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Chamber Bids Fond Farewell To Longtime Membership Director Mickey Molnaire

For the past 14 years, Mickey Molnaire has steadfastly helped drive the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce efforts to modernize, develop small business initiatives and programs, advocate for our community, and plan and execute special events of all kinds.

That is an impressive array of talents. But misses what we all know – that Mickey’s true talent at the Chamber has been her depth and breadth of knowledge for all things Bainbridge, and her willingness to help share that information with members, visitors, and all the friendly faces that came in the Chamber doors.

Former Chamber leader Kevin Dwyer recently paid tribute to Ms. Molnaire saying, “Mickey has been a constant presence at the Chamber for more than 14 years, wearing many hats. We hired her during my tenure as Executive Director (2001-2011) to guide our tourism efforts. She was a stalwart in that role and later took on other responsibilities, serving as a membership director and working closely with new and current members. She helped keep the organization afloat during the early days of the Pandemic in the winter of 2020, and was a tremendous help to me as I served in an Interim CEO role for most of 2020 and early 2021 when former CEO Rex Oliver got sick. The Chamber will definitely miss her expertise, guidance, and friendly personality.

All three Chamber Presidents whom Mickey has worked alongside would happily testify to her expertise, diligence, commitment, and invaluable work, but we thought it would be most fitting to let Mickey, in her own words, take a moment to list the things she is most proud of about her impactful run at the Bainbridge Chamber – over to you Mickey…

 

Mickey Molnaire’s “What I’m Proud Of” List:

  • Being the first person hired at the Chamber to promote and manage tourism on Bainbridge Island
  • Bringing the Chamber’s website and IT into the 21st century
  • Creating a series of brochures for visitors and locals around Dining, Lodging, Family Fun, Lynwood Center (and updating the ever-popular “Bathrooms of Bainbridge”)
  • Representing the Chamber on behalf of Bainbridge in the North Kitsap Tourism Coalition — meeting regularly with representatives from Poulsbo, Kingston, Port Gamble, and the Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes
  • Regularly attending and supporting Bainbridge Business Connection and Bainbridge Business Women
  • Together with Rex Oliver, creating and running the Frog Hopper Bus project to demonstrate the need for what has since become B.I. Ride
  • With Kris Rothert, keeping the Chamber open during the early months of COVID — meeting with the other Kitsap Chambers (via Zoom) to provide up-to-date information for local businesses
  • Helping produce the Grand Old 4th of July twelve successful times
  • Meeting and getting to know hundreds of wonderful people – and introducing them to each other…

 

Mickey’s last day at the Chamber was Friday October 7, but you have one more great chance to come say goodbye and thank you to Mickey in person – at the Chamber After Hours on Thursday October 13th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at KiDiMu – hope to see you there.