Photo courtesy of Karrie Bunting
Karrie Bunting, estate planning and probate attorney, will be officially sworn into the Chair of the Kern River Valley Chamber Commerce, Monday January 13. All of the 2025 officers of the KRV chamber board will also be in sworn in at the Man and Woman of the Year Awards, which is the chamber’s annual Installation Dinner. This year’s banquet will be held at Paradise Cove Lodge in Lake Isabella.
Replacing Fred Clark, Bunting has plans for the chamber, and a lot to live up to with Clark being so popular he was selected Man of the Year. “I have some big shoes to fill
of course. And I’m so thankful that I have the board that I do because they’ll be very helpful to me. There’s a good range of talents on the board and different interests so they can help with all the committees.”
There’s a good foundation already set in the chamber thanks to Clark’s leadership according to Bunting. And because of Bunting’s previously serving as chamber vice- chair she is definitely experienced and qualified.
Bunting’s focus is benefiting the members of the KRV Chamber of Commerce, which in turn benefits the community. She hopes to bring a focus to serving business owners and organizations.
She has the idea in mind, as a goal, to eventually provide a venue for the chamber to meet in. “This chamber used to own a building,” she said. At this point it is not feasible for the chamber to meet at the new Visitors Center as previously hoped.
“We are solely funded through our membership dues and through our events.” She said the chamber has some money saved. And as a rule of thumb the chamber doesn’t normally like to rely on grants from other organizations because of the strings attached to such funding.
Bunting did not exactly to choose to run for Chair of the chamber, however she told the Kern Valley Sun that she’s happy to help the community. “There’s a phrase that teenagers like to use. It’s called voluntold. You don’t volunteer, and you’re not told, but you’re voluntold,” She said, “It’s just an issue of being me. Every time I join something I usually end up being in charge of it within a couple of years.”
Clark promised to continue to Chair the Isabella Fishing Derby, which Bunting is grateful for. However bunting also thinks Clark will participate in other committees and be instrumental in moving the chamber forward.
Bunting said, “Fred has been amazing. He has been doing this for the last 5 and a half years. And He deserves a little bit of a break. He’s done a fabulous job moving this chamber in a good direction. But it’s great for him to have the opportunity to have a little bit of a rest. “
The chamber also has two new board members, new to serving and who volunteered to run. Bunting said, “I think it’s great to have some fresh ideas. I love a board that has some rotation as far as members go.” Bunting believes that rotation, on a board, forces members to look at things with fresh ideas and eyes and to consider doing things better, which also avoids complacency.
