Special to Panora Times

The Panora Chamber of Commerce announced the hiring of Erica Matthies to fill the role of Chamer Coordinator.

“I run Lakeside Massage and Bodyworks, and Restore Wellness Studio, on the east end of town,” Matthies said. “I had taken some business administration classes prior to going to massage school. Then I had recently had to take some time off from my full-time massaging due to a workout injury. I had already been taking classes in the last three years regarding marketing and design. So, when I was forced to doing less hands-on work, I transitioned over to doing more marketing work.”

Matthies has prior experience in events and promotion.

“I also worked for a small private school in Des Moines, in their business office, and worked a lot of event coordination there,” she said. “I’m excited to use those skills and put them to the test here in Panora.”

The Matthies family moved to Panora nearly four years ago, and she’s eager to take on the new role with the chamber.

“My husband, John, works for SiteOne Landscape Supply out of Des Moines, and I have two twin daughters, Knox and Lenox, and they go to preschool here in Panora,” she said.