Madison Cahoon was recently named the new executive director of the Yelm Chamber of Commerce by her predecessor Line Roy at the Best of Nisqually Gala on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Decked out in a blue dress, Cahoon helped present the awards for the contest at the event hosted at Copper Gables Barn in Roy.
Cahoon told the Nisqually Valley News she recently moved to the area with her family from North Carolina. She has four sons, which range in age from 10 weeks old to 7 years old. Her husband is an active duty Marine.
During her time in North Carolina, Cahoon worked with a “fairly large” chamber.
With four years of chamber experience under her belt, Cahoon believes she is more than fit to do the job.
“I feel like a lot of my experience in North Carolina led me to my interview with the Yelm Chamber of Commerce, and ultimately the board eventually offered me the position,” Cahoon said. “I’m thankful that they offered me the position, and I hope I can do them and the community right.”
During her time in North Carolina with the chamber of commerce, Cahoon worked in marketing and served as the special events manager. The chamber there worked with the largest Marine Corps on the East Coast, as well as several other military related organizations.
Despite being fairly new to Yelm, Cahoon already feels a strong sense of community based off of her interactions with others.
“I really love how tight knit a community Yelm is,” Cahoon said. “That was a part of my decision in accepting the job offer. I love how personable and hospitable everyone I’ve met is so far. They’ve all just been so warm and welcoming.”
Cahoon has been busy meeting residents, business owners and everyone in between. She looks forward to creating even more relationships in her new role at the chamber and has already helped organize new community events.
Cahoon said the Yelm Chamber of Commerce plans to launch a new community Giving Tree event. During the event, participants will arrive at Yelm Cinemas with an artificial Christmas tree and decorate it to the best of their ability.
The community will then have several weeks to vote on the best decorated tree. The top three teams will have a donation made to a local organization of their choosing.
Cahoon said that anybody in the community is welcome to participate in the contest. Sign ups are currently open until Thanksgiving. The date of the Giving Tree event is tentatively set for “around a week” after Thanksgiving, with the community vote lasting from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15. The chamber will announce an official date soon.
The Giving Tree event is just one of many events that Cahoon wants to bring to Yelm. She’s aware of Yelm’s ties to the military community and would like to honor active duty service members in an event of sorts “down the line.”
Cahoon said that along her journey within the chamber world, there has been a plethora of people who have helped her out. She thanked Laurette Leagan, her former chamber president in North Carolina, for helping her learn the ropes of the organization.
At her new home in Yelm, Cahoon was thankful for the people who gave her the opportunity to serve as the executive director.
“I am so thankful for my board of directors for giving me this opportunity,” Cahoon said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.”
Cahoon encourages residents to reach out to her. She is always open to conversations with business owners or community members.
