One Last Time

Hi everyone, my name is Lydia Williams and I am the Plano Chamber’s 2019 Special Projects Intern through the Plano Mayors Summer Intern Program. Thank you to Cigna for sponsoring my internship. I am a rising junior at Plano East Senior High School, and this is my Intern Blog! If you are new to my blogs feel free to CLICK HERE to read my first entry and CLICK HERE to read my second entry!

An Intern Flashback

Four months ago, in my Spanish 3 honors class with my friend Rachel and my phone buzzed. I picked it up, held it to my face, and read the words “Congratulations! The Plano Chamber of Commerce would like to offer you a summer internship through the 2019 Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program!” Paralyzed in shock, Rachel and I forwarded the email to my parents and texted everyone the good news. I was one of the 119 interns chosen out of 350 applicants and of the two people chosen from McMillen High School. I couldn’t believe it.

The Intern’s Experience

I’ve had many wonderful experiences here at Plano Chamber. At Business Interchange I was inspired by entrepreneurs and small business owners. I learned to alphabetize and chronicle numerous lists and papers, which improved my organizational skills before schools starts. Furthermore, I attended numerous events like Plano First and Chairman’s Council Breakfast where I mingled with executives from Boeing and Toyota North America.

While all of this was amazing, my favorite part of the internship was learning about advocacy. I knew that chambers of commerce bring businesses together and educate them on how they can improve. However, I hadn’t known that a chamber is also meant to advocate for all their businesses to legislative officials. This practice has been a common thread through the entirety of this internship. From listening to Representative Jeff Leach during a Plano Pulse recording to hearing Trisha Windham discuss how the 86^th legislative session can affect diversity and inclusion in the workforce. As a self-proclaimed government connoisseur, I absolutely loved every second of it.

The Intern Gives Thanks

This is where I give my Academy Award speech. First off, I want to thank Jennifer for understanding my time sheets. I appreciate Cassie for talking politics with me and Christine for her dancer perspective. Secondly I’d like to thank Katie for reminding me to eat lunch and Kelle for fangirling over Yale with me. As well as Julie, who laughs at my jokes that aren’t funny and Ryan for his “funny” jokes. I appreciate Kathy for teaching me how to use ChamberMaster and Judy for greeting me with a smile every morning.

Most importantly, I want to thank the entire staff for not yelling at me when I thought I broke something, and ignoring the Hamilton Soundtrack blaring from my headphones. Thank you for supporting me through this summer. I will miss you all and I plan to come help at upcoming events, as long as I don’t have drill team or Senate. I think the faint music means my time is up, so finally, I’d like to thank Cigna for underwriting my internship and the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program.

Lydia’s Lucrative Lessons for Interns

1. Well for starters, don’t get tears on your keyboard while thanking your coworkers.
2. Be confident in yourself, because it is never as bad as you think.
3. Learning how to network will open doors for you.
4. Playing flow free on your phone while waiting on a project is fun.
5. Ladies, if you can’t drive in heels, drive in Birkenstocks.
6. Keep up with your notes, it gets annoying when you ask the same question.
7. Make sure you get event details ahead of time.
8. EAT LUNCH! EAT LUNCH! EAT LUNCH!
9. Do whatever you must to keep your energy up.
10. The farther you go, the harder it gets. DON’T GIVE UP!

The Plano Chamber was thrilled to welcome 26 new business members in the month of July. Learn more about each member business and the services they offer by clicking the links below.

Alicia Glass Insurance Agency
Auto-Chlor Services
Avant Tax & Finance Inc
Bridgemoor At Plano
Dillon Farrar Chiropractic
East West Bank — Richardson
Edge Billing & Consulting
Galaxy3, LLC
Go Heating & Air
iCode Plano
Id8 & Innov8
Insight Human Resources Partners
Jewish Federation Of Greater Dallas
Lee Graves Salon
Life And Health Solutions
Lifeblue
Midamerican Energy Services, LLC
Neptune Society
Outlaw Fitcamp Plano
Parker Office Plaza, LLC
Phoenix Remix
Ranen & Netzer LLP
Sirius Building Company
Valvoline Express Care
Wikilawn
WWM – WeWork Management LLC

Are you interested in learning more about the Plano Chamber of Commerce and what your business can gain from joining the Plano Chamber? CLICK HERE for information about member benefits, services, and programs or contact membership@planochamber.org.

Don’t forget to visit the Plano Chamber Business Directory the next time you are looking for products, services, or a fun night out with friends! Remember to support local businesses and Shop Plano First.

Welcome Back

Hello everyone, my name is Lydia Williams. I am the Plano Chamber’s 2019 Special Projects Intern through the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program. Thank you to Cigna for sponsoring my internship. I am a rising junior at Plano East Senior High School, and this is my Intern Blog! If you are new to my blogs feel free to CLICK HERE and read my first entry!

The Bad Driver Eats Hot Dogs

Over these past two weeks my experiences with the Chamber have become more and more alluring. For starters, I attended my first ribbon cutting at Riverbend Sandler Pools. Naturally, I insisted on driving myself because that is what every newly licensed driver would do. This happened to be the day that the light at Plano Pkwy and 15^th Street was out, which gave Google Maps the opportunity to have me explore every residential area in the city of Plano. Five frustrating detours later, I resorted to my nonexistent knowledge of the Plano area. Although I was a few minutes late, I arrived at Riverbend Sandler Pools safely and enjoyed the ribbon cutting.

The iconic Fourth of July Business Interchange was the next day, which meant we’d be feasting on hot dogs for breakfast! All the Chamber staff had been hyping this day since I arrived, and I never understood why. Having this experience has made me confident that eating hot dogs with members of Plano Chamber is best for staff morale. These unusual episodes have only further prepared me for whatever pleasant things the Plano Chamber has planned for me.

The Intern Goes Ivy

Now onto some less weird, non-Chamber related experiences. A week later, I boarded a plane to New Haven, Connecticut, The home of Yale University, to attend the National Student Leadership Conference. I studied the program’s Law & Advocacy course and argued for the defense as lead attorney in a mock trial tournament. If you ask anyone in attendance, they’ll explain that our first night consisted of running across campus in suits while it rained. I am certain they did not intend to force the nation’s future attorneys into such dangerous conditions. Nonetheless, this was the ultimate bonding experience.

Apart from running in the rain, my suite-mates and I set a record of 36 hours of sleep in 9 days. That’s 4 hours of sleep per day. Of course, this occurred due to the daunting mock trial tournament at the end of the week; in which my team placed 3rd. Putting the stressful conditions aside, I became completely enamored with the legal process. The entire experience was absolutely riveting and I loved all 180 hours that I was awake for (except the rain). Our amazing lecturer, Yale Law Professor Noah Messing said, “If you love every minute of this; you’re on the right path.” This declaration has only emboldened my appetite for a legal career. He even explained that our time here would be representative of our career as practicing attorneys. Including the immense lack of sleep.

New York City

After this marvelous peek into my professional aspirations, my dad and I explored something even more horrifying; college admissions. We boarded the Amtrak and went to New York with the anticipation that I’d be touring Kings College … I mean Columbia University (notice the Hamilton reference?) the next day. The most intimidating part of the visit were the freshmen moving into John Jay and Hamilton dorms for their orientation. Their faces wore expressions of excitement and angst and understandably so. They were preparing to live and study at an Ivy League School that produced founding fathers and matchless authors after all. In short, they had pretty big shoes to fill… no pressure. Putting my college nerves aside, touring reminded me how hard I should work in my internship for success this summer. Furthermore, this work ethic is applicable to academia and activities . It should be all at 110%.

Lydia’s Lucrative Lesson’s for Interns

1. Your coffee addiction will never stop following you.
2. Your coworkers have a lot of exciting things to share,                                                     listen to what they have to say!
3. Bring an umbrella everywhere you go – especially New Haven!
4. Finding your passion will make your career enjoyable.
5. Referencing Hamilton in New York annoys everyone.
6. Accepting the fact that college is scary is the first step to the admission process.
7. Take risks or you get nowhere!
8. Remember, bring your lunch so you don’t spend all your money.
9. Traveling is fun, do as much as you can.
10. GO TO SLEEP! GO TO SLEEP! GO TO SLEEP!

The Plano Chamber was thrilled to welcome 17 new business members in the month of June. Learn more about each member business and the services they offer by clicking the links below.

Chidi Okafor, Inc.
Consulty USA
DFWChild Magazines
Just Tires
Katherine Goodwin
Life Skills Autism Academy
Lubys Fuddruckers, LLC
Main Event Support Center*
Outback Steakhouse
Reata Pharmaceuticals*
ReflectMedia
Something Good Consulting Group
Tapping Knowledge / Texas Substance Abuse Education (TXSAE)
The Nitsche Group
The Star In Frisco*
Universal Solar System
Women Rock

Are you interested in learning more about the Plano Chamber of Commerce and what your business can gain from joining the Plano Chamber? CLICK HERE for information about member benefits, services, and programs or contact membership@planochamber.org.

Don’t forget to visit the Plano Chamber Business Directory the next time you are looking for products, services, or a fun night out with friends! Remember to support local businesses and Shop Plano First.

 A Little About Me

Hello everyone, my name is Lydia Williams! I am interning with the Plano Chamber of Commerce through the Plano Mayor’s Summer Intern Program. I am a rising Junior at Plano East Senior High School. At school I am a Senator on Plano East Student Senate where I advocate for youth community involvement. I am also a Junior Manager for the Plano East Golden Girls.

Outside of school, I am the Vice-President of Pearls and Ivy; a community service-based organization for the advancement of young African American women in Collin County. The organization is sponsored by the Chi Zeta Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Also, I am a dancer in the Pre-Professional Division of Dallas Black Dance Academy. I am a proud member of the National Honor Society and National Society of High School Scholars. I also participated in programs such as Duke University’s Talent Identification Program, and the National Student Leadership Conference.

                                          My First Day

                Looking back on my first day, I remember poorly parking my dad’s car and hearing him say “Repark the car! You won’t pass your driver’s test parking like that”. I hastily shifted the gear and said “Dad, you’re going to make me late!” Even though I was already thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Shortly after, I informed my Dad that he didn’t need to walk me in, and I’d be able to find Plano Chamber on my own. However, after wandering around LegacyTexas Bank for ten minutes and tripping on the stairs, his presence comforted me.

Despite my minor slip ups from the morning, lunch was rejuvenating. Partially because I realized that my coworkers for the next two months weren’t as scary as I was anticipating, but mostly due to the decadent cheese pizza I inhaled… I mean ate. In summary, the butterflies in my stomach still flutter around but as time progresses, I’ll become more comfortable in my cubical and confident in my work.

My First Two Weeks

                While shadowing different people on the staff, I got to attend a Women’s Division Luncheon and two Business Interchanges. At both I played a role in greeting members, distributing and collecting name tags and business cards, and of course eating good food such as stuffed peppers and Taco Cabana breakfast tacos (always a crowd favorite). Both networking events have exposed me to a large audience of people that are kind enough to give me sound advice about navigating high school and picking the right college or career. I’ve even been encouraged to make a personal business card and pursue the scrunchie making business I’ve been dreaming about since the eighth grade. There is something about being in a room full of business executives and entrepreneurs that has inspired me to innovate.

                Although events seem to be at the heart of Plano Chamber, there is a well oiled machine behind the scenes that is necessary to create the awesome events Plano Chamber members know and love. I have been observing staff members in retention, finance, Board of Directors, and weekly staff meetings, and although I generally am clueless as to which numerical doohickey they are referring to, their work ethic is unmatched and almost that of an athlete. They’ve given me so much to look forward to for the next couple of months and even more to aspire towards in life. I am grateful to Plano Mayors Summer Intern Program and a sponsorship and Cigna for giving me this opportunity and thrilled to see what my next two weeks at the Chamber brings me!

Lydia’s Lucrative Lessons for Interns

1. Always bring a winter coat or blanket to the office unless you
   wish to return home with frostbite.
2. Coffee is not just for an energy boost; it can also keep you warm.
3. KEEP A CALENDAR! KEEP A CALENDAR! KEEP A CALENDAR!
4. Don’t bring your phone to staff meetings … or any meetings, in fact.
5. Write your passwords down where YOU can find them.
6. Always check in with someone when you arrive and before you leave to stay on the same page as the team.
7. Talk to the people you work with; they have a lot of useful advice for you.
8. Put in the code before trying to scan something to your computer.
9. Make sure YOU scan papers to YOUR computer.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Dear Plano Chamber of Commerce Members,

My amazing journey of leadership with the Plano Chamber of Commerce began in September 2010, when a group of board members met with me to extend an offer for employment. Little did I know what an adventure the next 8+ years would be. As I wrap up my final days here at the Plano Chamber, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each of you and to the greater Plano community for an enriching, collaborative, and productive tenure.

Leading an organization through change is never an easy task; but with a board that empowered me and the entire Plano Chamber team, we were able to reinvigorate an organization that was facing difficult circumstances. The recession led to a drop in membership, and programming was not as relevant as it once was. We also experienced rapid growth across our business community as a result of several major relocations to our area. With growth came a new set of challenges—talent retention, traffic, and density, to name a few. Each time I went to the board with concerns that were facing our organization and the business community, they never shied away from confronting the issue and working to be the solution-provider to our growing membership.

Through it all, individual members and organizations stuck with us—with me—as we implemented new programs, a revised mission and program of work, a new dues structure, and hired new team members. I feel extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunity to represent such a distinguished organization and group of business professionals who truly care about their peers, their competitors, their neighbors, and their community.

As I set out for a new opportunity to serve the Plano community, I want to express my sincere gratitude to each member, board member, past leader, community stakeholder, and Plano Chamber employee who played a role in helping to create the 5-Star Accredited Plano Chamber that exists today. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this transformational time in our organization’s history. It has been an edifying experience and a cherished highlight of my career and professional journey.

With sincere appreciation,

Jamee Jolly