Kathy Davison Takes the Helm at the Lewes Chamber
Most of us have adopted the phrase “bucket list” for our list of things we want to do before kicking the proverbial bucket. Long ago, Kathy Davison of Lewes, added the role of Chamber of Commerce President to her professional career bucket list.
And as of the Sept. 26 Installation ceremony at the Lewes Yacht Club, she achieved that goal.
Kathy, with a 35 year career in media sales—from newspaper to TV/radio to internet—now in sales locally with Comcast Spotlight, is currently starting her term as president of the Lewes Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s been quite a year,” Kathy says, referring not only to her selection to head the busy Lewes Chamber, but of her capping her 35 year business career with this event, celebrating her 30th anniversary with her partner Ruth Dickerson, and reaching the milestone age of 62. But hold those Social Security checks—Kathy has no intention of slowing down, retiring from the business she loves, or cutting back on helping other businesses thrive in her hometown of Lewes.
A Baltimore native, Kathy started visiting the beach area in 1976, after coming out as gay and looking for a community of like individuals. “I’d heard that Rehoboth was a gay mecca so I came here one day, sat on a boardwalk bench, and expected to find thousands of gay people all around. It didn’t exactly happen that way.”
It did happen a little while later when she spied a handsome, young man and followed him down the boardwalk, discovering Poodle Beach, and those thousands of gay people.
“After that, I came to Rehoboth every chance I got,” she remembers.
After Kathy met Ruth, the couple instinctively knew that someday they would retire to the Rehoboth-Lewes area. They bought their first property here in 1982, their home in Lewes in 1999, and moved here full-time in 2005.
That’s when Ruth retired from her high level position with the state of Maryland. It was also about the time when newspapers—Kathy was with the Baltimore Sun at the time—were taking a terrible hit from the dot coms. “Newspaper ad sales were not what they once were, and we knew the newspaper business was in danger. I wanted to make the transition to a new career, but do it at the beach.”
And that’s what she did. As soon as Kathy and Ruth made the move, a colleague alerted Comcast Spotlight in Fenwick that a media sales pro had relocated here. Comcast came calling, and Kathy threw her lot in with media giant Comcast.
“It was a great move,” she says. “I love sales and I especially love that Comcast is all about technology and the future of targeted advertising. “
Now, with a sales area of Lewes, Rehoboth, Georgetown and Milton, Kathy gets to do what she loves best—help local businesses with their marketing strategies and help them succeed. “It’s so different in a small town,” Kathy says, “interacting with your clients for business but also socially. It’s a new experience and I really enjoy it.”
With a newly complex advertising age at hand and more media choices than ever, Kathy’s more than three decades in the industry have run the gamut from hand-written ad sales to complicated video and interactive internet placements.
And also made it possible for her to interact with her clients via the various chambers of commerce in the area. She attends meetings at all the town chambers in her sales area and loves the networking. “When I first got here, the chamber meetings and topics they discussed were a great way to learn about the local business climate and the things I needed to know,” she says.
As for the Lewes Chamber of Commerce, it was a natural spot for her to land. “Lewes is my hometown,” Kathy says, proudly. She believes that the Chamber plays a vital role in a small town, and that business owners can really benefit from participation. “They should take advantage of all the services the Chamber offers to help them succeed.”
Kathy’s road to the Chamber presidency included two years on the Board of Directors and two years as Vice President plus most of that time on the Events Committee. “I especially love the Winterfest/Barkfest, which started as a small pet parade and is now a big two-day event,” she says.
All the while she also volunteered with CAMP Rehoboth, instrumental in the annual Women’s FEST, Comcast donations of marketing for CAMP and other events. With a passion for theatre and music, she has also volunteered with Coastal Concerts, the Milton Theatre, and Clear Space Theatre company.
As for the future, as the 25th President of the Lewes Chamber, Kathy has a big vision. “While the historic area and the waterfront are the areas that bring tourists to town, there are many businesses throughout the Lewes zip code that need the Chamber’s services, and I want to reach out to all of them,“ she says.
“It was an amazing moment at the installation ceremony at the Chamber, when I was officially named the president and I looked around and saw many friends and colleagues, and Ruth, looking proud. I couldn’t have done any of this without her support.”
Yes, it’s been a big year, with much more to come as Kathy takes the reins of the Lewes Chamber.
“Wait! I forgot, not only have all the other things happened this year, but we also rescued a dog, Hadley, that’s huge.” Kathy says.
And it’s a good bet that Hadley is proud of her mom, too. We all are.