Best Business Community Leader: Lisa Basler Orloff

bestof2022_communityleader
bestof2022_communityleader

“I truly love Rohnert Park and that drives me to do all I can to support our community. My love of the community and working with so many great people keeps me going.”—Lisa Basler Orloff, executive director, Rohnert Park Chamber

Sometimes the transition to leadership requires a transition of thought. This was the case for Lisa Basler when she stepped into a management position at State Farm Insurance at age 24. Though she’d majored in accounting at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, her career path led her to oversee a team of senior-level employees two years later at the regional office in Greeley, Colo. The young professional instinctively understood how to effectively step into her new role from the get-go. “They were so senior that I knew I was working for them,” she recalls. “They weren’t working for me.”

One day a payment-processing machine wasn’t functioning properly and the team voiced their complaints. Basler didn’t dismiss their concerns or question the team’s ability to operate it. Instead, she hopped on the machine and sat down to better understand what was going on. “I could better empathize with them because I was doing the job myself,” she recalls. The problem was resolved and, no doubt, her team liked her management style. On boss’ day that year, she was the only supervisor in the accounting department whose team left a shower of gifts on her desk that morning—balloons, flowers and cards.

Basler remained in Greely for six years and then was promoted to a position at the regional office in Rohnert Park in 1994. At 32, the young woman who’d grown up in Vernon Hills, a Chicago suburb, settled into a new life. The following year, she met a man through a personal ad, Marc Orloff. They left the area for a short while, married in 1997 and returned in 1998, with their daughter, Lexi, who was a month old. Later, their family expanded with two sons, Max and Cameron. In 2002, tragedy struck when her niece and nephew, Colin and Serenity, lost their mother. The Orloff family expanded, and Lisa and Marc were parenting five children, ranging in age from 8 months to 13. They embraced the family life and were hands-on parents, volunteering at schools and for sports teams. Her leadership skills and financial background were put to good use, helping the kids. Meanwhile, Orloff remained with State Farm on a part-time basis, juggling work and family, until the office closed in 2011. She worked in another position locally until 2013 but left as the next position required moving away from The Friendly City.

In 2015, Dr. Robert Haley, a friend and former superintendent of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District reached out. He was familiar with her work within the school district and served on the board of the Rohnert Park Chamber, and they were looking for a new executive director. Orloff got the job and embraced the position. “Because of my community involvement, I had a lot of connections, which helped me hit the ground running,” she says. As the chamber’s only full-time staff member, Orloff worked long hours and did everything from leading the city’s chamber meetings to spearheading communications and working with the board and volunteers.

Two years later, the Tubbs fire swept through the county. Soon after, at a meeting attended by other chamber leaders, they agreed to meet quarterly, starting in December 2017, and the meetings continue to this day. “These meetings give us a place to share ideas and support each other with any challenges we’re facing,” she says.

The next challenge arrived on March 13, 2020, when Sonoma County shut down and the community was directed to shelter-in-place. Orloff made it her mission to keep chamber members, as well as anyone else on her email list, educated and informed three times a week, sourcing material directly through the U.S. Chamber, as well as through the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Sonoma Small Business Development Center and the Cal Chamber.

In the months ahead, Orloff and the chamber found many ways to support businesses and keep the community thriving, which included connecting with members on social media and Zoom, as well as offering a monthly payment option for members who were struggling financially. Additionally, the annual crab feed fundraiser was transformed into a drive-thru, pickup event, which increased dinner sales from 280 to 400. And to lift community spirits for the holidays, the Holiday Light Celebration evolved into a drive-through event, which included a nine-foot lighted Christmas tree costume, worn on stilts, by Krysta Cook, owner of Symmetry Entertainment and Design. There was also a trailer with Santa and Mrs. Clause in attendance. “Families were grateful to have some holiday joy during those challenging times,” says Orloff, adding that participation in the event doubled that year.

While the pandemic posed the challenge of a lifetime for many businesses, Orloff recognizes there was a silver lining to the experience. “We realized we not only survived the pandemic, but we also thrived and were able to help our members in so many ways.”

Since stepping into the executive director role nearly seven years ago, the chamber has attained financial stability. “My team and I have added to our bottom line, which is pretty amazing, considering the possible net profit you can earn each year,” she says. “This will allow us to grow our staff and provide even more value.”

Orloff is not one to bask in the role of a leadership position. For her, leadership means letting people be heard, collaborating to resolve problems and getting the job done. The woman who once hopped on the payment-processing machine in Greely is not one to sit on the sidelines. She remains committed to her work at the chamber, working 50-plus hour weeks and shows up for every chamber event. “When you love what you do, you’re willing to make the sacrifice,” she says. “I truly love Rohnert Park and that drives me to do all I can to support our community. My love of the community and working with so many great people keeps me going.”

[Duncan Garrett Photography]

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