Krys O’Brien
Chamber Welcomes New Director of Communications
Krys O’Brien has been named the Director of Communications for The Chamber, Lawrence, Kansas. O’Brien is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the organizational message through the design and implementation of professional and effective communications across a variety of media.
Prior to joining the Chamber staff, O’Brien worked at Uplift Coffee where she served as the Director of Marketing and Events for 2 ½ years. While there, she led the effort in restructuring the business and marketing plan to reflect more of a mobile model, in order to not only survive the pandemic, but to thrive and expand. Uplift Coffee now has 2 Lawrence locations, along with a fully operational mobile Coffee Truck.
“I am honored and beyond thrilled to join this dynamic team at The Chamber! Through my stint at Uplift Coffee, I had the privilege of working closely with The Chamber staff through Chamber Envoys, Leadership Lawrence and Chamber Cares. The leadership shown by this amazing group of individuals is the main reason I wanted to be part of this team.”
“We are delighted that Krys has joined the Chamber. Her communication skills plus her life experience helping start a new business give her a unique perspective and voice which will add exceptional value to our team”, Bonnie Lowe, Chamber President and CEO said.
Shelly Albrecht
Shelly Albrecht celebrates her 6-year work anniversary with Tallgrass Studios
As Tallgrass Studios’ Director of Art, Shelly works to ensure that each client’s desired message and image is conveyed. She is responsible for the overall visual aspects of projects and for directing them from concept to completion.
Shelly Albrecht loves a good puzzle, but her favorite kind of brainteaser isn’t a jigsaw, crossword, or Sudoku. Instead, she solves design challenges to fulfill the project needs for clients.
Shelly is a Kansas native and a graduate of the University of Kansas; she holds a BFA in Visual Communication with a dual emphasis in Graphic Design and Illustration. She has more than 15 years of experience in the business, building expertise that includes display graphics, layout design, packaging design, typography, branding and identity, and concept development.
Community Children’s Center – TYKES
Early Childhood Online Resource Goes Live
Community Children’s Center launched TYKES Douglas County, an online resource hub for all things early childhood. This comprehensive resource serves as a “one-stop shop” for Douglas County families, caregivers, and early childhood professionals who need information, education and connection to better support and care for children from birth to five years of age.
The site is collaborative in nature with an early childhood professional team curating content from national, state and most importantly, local resources. Users navigate the site by topic or by age and stage to locate those resources that best reflect their child’s developmental level. Site visitors can self-refer for support services via a form found in the website’s footer. Requests are triaged by Community Children’s Center staff through a referral platform which allows the organization to track and close the referral loop. The online hub “connects the dots” through logical pathways, complex filters, and seamless navigation to resources for Douglas County families with young children.
Through TYKES Douglas County, Community Children’s Center helps families with young children to navigate the early childhood years when there is no formal infrastructure such as what is found at public elementary and secondary schools. The purpose of the website is to make it as easy for parents and caregivers of young children to find the information they need while highlighting local resources and connection.
2022 Top Solar Contractors
Good Energy Solutions – 2022 Top Solar Contractors
Despite concerns over supply chain interruptions and tariff investigations, the U.S. solar industry saw record solar and energy storage demand in 2021. Good Energy Solutions can attest to this, having one of its busiest years yet. Solar Power World has recognized our company’s recent success by ranking us at No. 139 on the 2022 Top Solar Contractors list. The Lawrence-based company also achieved the top overall rank in the state of Kansas for solar installers
“2021 was a banner year for Good Energy Solutions,” said Malcolm Proudfit, CEO of Good Energy Solutions. I am extremely proud of the entire team, as there was a lot of scaling up that had to happen in order for us to meet the demand in the market. We are excited for the future, as we expect to continue seeing rapid growth in the market for solar and electrical services. Overall, we are proud to serve our community and help families and businesses to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and lower their long-term energy costs.”
The Top Solar Contractors list is developed each year by industry magazine Solar Power World to honor the work of solar installers in the United States. Solar firms in the utility, commercial and residential markets are ranked by number of kilowatts installed in the previous year. Companies are grouped and listed by specific services, markets and states.
Horizon PSI
HorizonPSI Expands Facility
HorizonPSI, an engineering and manufacturing company that designs innovative material handling and automated transfer solutions for food, pet food, plastics and chemical manufacturers, has acquired a fabrication facility in Parsons, Kansas.
The new facility increases production capabilities and reduces lead times as HorizonPSI continues to offset supply chain issues to better support clients. The fabrication facility in Parsons, Kansas, has doubled production potential while adding key equipment and processes to HorizonPSI’s manufacturing capabilities. This new facility is twice as large as the original in Lawrence helping to better keep up with increased customer demand. Along with the new square footage, HorizonPSI will be expanding their team at the new facility.
“Adding 50,000-square-foot production space is just the start, we have also acquired additional equipment to increase efficiencies,” said Wes Kuhl, President of HorizonPSI. “We are excited to be bringing these expanded capabilities to provide the best solutions for our customers every day.”
