Five navigating new, high-profile jobs in the midst of COVID-19 – The Gleaner

New Henderson Chamber of Commerce President Ellen Redding had been excited that the chambers new office at 114 N. Main St. provided visitors with ground-floor access. But less than three weeks after opening, the office had to be closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

HENDERSON, Ky. - From the first of the year into the very early spring, five people here stepped into significant new roles of community and regional leadership.

Ordinarily, their jobs would have put them in front of audiences at business gatherings or would have involved daily meetings with other people, even occasional ceremonies or events attracting hundreds of people.

But these are not ordinary times. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended expectations this spring, forcing these new hires to work inside locked offices, meet via web conferences and try to get business accomplished from home.

Here is a look at the new work lives of five people who normally would be, to varying degrees, public figures in and around Henderson.

Ellen Redding began performing chamber of commerce-related activities when she was hired by Kyndle about a year and a half ago, starting with promoting events and securing sponsors.

But with the dissolution of Kyndle at the end of 2019, Redding was put into the larger role of president of the newly re-formed Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

Being a chamber president is one of the most public roles in any community: presiding over business meetings and special events, hosting networking activities, speaking at ribbon-cuttings for new members and new businesses, meeting with chamber committees and interacting with public officials.

One of the first things the new chamber board of directors resolved is that the Henderson Chamber needed to be more accessible to the community, to the public, Redding said. Being on the fifth floor (as Kyndle was) was not ideal.

The chamber thought it accomplished that when it leased a ground-floor space at 114 N. Main St. Its new landlord began remodeling in late fall, and the chamber staff began moving into its new home over a weekend in late February.

But with the coronavirus outbreak rapidly spreading and beginning to take American lives, Gov. Andy Beshear signed an order March 17 that many public-facing businesses had to close starting March 19. With that, the chambers new visitor-friendly office was closed to visitors.

Over the preceding two weeks, We had one meeting, with our Education Committee, before we had to close to the public, Redding said. Only one group got to see our really nice board room.

Instead of being one of the more accessible people in town, Im 90-percent working from home, she said.

We had to cancel our Breakfast Club networking event, Redding said. We canceled our March Madness social networking event. We had to close our Brown Bag (seminar) and cancel its annual Legislative Review Breakfast.

The Henderson Chamber is even postponing its own open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With mass gatherings prohibited by the governors orders, Weve had zero ribbon cuttings, she said. A couple that had been scheduled have been postponed.

Instead, the chamber shifted its emphasis to gathering and sharing information. It created an online COVID-19 Resource Guide for Employees and Employers and provided links on its website to a small-business resiliency guide, an employers guide to unemployment, and numerous other sources of important information.

The chamber also took over the daily Business Help Daily web conference on Lifesize for local small-business owners, renaming it Chamber Chat and scheduling guest speakers from health care, business, finance and more.

And while the chamber is at its core a membership organization, it helps non-members who reach out to it.

Redding said that while this pandemic has temporarily changed the chambers focus, its mission to enhance the business community continues.

She believes this outbreak could change the way people communicate. For example, instead of in-person meetings, people might prefer to use Zoom or GoToMeeting web conferencing platforms where they can stay in their own office and put documents up on the screen and not have to print them out.

But ribbon cuttings and promotions will still be what they are in-person celebrations and networking opportunities.

Someday, the Henderson Chamber will even get to host its own ribbon-cutting.

A lot of new Henderson Economic Development Executive Director Missy Vanderpools meetings take place online, although she does conduct them in the meeting room at her organizations new office at 207 N. Elm St. Hand sanitizer is close at hand.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The breakup of Kyndle also created the need for forming a new organization to recruit new industries and help existing industries grow. Henderson Economic Development was the result, and its board wanted a Hendersonian passionate about their community to lead it.

Henderson resident Missy Vanderpool formerly association executive of the Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors with a track record of community involvement was hired as its executive director.

The organizations new offices at 207 N. Elm St. were still being remodeled when she started work on March 9. A week later, it closed to the public until further notice.

But that wasnt the most profound impact of the pandemic to Vanderpool and her organization.

What the plan from my board of directors was, lots of introductory meetings with people meet with our investors, meet with state economic development officials in Frankfort and so on, she said.

It was going to be the Missy Road Show, to work on building those relationships, along with a lot of training (through workshops around the state hosted by the Kentucky Association for Economic Development), which has all been canceled or postponed, Vanderpool said.

Instead of being out and about, We made the decision on March 18 after 7 days in the office that I would start working from home, she said.

Whitney (Risley, the organizations director of existing industry and workforce development) and I had committed to trying to be a resource to local industries, such as gathering best practices developed by larger companies and sharing them with smaller industries, Vanderpool said.

Henderson Economic Development has also worked with the state to identify local companies with the capability to manufacture emergency personal protective equipment for health-care workers and others who were running short of those crucial supplies. The last two or three weeks, that has probably been the focus, Vanderpool said.

One company here began producing face masks; another is exploring whether it can manufacture swab sticks used for COVID-19 nasal tests through 3-D printing.

If they can do it, theyre trying, she said.

Believe it or not, we had a Request for Information (from a prospective new industry) last week, Vanderpool said. Given the nations medical emergency, Whitney and I couldnt believe it. We submitted it on Friday.

Completing that RFI also provided an inspiration for another task to undertake how to make the process a little more efficient so Vanderpool and her small staff can be responsive on a timely basis.

New Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors Association Executive Bryan Russelburgs office allows a visitor to sit six feet away, but most of his interactions with his members and others are conducted through web conferencing.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Vanderpools move to economic development created a vacancy in the association executive position at the Henderson Audubon Board of Realtors the professional association for local real estate agents and those in affiliated fields such as mortgage lending, appraisals, home inspection and insurance.

Bryan Russelburg, who had been a HABOR affiliate member in his previous role at a credit union here, landed the job and started in late February. The coronavirus outbreak was starting to make headlines.

The HABOR position isnt as public as some of the other recently filled positions, and Russelburg is a one-man staff. But hes not invisible. The associations monthly luncheons/business meetings attract around 60 local Realtors and affiliates.

I had one membership meeting when I first got here and a board meeting before gatherings were banned, he said.

He also expected to stay busy making sure that multi-list real estate listings are posted properly, providing community outreach such as through charitable events, planning continuing education for Realtors and keeping his members up to date on matters of interest. He also intended to work with his membership committee to build up affiliate memberships and keep his organization strong.

But just a week after being hired, the governor declared a state of emergency, with shutdowns ordered in the weeks to come. Like many others, Russelburg had to change his game plan and focus on providing his members with current information related to how COVID-19 affected their work and the housing market.

To do so, he attends multiple briefings each week by the national and state associations of Realtors. The pandemic prompted changes to unemployment benefits, such as allowing self-employed people and contractors such as Realtors to be eligible for the first time, which presented a learning curve. Ive learned more about unemployment insurance in the last three weeks than I ever thought possible, Russelburg said.

Hes been talking to lawyers about what liability Realtors might face in showing homes to prospective buyers during the outbreak; hes also been learning about virtual house showings.

Im an information hub, Russelburg said. Thats what Ive been doing the last six weeks.

To meet with his various committees and keep his members informed, hes hosted web conferences using the Google Hangout online conferencing platform.

I love these people, these Realtors, Russelburg said. Theyre great.

But he said, Theyre nervous. They dont know whats going on. This is supposed to be the busy time of the market.

Alex Caudill, hired in January as a field representative for the Office of the Governors Department for Local Government, initially spent most of working time on the road, traveling to meetings with city and county officials in his 15-county district. But once Gov. Andy Beshear ordered a halt to mass gatherings, Caudill was ordered to work from home.(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

Among the early hires by the Beshear administration was selecting field representatives for the Office of the Governors Department for Local Government, which provides financial help to cities and counties through grants and loan assistance, as well as advising them on matters related to budget, personnel and other issues.

Hendersonian Alex Caudill, who had a successful three-year run as executive director of the Henderson Area Arts Alliance and has a background in political science, management of political campaigns and organizational management, landed just such a position.

Starting Jan. 16, Caudill began working not just around Henderson but across a 15-county region stretching from Union County east to Elizabethtown and from the Ohio River south to near Bowling Green.

The field representatives job requires attending gatherings and meeting regularly with officials in each county, meaning lots of time on the road.

I expected to be on the road five days a week, Caudill said. I expected to hit all my counties once a month and to hit as many cities as possible. Thats in large part because part of his job is helping to be the governors eyes and ears out in the state.

Initially, I wasnt at home very much. he said. Meeting face-to-face is what I prefer.

But within two months, social distancing and a ban on mass gatherings was ordered by his ultimate boss.

Instead of being a daily road warrior, Im working from home, Caudill said. Ive been ordered to stay at home.

During this pandemic, Im almost 100 percent dedicated to the virus and making sure the governors message is out there and to answer questions (from local officials) they have.

In addition, Caudill agreed to help HAAA complete the booking of its 2020-2021 performing arts season at the Preston Arts Center, an undertaking he began last October.

The Henderson Area Arts Alliance office in Downtown Henderson used to be open 4 1/2 days a week for visitors and ticket buyers. But with the pandemic, new Executive Director Natalie Singer works from behind a locked door, if not from home. HAAA is working to reschedule two stage shows that were to take place during the hunker-at-home period. (Photo by Chuck Stinnett)(Photo: Photo by Chuck Stinnett)

The domino effect extended to the Henderson Area Arts Alliance, which found a new executive director in Natalie Singer, who was a theater major and has experience in fundraising, which is vital to the nonprofit organization.

Her position requires lots of meetings and phone calls with her board of directors, event sponsors, donors, booking agents and others.

But since being hired March 30 in the midst of the coronavirus emergency, she hasnt even been able to introduce herself to all 16 members of her board of directors. The majority of them I have not met in person yet, she said.

Her downtown office is closed to visitors, and she and her assistant, Grace Henderson, often are working from home.

The timing is bad. I would like to be able to meet people face-to-face, Singer said. Being an Evansville resident, I would like to immerse myself in the community and meet as many people as I can. Its very different to meet people on Zoom.

She would also like to be directly meeting with sponsors, donors and current and prospective ticketholders. But that will have to wait for another day.

The pandemic has also forced the postponement of the last two shows of HAAAs 2019-2020 season: Dance Kaleidoscope: Music Men, which was scheduled for March 28, and The Color Purple, which was to be presented April 30.

Im working to get those rearranged and maintain the integrity of the organization, Singer said.

While five of next seasons shows are booked, two remain to be finalized. Shes counting on Caudill, her predecessor, to complete that.

Appropriate for the new normal during this pandemic, I havent had a chance to meet her, Caudill said of Singer. Weve been emailing back and forth.

He definitely keeps me updated, she said.

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Five navigating new, high-profile jobs in the midst of COVID-19 - The Gleaner