By Ed Martin, Editor
Amy Ward, pictured here with former Lemoore Police Chief Darrell Smith, will be honored as a Kings County exceptional woman by Rep. TJ Cox at the Valiant Awards scheduled for August 25.
Amy Ward, pictured here with former Lemoore Police Chief Darrell Smith, will be honored as a Kings County exceptional woman by Rep. TJ Cox at the Valiant Awards scheduled for August 25.

Originally from Temecula, California, Lemoore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy Ward seems to have found a comfortable home in Lemoore. And, Lemoore appears to have become comfortable with her.

The “former” Lemoore Chamber of Commerce executive director, now Greater Kings County Chamber of Commerce executive director, is on yet another mission, one of many she has undertaken during her tenure, all to improve the business climate of Lemoore and Kings County.

She’s been on a lot of missions lately. Her image seems to be a constant presence on Facebook as she promotes the local chamber or an upcoming event.

“We don’t have a Lemoore Chamber of Commerce,” said Ward. “Now, it’s the Greater Kings County Chamber of Commerce, a multi-city organization that represents businesses in Lemoore, Hanford, Avenal, Corcoran, and Kettleman City. We promote services and businesses to all of Kings County.”

The change came in July as local chamber officials from Kings County surmised that in the last few years, there had been a significant rise in membership from businesses outside of the Lemoore city limits. Nearly half of the current Lemoore businesses come from surrounding communities, and they recognized that it was probably time to expand.

According to Ward, county-wide chambers offer benefits traditionally not seen in a local chamber. The new, more effective chambers are working harder than ever to be a leader in the community and give voice to the businesses they represent. The modern chambers are working harder than ever to be leaders in their communities.

For now, the Greater Kings County Chamber is housed in Lemoore’s old city hall, located at 116 Fox Street. Currently, the chamber has about 300 members. “We’re expanding our services. We’re getting signups from all over the county,” said Ward. The reaction to the new chamber from county businesses has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

Chamber of Commerce Executive Amy Ward to be honored by Rep. TJ Cox at Valiant Awards Aug. 25

Her work to expand the local chamber has attracted a few admirers, including Congressman TJ Cox, who plans to honor Ward and other San Joaquin Valley, exceptional women who have made a difference in their communities. The Valiant Awards are scheduled for Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. via a webinar.

Ward certainly appreciates the honor. “As a female leader, it’s not always easy, and to be recommended for that award, it’s pretty incredible,” she said.

Ward has served as the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce’s executive director for a little over three years. She formerly was a member of the board, earning her spot due to her previous job as the regional community services director for Lincoln Military Housing. “I managed the community events for military families across several bases (including Naval Air Station Lemoore).”

Her primary office was at NAS Lemoore. When the previous chamber executive left, Ward applied for the job, and the board hired her. “I was looking for a career change. I was exhausted from all the traveling I’d been doing, and I applied.”

Her background in marketing certainly helped.

The newly reconstituted board has nine members now. “We already have several board members out of Hanford, and we are expanding,” said Ward. “We have nine board members and will add three more by the end of the year.”

The biggest challenge. “I think it’s keeping up with the constant changes with the regulations. I think we get a good handle on it, and then we get hit with another change. I think that’s what’s so disheartening about all this.

“I want to remind people that the chamber is here. We’ve been here day one since COVID started. We want them to thrive in the future.”

The 40-year-old Ward, for the past six years, has been married to a Fresno County deputy Sheriff Jason Ward and has three children: Niko, a standout sophomore studying at Marquette University, a 16-year-old at Middle College High School, Kylie, and Jaylin, a first-grader at Kings Christian.