APRIL 15, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7
CHAMBER,
continued from Page A1
Bethell applied for the
position the fi rst time around,
but withdrew her application.
When the search was opened a
second time, Bethell submitted
her application again and was
ready to commit.
Since funding for her
position with the Marion
County Fire District No. 1
ran out last October, Bethell
had been studying to become
a fi nancial advisor while also
staying busy with projects
such as being president of the
McNary High School Athletic
Booster Club and helping to
run a McKay High School turf
fi eld project – much like the
similar one she spearheaded
for McNary last year.
“I still think (being
a fi nancial advisor) is a
wonderful career,” Bethell said.
“But I've always had a heart
for community service. The
chamber thing was something
that was always in the back
of my mind. I thought of
it constantly. I haven't been
directly involved with every
step, but I have been involved.
I couldn't shake the concept
out of my brain. I was thinking
about it all the time.”
Bethell noted that didn't
McLEOD,
continued from Page A1
“That group has the
potential to claim one-third
of home sales in 2016, which
represents about two million
home purchases,” McLeod
said.
One problem for realtors
has been getting enough
homes to sell.
“Current supply levels are
not close to what’s needed,”
start when Dieker announced
she was retiring.
“I had always wanted
Christine's job,” said Bethell,
a mother of three who owns
NW Events and Promotions.
“When I think of the role
of executive director of the
chamber, I defi ne it in my
personality. All the experiences
I've had, including Marion
County Fire District, have
developed
a
personality
trait where I can go into a
situation, assess what is going
on, determine if I can give
them something and if there's
something they can do for
me.”
Bethell noted the MCFD
job allowed her to help repair
relations after a bitter battle
between the MCFD and
Keizer Fire District.
“I learned a lot from that
job about who I am, challenges
I can take on, working with
personalities and what they
want to happen, how to
formulate a plan and how
to be successful at that,” she
said. “I believe I'm a natural
born leader. I'm not a dictator
or micromanager. I enjoy
working with idea thinkers.”
Despite her new full-time
job, Bethell made it clear her
priorities haven't changed.
“My fi rst priority is still
being a mom,” she said. “I
feel that makes me a better
person. Our children should
have the opportunity to grow
up in a great community. The
presidents (at the chamber)
are supportive of that, which
is fantastic. As a female who
is driven, that can be a hurdle
for some companies. But they
were all very supportive of
that.”
Current Keizer Chamber
President Bob Zielinski,
who bestowed Bethell with
the President's Award at
the chamber's First Citizen
Awards Banquet in January, is
excited about the new hire.
“We are grateful that the
Keizer Chamber has a new
executive director that comes
from our local community;
we’ve
appreciated
her
professionalism, power of
persuasion and the ability
to accomplish goals,” said
Zielinski, who worked closely
with Bethell last year on the
turf fi eld project. “We know
Danielle to be strategic and
proactive with community
leaders and are confi dent
the chamber’s services and
programs will continue to be
a tremendous success under
her leadership.”
Bethell said she will
continue as president of the
booster club at MHS.
“I feel like that's part of my
job already,” she said. “It's no
different than being executive
director of the chamber. I rally
people around a concept. I'm
not doing all of the work. I
have excellent teams in all
the things I do, including my
family.”
Scott White, the Keizer
Chamber
president-elect,
looks forward to what Bethell
will accomplish as the new
executive director.
“I am confi dent in
Danielle’s future leadership
role
in
accomplishing
three goals of the chamber:
increasing our membership
base to 500, enhancing our
destination marketing services
with the city of Keizer and
owning a building on River
Road.”
Bethell said she's indeed
ready to tackle those three
goals – and more.
“Challenges are good,”
she said. “I'm willing to take
on challenges and bring key
people to the table. Keizer
is ready to grow, businesses
are ready to be on the map.
Getting the chamber back on
River Road is huge. How's
that look like? Can I rally the
city to make it happen? I don't
know if it will happen this year.
Businesses will slowly see the
benefi t the chamber can give
them. I have some ideas I'll be
bringing in for the board of
directors to ponder. There are
some things that need to be
done. We need to do a capital
campaign and raise money
to get the chamber back on
River Road.
“I
think
it's
really
important for people to see
our chamber,” Bethell added.
“Finances are the primary
reason it got moved to Keizer
Station and I also think they
wanted it to be a visitor's
center, which is something
that's still important, to bring
in that tourist group coming
off the freeway. But for the
people and businesses in
Keizer, having the offi ce on
River Road is important.
Out of sight, out of mind
is a concept I think of with
the chamber being at Keizer
Station.”
Along the same lines,
Bethell wants to see River
Road made a priority.
“There are a lot of things in
Keizer that need to happen,”
she said. “River Road needs a
facelift and we need to bring
attention back to River Road.
As a mom of kids who will
be going to MHS, they can't
walk a block and sit down and
have a soda with their friends
close by. That bothers me. That
small town concept is getting
lost. I want to see that come
back. A lot of businesses are
in Keizer because of that. I
don't know why businesses are
leaving, but rent is obviously
an issue in a lot of occasions.
Businesses want to continue
to grow during Keizer's
transition and I want to be
part of the conversation.”
McLeod said. “We’ve had a
housing supply negative since
July. All through the winter,
we were calling people, telling
them to get their house on
the market. We couldn’t get
enough people to get their
house on the market. This is
defi nitely a seller’s market.”
McLeod said low interest
rates are helping to fuel
the industry currently, in
addition to baby boomers and
millennials alike wanting to
move at the same time.
“The availability of credit
has gone up,” she said. “It’s
not impossible to get credit.
There is money there, with
FHA
(Federal
Housing
Administration) programs. And
with a 3.875 percent interest
rate, they are practically giving
money away. The money is
almost free.”
McLeod
said
people
sometimes see neighbors sell
their house in a day, then
assume that means they can
sell their own house for
$20,000 more.
“I tell them it won’t work
that way,” she said. “You have
to sell three times: you have
to get a realtor to go with
your plan, the buyer to go
with your price and then the
appraiser. The appraisers are
not letting this turn into the
housing bubble it was before.”
That’s because revised rules
have added accountability
for mortgage lenders and
appraisers, meaning both are
less willing to go out on a limb
for you, according to McLeod.
“You may get your crazy
offer, but not the appraisal,” she
said. “If you get your cake and
icing, consider yourself lucky.
But if you have to scrape off
the icing, don’t be surprised.”
McLeod said don’t be
surprised if interest rates go up
next year with a new president
in the White House.
“We can’t live at these
numbers forever,” she said.
“This is the year to act. When
(the rates) are going up, we’re
knocking out the lower market
of buyers.”
For now, buyers have a
shortage of homes to choose
from.
“Existing home sales are
through the roof,” McLeod
said. “We need more houses
to sell. Inventory is down,
which tells the story. Younger
people are coming into the
market and we don’t have the
inventory for them.”
In response to a question
from Chris Eppley, McLeod
said the hot price point locally
seems to be $150,000 to
$275,000, though a case could
be made for a slightly higher
top end to that.
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Danielle Bethell (left) will be working closely with Bob Zielinski
(right) as the new executive director of the Keizer Chamber.
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