Get to know your new Jacksonville Chamber President

Get to know your new Jacksonville Chamber President

By Kyla Hurt

Meet Lisa Musch. Chamber Board President Mark Whalen says, “Lisa Musch was one of many great candidates the Chamber Search Committee interviewed. The Committee is very confident that Lisa will capably fill the big shoes left by Ginny Fanning. Lisa possesses all the skills necessary to make an outstanding Chamber President. The Chamber is lucky to have her.”

For those of you who do not know her, Musch talks of her past involvement and history with Jacksonville by summing up, “I have worked in Jacksonville my entire career and have served on the Chamber Board and various committees, served as President of the Passavant Auxiliary Board and co-chaired the Follies and Bazaar, served as Board President of the United Way and am currently on the Board of the Passavant Area Hospital Foundation. I am also the Triopia Alumni President and volunteer for the Triopia Athletic Boosters.” She is your new Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce President and thinks highly of Jacksonville, capturing its spirit by saying, “Jacksonville is a vibrant community that offers a wide array of products and services for the area’s citizens. We have a strong agricultural and manufacturing foundation. We have rich historic and cultural offering for many to enjoy. Most importantly, this community has a sense of family and caring that isn’t seen everywhere. People come together in good times and bad to help each other. People here truly care about their fellow citizen.”

Regardless of her residence in Arenzville, Musch feels that Jacksonville is a part of her. For those who might question the ability of a “non-Jacksonvillian” to represent the business and professions leadership of Jacksonville, Musch responds, “I was born and raised in this area and have spent my entire career working in Jacksonville. I have served on numerous boards and organizations and know and enjoy working with the people. I believe I have a good understanding of commerce in this area and I deeply care about the growth and stability of the area I have always called home. It is also important to remember that the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce promotes business within Jacksonville and the surrounding area. We are fortunate to have many members of our Chamber with offices or roots outside of the city limits and many non-residents who work, play and shop in our community.”

The career to which Musch refers covers several positions. For example, her first job out of college (she holds a Bachelor of Business from Western Illinois University, by the way) was as Production Press Account Manager. Musch directed sales and account management of printing in the Jacksonville market for seven years and “helped to open and manage the Production XPress Copy Center.” Following that, Musch went on to work with The Farmers State Bank and Trust Company for 10 years in the fields of Marketing and Personnel. She then worked for Advanced Recruiters for two years, handling executive pharmaceutical recruiting. Most recently, Musch had worked for the Journal-Courier as Newspaper in Education Coordinator; she held this position for the past four years.

As the new Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce President, Musch hopes to attract and retain businesses in Jacksonville by simply “promoting all the positives that Jacksonville has to offer.” She will work with the current business and agricultural leaders to promote and maintain success. Musch adds that it is important to network with individuals outside of our community to see if we are a good fit for them, remaining open-minded to new ideas and encouraging them. Businesses or entities want to join our Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce “to gain the opportunity to network with a large group of business-minded professionals, to show their commitment to the community, and to have a voice in promoting and encouraging the overall growth of our area,” notes Musch.

To proactively change with the times and entrepreneurial needs of today’ members, Musch believes “it is important to stay abreast of the changes occurring throughout the nation and the world, especially in how we communicate with each other and how we do business together. Competition is more diverse and wide-spread, but, the principles of hard work and personal relationship building will always be important – no matter the decade.” Musch’s ideas to promote economic growth in the Jacksonville area include: “working wih our members to keep their businesses strong and vibrant while encouraging new members to join the Chamber” and also “listening to ideas from the diverse membership that the Chamber enjoys.” Musch commends the volunteers serving on the Board and various committees of the Chamber, asserting that they come from “a diverse group of our membership and are all highly motivated, talented individuals with great ideas and a passion for their business and community.” Economic growth will also be nurtured by “having a good working relationship and dialogue with the other organizations promoting economic growth, such as Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation, the Jacksonville Area Visitors Bureau, Jacksonville Main Street and Heart of Jacksonville, to name a few, will be very important.”

On a personal note, Musch grew up in the Chapin area and graduated from Triopia High School. After continuing her education at Western Illinois Univeristy, she married her high school sweetheart, Scott. Lisa and Scott Musch have three children: Cydney, Mackenzie and Connor. In her free time, she loves to play golf and admits to binge-watching of crime, spy or mystery programs on TV. She also has admitted to indulging in watching game shows. I can’t blame her on either of those; we welcome you, Lisa Musch, as the new Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce President.

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