Winschel settles in leading Perryville chamber

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- For Amanda Winschel, networking with people has always been something she's enjoyed.

Whether it was for the United Way, the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, or most recently, the Perryville Chamber of Commerce, making connections in the community is a large part of what she does.

On July 7, Winschel began her new job as executive director for the chamber.

"Every day is different, every day is a new challenge, you meet new people and network with different people," she said. "I get to meet a lot of neat people in the town, and I think that's what I really have liked most about it so far."

The chamber is focused on developing and promoting the economic climate of Perryville. It is a not-for-profit organization, with more than 400 members.

Winschel took the position because she said she believed it was the next step in her career. She and her husband are raising their family in Perry County, and she wants it to be a better place where her children can grow up.

"Before I joined the chamber, I was a children's programs manager for Southeast Missouri Food Bank, which is one of the region's largest hunger relief organizations," Winschel said. "I also worked with the public relations to their organization, but as far as the child-feeding programs, I worked with the backpack programs and a school pantry program for the last four years."

Since Winschel's shift in employment, Donna Hilkenkamp has filled the role of children's programs manager at the food bank.

In her new position, Winschel oversees all the chamber's programming. Its largest annual event, Mayfest, just celebrated its 29th year.

"Mayfest, which is a huge festival for our town, has got a lot of different pieces to it. It's got food vendors, craft shows, a carnival, it has a car show, a parade, just a lot of different things to pull our community together -- it's our largest event," she said. "We also promote businesses and try to help them become better community members and work with their employees for leadership opportunities."

There also is Business After Hours, where a local business hosts other chamber members for an evening once a month by providing refreshments, networking opportunities and marketing their businesses.

Winschel said the chamber tries to keep that event more intimate, but the latest get-together had more than 100 participants.

Another program is the 70-member Women's Network, which Winschel said meets monthly.

Since taking over as executive director, Winschel said membership values is something the board is going to address.

"As far as moving forward, I think that we'll be looking to change some things up," she said. "I think fresh ideas are always good, and I'm very open to new ideas from our community members our membership businesses and also board of directors."

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent address:

Perryville, Mo.