Business & Tech

New Chamber Board Members Hope to Add Spark, Flexibility

Mike Kempf of Shaggy Sounds DJ and Nicole Russell of Computer St. Louis both cite customer service as their No. 1 focus.

Two new Board of Director members were installed last week. Patch interviewed Mike Kempf of Shaggy Sounds DJ and Nicole Russell of to see what their goals were for their 3-year terms. 

Patch: How long have you been a member of the Chamber?

Kempf: About 2 ½ years

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Russell: I believe it’s 14 years

Patch: What sets Shaggy Sounds/Computer St. Louis apart from your competition? 

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Kempf: I would like to say that my customer services and personal touches. I run everything myself and it’s not falling into someone else's hands. If there is a private party or a wedding you are talking to the DJ who is actually going to run the services or the event. I have a fine eye for detail and make sure everything happens correctly. I have about 12 years of experience of retail. Customer service is the No. 1 focus and it’s what I bring to the table as far as DJing. 

Russell: Our strongest focus is customer service and we will do whatever it takes to make sure the client is happy.   

Patch: Have you served on any Chamber committees in the past?

Kempf: Iv'e been on the golf committee on the last two years—this will be the third. I just started on the ambassador committee and the Mardi Gras (committee) last year—this will be the second.

Russell: The first one I ever served on was the Mardi Gras event and I served on that last year and this year. 

Patch: What prompted you to run for the Board of Directors?

Kempf: Actually I was getting involved with the Chamber a lot more and some of the sitting members on the Board thought I would make a good fit. They asked me to run and get my name out there and help other members of the Chamber use the Chamber as a tool to get more business for themselves. You get out of it what you put into it. 

Russell: Rich Bayers asked me if I’d like to. He’s a really great guy and has done a lot for the Chamber and thought it would be a good fit and that I’d really enjoy it and I have. It’s nice to make a difference with the Chamber and be active and more involved. 

Patch: What are both your short and long term goals?

Kempf: I really don’t have an agenda right now. Technically within the ambassador committee I am trying to get more after hour functions because it seems like nobody can meet during the day because they are running a business. The first thing I did was to get the program put together for the luncheon to streamline and get more networking opportunities for the luncheon and not just one person speaking to everybody. We’ve had very little time to talk amongst ourselves at the table, so we're trying to shorten the time at the microphone so the individuals can speak more about what they do and more about their business. The 20 businesses that are listed (on the program) are random and we are trying to get everyone’s name out there. It seemed that there were a lot of cliques when I first started and the same people always showed up to networking events. They were planning events that they could attend and not take into account what all the other businesses can attend as well. 

Nicole: My short term goals are a little different. I’m involved in a few chambers (Kirkwood, Affton and Fenton) ... I'm trying to revitalize (this chamber) a little bit more and have more activity and excitement. We haven’t always had sponsorships for every luncheon and it’s a fabulous opportunity. I think if I start talking to people about what that opportunity brings it’ll be easier to achieve that goal. We do try to attend all the events and we just got named business person of the year for the Kirkwood Chamber.   


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