
entrepreneurial support and modeling best practices.
Next, the Chamber
needs to fulfill its vision to be the “go to” business and community
resource. We must take a leadership role in partnering with all the
other economic development organizations to create alignment in a
vision that maximizes our collective opportunity to succeed. He
sees a need to expand our legislative advocacy role by becoming more
proactive in promoting issues of concern identified by our
membership. The endorsement of candidates in key elections,
effectively educating members on issues, and mobilizing all of us to
actively engage our representatives is an important part of our
leadership.
Overall, Keith
would like to see the Chamber continue to be a valued resource to
our members, an organization that our members are proud to be
associated with, and an organization that will be indispensable to
our community.
Keith resides with
his wife, Louise, in Mohnton. Their children graduated from Governor
Mifflin High School. Louise’s grandfather and father (Russ and Dick
Detwiler) are well known veterinarians in the County. He enjoys the
daily challenges of maintaining a U.S.-based manufacturing operation
and looks forward to playing a leadership role at the Chamber. In
between, golf, skiing, biking, and family vacations provide him
balance. |
