Time for pride

Community pride.

Though she has only been back in her native community since 2024, Amanda Blair has plenty.

She wants to spread it in Jay County and beyond as she has stepped into a new leadership role.

Blair was announced in late May as the new executive director of Jay County Chamber of Commerce and started work with the organization on Monday.

“I would love to showcase our town because there are some pretty amazing things here,” she said Wednesday while taking a break from sorting through her new office. “We have a lot of amazing downtown opportunities. The buildings are fantastic. They’re just beautiful. … And there’s so much potential for a real business downtown.”

“Right now I feel like there needs to be more of a sense of pride in our community,” she added. “We have a lot to offer. … So I feel like that needs to come back.”

She takes over from Tabby Sprunger, who resigned from the position in July 2024.

In her first few days on the job, Blair has been learning about the chamber’s past while beginning to chart a new future. She’s talked with administrative assistant Sue Bailey and reviewed documents to learn about what has been done previously.

She’s also chatted with the owners of Bizy Dips, The Cottage Shop and Sculpt Fitness. She planned to meet with officials from Tyson Mexican Original on Wednesday afternoon.

Those conversations are the start of what she hopes to be many in the coming weeks and months, as she said she would like to do a listening tour to have face-to-face conversations with business owners and leaders.

“We really need to listen to our businesses and find out what’s needed,” Blair said. “And then offer opportunities for partnership …”

A 1999 Jay County High School graduate, Blair went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in music from Indiana Wesleyan University and followed it with a master’s in divinity. She spent about 10 years as a pastor at Trinity Wesleyan Church of Tipton.

As the community began to rebound from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she took a role as program manager for Tipton County Chamber of Commerce. It was her experience there that led to her interest in her new role.

“I really loved the job,” she said. “I loved working with businesses and especially young entrepreneurs … Being able to come alongside some young people and really see their vision and then help them create business plans to move forward.”

“That was great. I really loved that portion of the job.”

She hopes to be able to bring some of the Tipton County initiatives she worked on and implement them in Jay County.

As Blair looks ahead, she said she plans to get a chamber golf outing scheduled for late summer or early fall. The chamber will also continue to be involved in the Parade of Lights and other Christmas activities.

She said to expect new programming to be launched in 2026. The process will include reaching out to members through a “total resource campaign” in an effort to lock in sponsors and provide them with a variety of options to choose from.

Longer-term goals are to highlight some of the assets that already exist in Jay County, she said, mentioning Arts Place, John Jay Center for Learning and events such as the Tri-State Antique Engine and Tractor Show and the Jay County Fair.

“There are some really unique things in this community,” she said.

She also came back to that same word — pride.

“Jay County is a good place to live,” she said. “It really is. It’s a great place to live. It's a great place to call home.

“I think a sense of pride is really what’s needed around here sometimes.”

“I’m very excited about this new role and the potential it has and the potential that can happen with the chamber and the community,” she added. “I’m excited about it.”