A familiar face has retuned to lead the South Sioux City Area Chamber of Commerce.
Lori Warner was recently named the new president of the local Chamber of Commerce group, replacing Aron Wehr, who stepped down earlier this year to return to his hometown of Omaha for a position with the Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
For Warner, it’s a return to something she has always enjoyed — promoting and supporting businesses in South Sioux City.
“I just love the fact that when I get to meet so many people and the networking through events like this,” she said in an interview after Friday’s weekly Chamber Coffee at South Sioux City High School. “It’s always been my drive to help people, and what better way to do that than through the Chamber of Commerce. We offer so many aspects of working with businesses to help them to grow, whether they are looking to find employees or for growth potential. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed.”
Warner was in this position from 2012-2016 before becoming an owner and operating partner in the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Sioux City, a position she held for eight years before returning to the local Chamber.
“I decided I needed to not work as much,” she said with a laugh, trading 14-hour days on her feet serving pizza for the chance to help out the South Sioux City business community. “It’s nice to come back and it’s nice to be needed here.”
Warner announced during Friday’s meeting that the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet will return in 2025 after a six-year hiatus.
“It’s a good time to recognize our businesses at an event like that and letting us promote them and thanking them for being part of the Chamber,” she said.
Also getting a restart is the Chamber’s Legislative Committee, which will allow the community to meet with the Nebraska Legislature and discuss legislation that will affect the area.
“It’s my least favorite thing to do, but it’s the most important thing to make sure our businesses understand what new legislation is coming and how it’s going to impact them,” she said.
She said she has plans to meet with Chamber members individually and reintroduce herself to the business community.
“Membership growth is an ongoing thing, so I’ll be reaching out to some of our members and letting them know I’m back and hopefully we can get them involved,” she said.
