Every month a group of Whatcom County movers and shakers gather to network and learn from one another. Fueled by coffee and toast, Morning Jam participants gain ideas and tools from those who are shaping our community through their various trades.
On January 18, at 7:30 a.m., Morning Jam will feature speakers Stacee Sledge, Kevin Coleman and Dan Jones of WhatcomTalk. “I was really excited when I found out WhatcomTalk would be a part of January’s Morning Jam,” Sledge said. “What a great way to kick off 2017. I know lots of local folks who love to go every month. They always leave feeling energized and excited about new ways to help create the community we all want.”
“I had the opportunity to go to a Morning Jam back in October and hear Sara Southerland from Sustainable Connections speak on local food sustainability and creating a stronger community,” Coleman said. “The Morning Jam group and format really resonated with me. I knew we could work cohesively as a group to promote the positive things happening in our community.”
Downtown Bellingham Partnership Event and Programs Coordinator, Morgan Henry, and local creative entrepreneur, Dylan Green, curate Morning Jam. According to Henry, “Morning Jam is a creative lecture series that shines a light on the creative class of Bellingham. It’s also a place to come together, connect, and find inspiration that gives fuel to your own special brand as well as be empowered to take action.”
The collaboration between Morning Jam and WhatcomTalk is a natural fit. Like WhatcomTalk, Morning Jam has a goal of creating positive community experience. “This is a perfect collaboration of thoughts and ideas on a more grassroots level,” Coleman said. “Plus, it’s a great way to kick off the new year right, with positivity. I’m excited about the opportunity, since it’s such a natural fit.”
Stacee Sledge is also looking forward to it. “Kevin and I love nothing more than to share the ripple of positivity that is WhatcomTalk, specifically how and why we tell local stories and foster connections between our readers and local businesses. Plus it’s always fun when Dan heads up from the NorthAmericaTalk headquarters in Olympia and hangs out with our team. It’ll be fantastic to hear him talk about how the Talk platform came to be and about his time living in Bellingham when he was at Western.”
“It’s always fun to spend time in Bellingham,” Dan Jones said. “It’s a really cool community. I’m particularly excited to have the opportunity to share our story and to talk to the business and community leaders that are out there doing great things. I learn so much every time.”
Those at Morning Jam are also eagerly anticipating the upcoming event, “Stacee and Kevin are amazing,” Henry enthused. “I want to collaborate with them on all the things!”
Several aspects of WhatcomTalk and its role in the community will be discussed at the Morning Jam presentation. “I’ll be talking about why we started the Talk platform,” Jones said. “I’ll also explain the history of our company and the evolution from where we were to where we are now, and where we’re headed.”
Stacee Sledge will share her experience launching WhatcomTalk three years ago. “When I helped start WhatcomTalk in January 2014, my hope was to create a new, hyper-local media source where community members could read about all the good things happening in our area, stories that otherwise go untold. WhatcomTalk is committed to sharing the positive stories of the people, businesses and organizations doing good things around Whatcom County and that’s exactly what Morning Jam is all about as well.”
For Kevin Coleman, it’s all about positivity. “I always hope to convey WhatcomTalk’s mission of positivity,” Coleman said. “That’s really what WhatcomTalk is all about. We all have our mission in life; this is what I’m dedicated to. I want to reach a broader audience of like-minded people who can help our community be even better. Community is more than just people living in a geographical location. It’s about working together and mutually understanding and respecting each other. It’s about collective positive growth. It’s about turning inspiration into action and creating a community where my family – and all families – can grow and prosper. I’m hoping this will create open conversations on changes we’ve seen and would like to see based on our collective positive goals.”
Sledge agrees, “Anytime we can meet up with other creative community members who want to make Bellingham even better than it already is, and it’s already amazing in hundreds of ways, well, that’s just a win all around.”
“I’m excited that Stacee and Kevin of WhatcomTalk will be kicking off the 2017 series,” Henry said. “Like Morning Jam, they’re passionate about telling the stories of people in Whatcom County who are taking risks, thinking big, and creating the type of community where they can thrive.”
WhatcomTalk is a digital media company sharing positive stories about people, places and businesses in Whatcom County. WhatcomTalk offers content marketing and online options to advertise across our community social network in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and beyond. Advertise with WhatcomTalk to reach your target market, grow your brand, and measure results.
