The Superior Express -

The December monthly meeting for the Mankato Chamber of Commerce took place last Wednesday with 11 members present. 

The Chamber discussed the community birthday calendars. Most of the calendars have been picked up or delivered. Haley Nelson will work on contacting the individuals who still need to pick up their calendars and mail the two that need to be mailed. The extra calendars will be sold at Mankato Plumbing, Paul Wilson’s office, Hair & More and the three banks in town for $5 each.

Christmas in Mankato took place Nov. 24 starting at 3 p.m. Ortman reported the event was well attended despite the cold. Roughly 79 youngsters went through the stocking stroll. Bills were submitted on behalf of Dana Austin to reimburse her for supplies. The chamber briefly discussed the ways the event will be different next year. 

Santa’s Workshop took place Dec. 2. Sara Reiter sent a report to the chamber about the event. “One hundred, fifty-eight youngsters shopped this year for 1,268 gifts. We continue to try to improve this event and make changes so things flow easier. We have some small changes we are looking at making for next year. We have been able to implement a good system now that allows us to make sure older gifts are getting cycled through first. That is working well. We haven’t been able to schedule our follow up meeting yet. Busy schedules have prevented us from finding a time that works well for most of our committee people. So hopefully I’ll have more to share at the annual meeting.”

The Mankato Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m., Jan. 9. Anthony Roy, the new city administrator, and Jake Wessel, a representative from Senator Moran’s office, will be invited to the meeting as guests.  State Exchange Bank will sponsor their meals and the two free meals they give away every year. 

Alyssa Mitoska from Pawnee Mental Health will be present at the February meeting to share insights on new topics and explore opportunities for collaboration. 

The membership drive will begin at the end of December. Nelson will send out emails to all current members to begin the drive. She will also have information listed on the website, the sign on Highway 36 and the chamber’s Facebook page. Ortman is going to email Karen Rhea to see if she is still interested in managing the website. 

The next meeting will be the annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Buffalo Roam Steakhouse.