Congratulations to Ermina Karim, newly named next president and CEO of the SLO Chamber. We could make a crack about filling the very big shoes of the retiring-July 1 Dave Garth, but after 38+ years, those shoes are more like chest high waders. And speaking of the Chamber, Kristin Mehiel and her crew pulled off a grand slam success with a packed-to-the-gills Mixer Showcase last week at the Madonna Inn Expo. Bravos all around … SLO-based insurance superstar Connie Framberger has qualified for the 11th year as a Leading Producer’s Round Table member for the National Association of Health Underwriters. This puts her in the rarified air of lifetime membership … KSBY-TV has been nominated for 2 Emmy awards: One for best newscast and a second for a fun promo heralding Carina Corral’s return to co anchoring Daybreak with Richard Gearhart. Award ceremony is coming up in June … Lots of good news for Brandon and Shannon Downing. First his work as creative director at KSBY gets an Emmy nomination, then Shannon is honored as “Colleague of the Year” by her peers at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. Congrats all around … Bob Poole is familiar to oil industry folks on the central coast as a longtime manager for WSPA, the Western States Petroleum Association (oil industry trade association). Bob’s taken all the great experience and joined the fast-moving team at energy exploration company Santa Maria Pacific, where he is managing government affairs.
