The Voices for Voices Podcast Episode 18 with Guest, Nicole Alverson, Executive Director at The Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce
Justin Alan Hayes:
Welcome to the official The House of You podcast sponsored by Voices for Voices, where we discuss how mental health and our careers intertwine. I'm your host, Justin Alan Hayes, business professor, author, career coach, founder, and president of Voices for Voices and The House of You. Here at The House of You, we're passionate about helping others navigate their workforce preparation while thriving on their mental health journey, so we're sitting down with career professionals and mental health advocates to take a deep dive into our professional lives, ambitions, swap stories on mental health in relation to career moves, and so much more. From making the leap to transition careers, job losses, difficult interview experiences, feeling stuck or helpless in your current position, or whatever the case may be, we're so glad you found us. Join The House of You as we explore raw and real stories of mental health and the workplace. No matter where you are in your career, you're not alone. Welcome home. Today, I'm grateful to be joined by Nicole Alverson, the president of the Hudson area Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for joining us today.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. Would you be able to get us started, just talk a little bit about the Chamber, the members that you work with, and how that all got started for you?
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, absolutely. I started with the Hudson Chamber six years ago, and we are a business member organization. We have just about 300 members currently. We've had as much as 370, but it fluctuates any given year. Our mission is to make Hudson, Ohio a great place to live, work, play, build your business. We really strive to connect our members, bring people together, help them grow their business, and just be a resource and advocate for anything that they as business owners and professionals might need throughout their career.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. With the pandemic, have you noticed any, I'll say any differences, I guess, in the membership, like a huge spike or a decrease? I'm just wondering the impact that COVID may have had on-
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, so we see huge impacts depending on the business climate. Right? When it's a good year to start a business or go into business, we do see a spike in membership. When businesses are doing good and they maybe have a little bit of extra cash flow coming, we see a spike in membership. Obviously with COVID, you saw some businesses get hit really, really hard, and then other ones come into an influx of cash with some of the PPP loans and other sources of funding that they probably weren't counting on prior to the pandemic. We did lose a lot of members in that small business mom and pop shop space that really got impacted hard, but we saw an increase in membership in businesses in different sectors. Like attorneys, we saw pretty big increase in that sector. A few financial advisors hopped on board, insurance agents. It was really interesting. A lot of our older members decided not to renew their membership and just work their book of business a little bit and kind of take it easy.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Nicole Alverson:
Then, we saw a huge increase in younger members who were trying to maybe capitalize on those older members, maybe taking a backseat. It's been an interesting year and a half, really, of pandemic life in the Chamber. But, our membership did take a little bit hit, but we are back growing again, so that's good.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. A little bit for our listeners, the types of events, the benefits of being in the Chamber, just for somebody that's heard of a Chamber, but not really sure, like, okay, what does that include?
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, absolutely. Every Chamber is different, and it is a reflection of the community that's in. Right? Every community has its own personality, every Chamber has their own personality. In Hudson, we really focus on building those close relationships. Trusting relationships where someone is comfortable referring their friend to you, whether it might be, I don't know, they really get to know you beyond your business. The types of events, we do a lot of lunches, very small group lunches, personal kind of stuff. Anywhere from eight to 15 is a really good niche number, we find, where people can really talk and get to know each other on that next level. We do do larger events. Some of our luncheons, and we bring in speakers every once in a while, see more members, upwards of 100 to 150. Pre-pandemic, we had an awards breakfast that would draw anywhere from 150 to 200, and a community expo that would draw thousands. We try to be something for every business member that we have.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Great. Let's try to weave mental health into the conversation.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Whether personally, professionally, really just want to get your feedback of how you may have seen mental health play a factor with the Chamber, outside the Chamber. Just really want to get your thoughts on that.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah. We have a pretty successful professional women's network. It's one of our programs that we run. It's typically a monthly or bimonthly meeting of professional women in the Hudson area. We bring in speakers periodically to talk about things that affect women in business, and more and more and more it's been mental health based.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Nicole Alverson:
We see a huge turnout of members coming to listen to somebody speak on any aspect of mental health, whether it's stress management, sleep is a huge one. We just did a sleep, we had a psychologist come and talk about the effects of sleep on our body. We always see, I mean, a traditional attendance at something like that is 15 to 20. When it is a mental health speaker, though, we see it spike 25 to 30.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
I think that's because people are really kind of keying in on how it affects their life as a whole. Pre-pandemic, we would see a lot more people coming to things, but it's because they needed that break from the office, I think.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
They'd come to lunch to get out of the office, see people in more of a social setting, get away from that computer and that screen. Now that it is post-pandemic, we have seen a dip in our attendance because people are working from home.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
I don't think, they take that break, but they don't want that social as much.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Nicole Alverson:
I think that might be a little bit of a mental health thing too, that they need that social, but they're home. Right? There's stuff, you could throw a load of laundry in, you can unload the dishwasher, get dinner ready. Maybe we're not giving ourselves that mental health break that we used to when we went to the office.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. It's it definitely interesting, especially with the work from home, it makes things easier from an efficiency of having that screen, that computer with you, but then to take you outside of that environment to socialize with individuals, human beings-
Nicole Alverson:
Right.
Justin Alan Hayes:
It's just interesting how that dynamic's really changed a little bit. There's the convenience, but then the health side of things may have like, okay, seeing people through the screen, but not face to face and being able to see a smile or make eye contact around there. I'm trying to think how to really frame the next question. Do you work with the Hudson schools at all? Through what you do either at the Chamber or ...
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, yeah. I'm actually a graduate of Hudson City Schools, so they are near and dear to my heart. My oldest two children are enrolled there. My parents actually work for the schools. But, I have been an advisor for Junior Leadership Hudson.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
Then, I also am on the, I guess the advising board of Hudson Community First.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
Those are both organizations that help students achieve success in all different aspects. Junior Leadership Hudson, I don't know, there's usually about 20 to 30 students a year that are in that program. We really kind of teach them leadership skills and a little bit about the community and different aspects of the community. But then, Hudson Community First is for all students, and they really do focus on those mental health aspects, overall health of a student, overall health of a family. They do take a second make a difference day. They do smile day. Just anything to make students feel happy and loved while they're in school. Then, they also educate families on the college application process, and the changes that kids are going through in switching from one school to another, or the life transition of senior year to freshman year. Plus some career stuff, plus some drug and alcohol information. They really, as their name Hudson Community First, do what they can to put the community first and help all aspects of family health, and all that stuff.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Great.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah.
Just want to let you know about our upcoming Voices for Voices, A Brand New Day event, which is our annual gala event. It's on October 12th at 7:30. For those that are in the Northeast Ohio area, it's going to be held at the Canton Cultural Center and tickets are $20 and all the proceeds go towards the Voices for Voices organization, which is also a 501(c)(3). Dr. Jessica Hoefler is going to be one of the ... I call it the blockbuster speakers, but one of the three individuals that's really going to talk a lot about what she's talked about here with us today and really just that thought of A Brand New Day, kind of like with Piper's Key, of unlocking and setting her free, that's with Voices for Voices and with the brand new day event specifically.
You'll want to share experiences of real everyday people, not celebrities, just people that are going through and have gone through some traumatic things, whether that is mental health related, whether that is anything really traumatic. So it doesn't have to be mental health related. That's how I started the organization, but obviously as I'm learning and want to have a broader reach, that individuals with mental health challenges aren't the only individuals that have gone through traumatic experiences. So again, Dr. Jessica Hoefler will be one of the blockbuster speakers. We're also going to have Brian Laughlin, who is a lieutenant at the Twinsburg Fire Department. Then one of my actual former students, James Warnken, he is an online specialist with expertise and search engine optimization and data analytics and he's actually legally color blind. So he goes through certain software packages to be able to do the work for his businesses now. Even when he was my student at Walsh University, there were some I guess, accommodations, accessibility, things that he was able to do.
So really not only from a spectrum of age range, but from first responder to somebody in education, traumatic, male, female, that we are all going through and have gone through things and I really want with A Brand New Day is to talk about not just some of the tough times, but how the message of a particular mission and vision is living on and how it's touching and reaching and helping more people. So again, you can find out more about A Brand New Day at voicesforvoices.org, or you can go to Eventbrite, which is the official event platform to put events together, and you can search A Brand New Day and then you'll find the event tickets there. Then you can join us in person. We'd really love to have you and bring a friend, a family member, somebody that would like to be uplifted.
So it’s not just the speakers, we're also going to have a special needs band, RockAbility, going to be playing. So some real rock music. So some of these individuals are going to be playing real live instruments with some mentor musicians and everything from the music. It's all going to be played live, in person. We're not going to use auto tune like some of the music today, and even the singers, the vocals, are going to be done. So it's going to be a lot of fun. We hope you'll make plans to join us and you'll see more on this coming up on our social media pages, the Voices for Voices on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever you consume content, as well as future podcasts.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. I mean, I think it's just so important to get information in front of kids and into the school as early as possible that they're ready to process that information. Hopefully they might be able to tackle some things earlier in life and be able to at least recognize if something's coming up like, oh, okay, this means this.
Nicole Alverson:
Right, right.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Maybe I need to talk to somebody, or I'll know what to do. Oh, maybe I should look at getting more sleep.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Things like that, where probably 10, 15, 20 years ago, it's like, well, I'll sleep when I'm tired, and if I get to bed at 12 or one, or whatever that time may be. From a membership in the Chamber, have you found, I'm just curious how many people stay in Hudson where they grow up in Hudson, and stay in Hudson where they work, if it's a high percentage or just your thoughts on that, from best places to live, worst places to live.
Nicole Alverson:
I'm obviously partial. I was born and raised here. My mom actually grew up here as well, and my parents are still here. I'm unique in the fact that actually most of my aunts and uncles are here.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
A lot of my cousins are back to raise their kids as well. I did leave. I went to Kent State for school, but I lived in Kent, and then I moved to Columbus for a couple years.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
I think that we see a lot of that. Hudson is considered one of the best places in Ohio to raise a family. Great school systems, a great local library, a great downtown, and a lot of very kid friendly programming, a lot of great sports programs, a really strong Kiwanis Club that helps support those initiatives. We see a lot of people who grew up there leave, and then as their kids become school age or before school age, they move back. I moved back for the babysitting. Right? Yeah. Free childcare is a big deal.
Justin Alan Hayes:
It is.
Nicole Alverson:
Thanks to my parents for that, my sisters as well. Not only that, but it is a good place to be. It's fun. We like being here. But, I think a lot of people come back here for that family wholesome feeling of, it's a safe place. I felt safe here, I enjoyed my childhood here, and wanting the same thing for their kids.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. That's good here. I know with my family, the same thing, my sister moved all around from Chicago to St. Louis, and wound up back here in Northeast Ohio where we were born and raised. That's really, when I've thought about my family and the area I wanted to grow, my children to grow up in, and that really came to the top just for me. Again, be partial, I guess to-
Nicole Alverson:
I know, right? It's funny, because when we were moving back from Columbus, my husband was looking for a job. We had a four month old, and I kind of drew a circle around Hudson and I was like, "Here's your radius. You can find a job anywhere around there, or we can stay in Columbus." I liked it there too. But, when he did, he found a job in Medina, which gave him about a 55 minute commute.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
I was adamant, though, we can't live around Hudson.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Right.
Nicole Alverson:
If we're going to be back, we're going to be in Hudson.
Justin Alan Hayes:
In Hudson.
Nicole Alverson:
That's it.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Nicole Alverson:
He thought I was crazy. But, we've been here for six years, we have two more children, and now he agrees.
Justin Alan Hayes:
He agrees, good.
Nicole Alverson:
Yes, I've converted him, I think.
Justin Alan Hayes:
That's great. Is there anything else you want to add about the Chamber? Talk about the podcast that you have, and how listeners can learn more about the Chamber.
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, absolutely. The Chamber this year, in 2020 we went through a lot of changes, obviously, from 2020 to 2021. We used to be a staff of one and a half, so I had a part-time assistant. With COVID and processes and really streamlining a lot of our processes, we went from a staff of one and a half down to one. Now I'm kind of a one man show. It's okay though, because with that, I'm very blessed, my board has given me a lot of flexibility.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Okay.
Nicole Alverson:
I can work from home, I can go into the office. Being on that extended leash, I guess I'm not really on a leash, but just to have that freedom, I guess, has really given our organization a lot more room to grow and try new things. We launched a podcast this year, which is super fun. It's called Behind the Business. Each week we talk to a different Chamber member or Hudson business, just a little more in depth. Getting to know them a little bit better, where their passion lies, how they got started and what they did. That's been super, super fun.
Nicole Alverson:
We've also looked at a lot of our events, and took a closer look at why are people really joining our organization, and what do they want from it? We've gotten away from, I don't want to say boring, but that very structured meeting agenda that we used to have, and are really keeping things more casual. It shouldn't feel like a chore to come to a Chamber event. It should be something you want to come to and something a little bit social, but still giving you that opportunity to network, to push your business a little bit, and build those relationships.
Nicole Alverson:
We've analyzed a lot of our programs, got rid of the ones that are too strict and old and maybe needed refreshed, and have taken on a different direction where, yes, there's a place for business education, and there's a place for, I don't know, insurance and merchant services and all those things that help you run your business. But, then there's also the place for just the social aspect of it and being a part of the community and building those relationships to help your business. Yeah, it's been good, it's been fun, and I think we're a fun organization.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. Your website, do you want to-
Nicole Alverson:
Oh yeah. Our website is actually explorehudson.com, and we just launched our new website. That was another fun thing we got to do this year. On there, you can find anything from how to join the Chamber. We have different tiers and levels, so you can join for as little as $275 a year, all the way up to our investor levels of $10,000 a year. You get various things at each level, but you can read about that. You can read about our advertising packages, how to be a guest blogger, how to be on the podcast, and then check out all of our members as well, which is really why we are here, to promote them, and Hudson is a good place to live, work and play. You can find out stuff about the community. We have links to our city website, our city events calendar, our visitor center that is a different nonprofit, but we work very closely with them, our merchants association as well is very vast and they do a lot of great stuff in the community. We try to be a one stop shop for you to find out information about the community, and then also to really talk about how great we are, because we think we're pretty great.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah, I mean, and that's the goal. When you're proud of something, you want to share that with others.
Nicole Alverson:
Right, right. We're blessed to be here. We're blessed to be in Hudson, and so we try to convey that through our membership.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Right. Well, thank you, Nicole-
Nicole Alverson:
Yeah, thank you.
Justin Alan Hayes:
For joining us on the podcast today. This has been The House of You official podcast sponsored by Voices for Voices. Thank you so much for joining us as we explore mental health and the workplace. Our team at The House of You is dedicated to supporting folks as they prepare for a fulfilling career, while also thriving on our mental health and wellness journey. For more information, please visit our website at thehouseofyou.com, and check out our book series available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, or where you consume content. Until next time, I am Justin Alan Hayes, and we're so excited you're here.
Please donate to Voices for Voices, a 501c3 nonprofit charity today at: https://www.voicesforvoices.org/shop/p/donate
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