The community of Callaway has a lot going on. With at least one special event taking place nearly every month, it takes a good group of volunteers to organize and orchestrate those events. One such group of local volunteers is the Callaway Chamber of Commerce.

A membership letter from the Chamber states: “The Callaway Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization striving to promote a positive community climate, working to support its businesses, proudly sponsoring community events, and supporting our non-profit and service organizations.”

In most communities, the local Chamber of Commerce primarily focuses its attention on the business community. Callaway is a little different, in that the Chamber focuses on supporting all aspects of the community. Chamber members help support many different organizations, events, and community efforts.

The 2023 membership drive for the Callaway Chamber is currently underway. The business membership is $50 per year and an individual membership is only $25 per year. “Every event we sponsor helps keep our dollars local and impact our local economy.”

The Chamber primarily plans and supports the following events: new business openings, community garage sales, Pioneer Picnic, community clean up, SORC Luncheon, Kite Flight, Christmas Around Town, Craft Show, Easter Egg Hunt, Citizen/Organization of the Year. It regularly donates to the 4H Boosters, After Prom, and the Fourth of July celebration, in addition to many other requests for donations and assistance throughout the year.

At the Chamber’s January meeting, officers for 2023 were elected. Serving as Chamber president is Ken Pitkin, a life-long resident of Callaway. Raised on a farm/ ranch 10 miles southwest of town, the four and a half years that he was away to college are the only years of his life that PItkin has not resided in this community.

Pitkin has been involved in the local Chamber nearly all his adult life. After returning home from college he opened True Value, and operated that business for 43 years. “I got involved with the Chamber when I first went into business in 1977, and joined to contribute to the business community and promote Callaway,” he explained.

Pitkin explained why he believes supporting a Chamber of Commerce in a community the size of Callaway is an important endeavor. “The Chamber is a good way to network with other businesses and organizations. In a town the size of Callaway, the Chamber not only represents and promotes retail, service and home based businesses, but also organizations like the school and hospital but also clubs and organizations that all work together to promote Callaway; to help Callaway grow, and to provide recreation and events for residents of the whole area community and to draw people to visit, live and work here or the surrounding towns.”

Looking at the year ahead, Pitkin said the primary focus is to promote, promote, promote. “Callaway has a lot to offer for a small town. Great schools, medical facilities, long term care, independent housing, great businesses, and lots of job opportunities in ag related, health related, education related and retail related fields,” he shared. “We also have a modern library, we’re building a new swimming pool, we have a great summer family celebrations with Pioneer Picnic, 7 Valley's Rodeos, Labor Day Kite Fly (Kite Fly Capitol of Nebraska), SORC mile shootout, and many local events. It’s a great place to have a business, to do business, to live and work.”

Pitkin is a retired teacher, is married to wife, Jill, father to two sons, Ryan (Leisha) and Chad (Tatum), and has five grandchildren. He still does some substitute teaching periodically, and helps out with a couple of local businesses.

Chamber vice president for 2023 is Zach Meyer. Like Pitkin, Meyer was born and raised in Callaway, but left for college and work. He and his wife, Kendra, moved back to Callaway in 2015.

“I helped with Chamber events early on and into high school as my family was very involved. I have been active within the last 4-5 years taking on different roles and filling in where I am needed,” Meyer explained.

He said supporting the Chamber is important because a lot of what they do is geared toward helping each other's businesses and organizations succeed. “We sponsor events that typically bring additional dollars into the community/area. Pioneer Picnic, Kite Fight and Christmas Around Town to name a few. Some businesses in town rely heavily on foot traffic, and we want to help bring people to them.”

There are a number of projects in the works for Callaway, and Meyer said the Chamber has opportunities to assist with those. “The proposed assisted living facility, new pool, housing, workforce and daycare availability issues are projects that take a lot of donated time from community members, businesses and organizations.”

Kendra is a first grade teacher at Callaway Public Schools, and the couple has two daughters, Georgia who just turned three and Lula who will turn one this month. Zach and Kendra purchased the Meyer Insurance Agency from his parents in 2019. When not busy working and volunteering in the community, Meyer enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his family.

We will meet the other two Chamber officers, and preview one of the Chamber’s biggest events of the year, in next week’s Courier.