Nicole Desmond is employed at Deppe Farms, a family-owned business established right here in Washington in 1950.  She is a graduate of Washington High School earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Economics from the University of Missouri before returning to the family farm.
Nicole enjoys being involved in the community and volunteering her time. She served 9 years on the Washington Town and Country fair board and still continues to volunteer her time there whenever needed. She coached basketball for 12 years, served 5 years on the Athletic Board, and volunteered on the Auction Committee at St. Gertrude School.  Currently, Nicole is serving on the board for the FFA Foundation which helps all our surrounding High School FFA chapters. She has joined the Washington High Athletic Association auction committee and is in her 2nd year as an assistant coach for the WHS girls varsity basketball team.
Nicole is married to JJ Desmond. They reside on the family farm with their 5 kids. Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and friends.  Her hobbies include gardening, spending time outdoors, and cycling.

Logan Diebal owns and manages First Choice Facilities, one of the largest national snow and ice management companies in the nation, with over seven branches across the country.  He is especially proud of creating a company that offers some of the best benefits, culture, and facilities to its employees in our area.  First Choice Facilities is headquartered in Washington and has made contributions to many local charities and initiatives.
Logan has always enjoyed leadership and problem solving and believes his strategic business sense would be an asset to the Chamber Board.  He wants to be involved in the community to ensure the town offers things that will keep younger generations here permanently.
Logan and his wife, Emily, currently live in Gerald.  In his free time, Logan enjoys traveling and trying new foods.  He loves outdoor hobbies, like skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking.  His favorite local spot is the Riverfront Trail.

Don Grahl moved to Washington nearly 20 years ago and considers it, without a doubt, the best decision he and his wife, Donna, ever made. The move here has served their family exceptionally well, both personally and professionally.   Donna works at St. Francis Borgia High School, and together they own and operate The Creek Grill and Sports Bar, which just celebrated its 12th anniversary serving this community. Don and Donna have three adult children, including two that reside in town and work in the area. Don has one granddaughter and another on the way.
Don would consider it an honor to serve on the Washington Area Chamber Board of Directors. It would allow him to give back to this great city a fraction of what he feels it has given him and his family.

Scott Mentz ​​ owns and operates Mentz Foundations, Inc., a small business specializing in concrete constructions.  He has been a leader in that field for over 35 years.  Scott is a hardworking, detail-oriented individual with strong managerial and organization skills. 
Scott is currently a Director at Heritage Community Bank.  He previously served nine years on the Washington Town & Country Fair Board and was President of the Franklin County Construction Industrial Council for three years.
Scott and his wife, Lisa, have two adult daughters, Stephanie and Taylor.  He loves spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and enjoys coaching youth sports, playing golf, farming, and traveling.

The Quality Coach® is pleased to launch a new professional networking group called the HR Leadership Forum (HRLF).
 
Pre-COVID, we hosted our 5P (Positive People Practices, Plus Pie) networking events. These popular sessions provided a great opportunity to network, learn from each other, and hear from HR experts. We expect HRLF to be a next-level event drawing from a larger geographic area, attracting more special guests, and just what you need when you need it.
 
ECC staff from the Center for Workforce Development will host our first event and serve as our guest speaker sharing some amazing funding opportunities for which your organization may qualify. Local manufacturing, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations along with small businesses, have recently benefited from these new funding sources for potential, new, and, incumbent workers. These programs are more flexible than ever. Come learn if your company is eligible for these training dollars!

Steven P. Kuenzel Jr. “Steve”, is a Partner at the law firm of Eckelkamp Kuenzel LLP, Washington Mo.  He has worked full time as an attorney at Eckelkamp Kuenzel LLP since 2009, having previously clerked there beginning in 2005.  In addition to his law degree from Saint Louis University, he also received an MBA from Saint Louis University in 2010.  He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for his undergraduate degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance and Banking in 2005.
Outside of work, Steve is a member of the Franklin County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Washington Elks, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.  He was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Professional Award, class of 2015.  Steve is also involved in a variety real estate projects and developments throughout the county.  He is married to Colleen M. Kuenzel, who he met in law school and who also received her law degree from Saint Louis University.  They currently reside in Washington with their four daughters, Bailey, Darcy, Samantha, and Rory.
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Carrie Maune has been a resident of Franklin County most of her life.  She grew up in Union and earned a degree in chemistry and biology from University of Central Missouri.  Carrie worked at Romer Labs in Union for 12 years before starting Trilogy Analytical Laboratory with two business partners in 1999.  Trilogy is an analytical chemistry laboratory focused on food and feed safety.  In 2015, Carrie sold her shares in Trilogy, but remains as a Vice President, working in several areas of the company.
Carrie and her husband, Mick, live just outside of Washington, close to Campbellton.  They have been married for 38 years and have enjoyed the many benefits of living in this community and have found it to be a wonderful place to raise their family.   Carrie and Mick have two children - a 27-year old son and a 21-year old daughter.
Carrie is a member of New Life Church in Washington and is active on the Elder Team and Outreach Team.  She has volunteered for a number of groups/events, including Washington FFA, Sheltered Reality Drumming group, marching band functions, and more.  At Trilogy she has worked with East Central College, Washington High School,, and Four Rivers Career Center on Industry-specific projects and education events.  She has also served on the Biotechnology Steering Committee at ECC and the advisory committee for the FRCC health and science groups.
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Tricia (Mohesky) Piontek was born and raised in Washington, Missouri and attended St. Francis Borgia Regional High School.   She and her husband, Allan, live in Washington and have five children.   Jackson (19), Samuel (22), and Sydney (23) are currently completing or have just completed their college careers and are well on their way to putting their stamp on the community; Holly Wunderlich (35) and Nicole Brueggenjohann (36) are both married with families of their own, working on their own successes locally.
 Tricia has risen to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Brands Division at The Magnet Group.  She began her career as a Customer Service Rep at TMG in 2002 after time as a legal secretary, assistant to an Investment Rep, and physician's office assistant.
Tricia has served on the Our Lady of Lourdes School Board and volunteered for the planning of school auctions, parish breakfasts and dinners.  She helped with many fundraisers for the Washington Junior ROTC Booster Club, helping grow a successful organization.  Giving back to the local community was a priority for her family growing up and a characteristic she and her husband continue to instill in their children.  As a family, they volunteer for local Knights of Columbus events and are members of the American Legion Post 218.  Supporting local events and activities, such as the Annual Relay for Life, Farmers' Market, Sunset on the Riverfront, and Art and Wine Festival, and supporting local organizations such as the United Way and March of Dimes are important the Piontek family, helping to maintain the small town they love so much and giving back to anyone in need.   The Chamber of Commerce seems to be a natural next step and Tricia truly appreciates the opportunity and consideration for this role. 
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​Kevin Richardson is a named partner and attorney at law firm of Zick, Voss, Politte & Richardson, P.C., located in downtown Washington, where he has worked since 2003.  He graduated with Honors from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History.  He received his Juris Doctorate from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Kevin has been a board member of the Franklin County Area United Way, serving as both the Campaign Chair and President of the Board of Directors, has been the President of the 20th Judicial Circuit Bar Association, was named to the Washington Outstanding Young Professionals Class of 2013, has been a member of the TEMCO, Inc., Board of Directors, and has served on the Parish Finance Committee at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.  Kevin enjoys playing golf, attending his children’s numerous activities, and following Notre Dame sports.  He is married to Sarah and they have two children, Audrey and Will.

As we begin planning for our 2020 events, we have created a brochure to highlight the sponsorship opportunities available to members.
The Chamber is proud to offer a variety of networking opportunities for our members, as well as public events that bring our community together.  There are opportunities available at different price points for our events, or choose the “Everywhere” package to be represented at every event we host.

We are grateful to the many businesses that partner with us to bring these events to Washington, and we couldn’t do it without you!  Thank you for considering our sponsorship opportunities.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office (636-239-2715).

On behalf of our Board of Directors and Staff, we wish you a wonderful final month of 2019 and an even better year in 2020!

One specific item that our Board Chairman, Dave Politte, mentioned at the Chamber Mixer on June 6, was a renewed focus on member retention, and specifically, our recognition of members.

We want to make sure our members are getting the most out of their membership, and feel comfortable giving suggestions for improvements.  Our staff is implementing a plan to assign each member to a staffer who will try to reach out a few times a year with a personal contact.  Of course, we always welcome you to visit our office, and we look forward to visiting at your place as well.  With over 500 members, we want to do a better job of making sure no ne is getting lost in the shuffle!

Another way we are hoping to give more attention to our members is by recognizing membership milestones at some of our events!  Beginning in 2020, we will implement the following schedule:

Business Breakfast Meeting (January)
New Members from Previous Year
5-Year Anniversaries

Banquet (March)
25, 30, and 40-Year Anniversaries
Chairman's Circle (Members 50 years or more!)

Summer Mixer (June)
10 and 20-Year Anniversaries

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One other new perk that we have started is a drawing at each event for two tickets to the following event.  Each member business that has a representative at the event is entered into a drawing (one entry per member - you don't get extras for sending lots of people, although we always love that!).  We'll choose a winner and announce it before the event is over.  It's just another way we want to show our appreciation for the members that continue to support our Chamber and community.  **Congrats to Bank of Washington, who won the drawing at the 2019 Summer Mixer - they get two free tickets to the Member Luncheon (Monday, October 7)!

As always, you also have opportunities to promote your business by updating your online member listing and submitting content for the blog (we always need more Member Features and Ask The Expert Columns), or sponsoring events.  Plus, keep an eye out for advertising options in some upcoming publications as well!

How easy is it for people to find your business on the our website? 
Our Directory has a number of categories to help, so please take a few moments to review yours!
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To find out what categories are currently associated with your account, go to the Chamber homepage, click Directory, and then type your business name in the search bar.  The search function will suggest pages for you, so select yours to get to "your" page on the Chamber site.  Once on your member page, your categories are listed under your business name.

Would you like to be listed in more categories?  No Problem!!  Check our list below for current categories, and then contact  Amanda to have your profile updated, or request your own username and password to make updates yourself.  **User account invitations were sent to all members without a log-in on Thursday, April 11.  Check your junk mail and then contact Amanda if you didn't receive one!
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