June / July Greeter of the Month 
MaryAnne Harbison, Mary Kay Cosmetics

I was so surprised and honored when I was selected to be the May Greeter of the month! Thank you to the Committee.

 I was invited to visit the Greeters in November 2007 by Kathy Alexander and have been coming ever since.  I joined the Chamber in January of 2008. I have met many new friends and acquaintances because of this organization and am enjoying this camaraderie very much.

In my previous business life, I was in the Banking Industry in Los Angeles and Medford and love the business atmosphere. I now represent Mary Kay Cosmetics and have been an Independent Beauty Consultant for 23 years; the last 17 of those years have been as a Mary Kay Sales Director with one first line Offspring, which makes the title, Senior Sales Director.

What I do in Mary Kay is to offer my services teaching women how to care for their skin, along with a bit of color consulting. It’s now called “Anti-Aging.”  What happens to her is she sees herself as pretty, self confident and important and as a result, everyone around her benefits from those attitudes as well.  This company is interested in long-term relationships:  friends and customers for life. I have met Mary Kay and have a picture taken with her hanging in my office. I have been to her mansion home in Dallas and I count it a privilege to have met her.

Mary Kay’s concept of her product is to have women “try before you buy” in the privacy of their home where they will feel comfortable and relaxed.

I love being an independent business owner and sharing the #1 skin care and color in the United States since 1993 (according to independent research data). I do private appointments, with friends, husbands, or whatever works for you.  Remember, how old you are is your business. How young you look is my business!

MaryAnne Harbison, Senior Sales Director
Mary Kay Cosmetics
1717 View Place
Medford, Oregon 97504
779-6749 / 840-1717
Email:  maharbison@charter.net 

Greeter of the Year 
Gordon Roda, Direct Effect Promotional Products

I have been a member of Greeters for six years. I joined Greeters at the same time I joined Direct Effect Promotional Products. It was a natural decision to promote my business through The Chamber.

I was born and raised in Santa Monica, California. In 1966, I was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany for two years. It was not only an incredible experience, but also a prelude to my future marketing career, as I was the supply sergeant for my unit. My degree in sales and marketing then took me to Farmers Insurance, where I was an agent for 23 years. 

My wife, Marianne, and I have one daughter, Ashley. We moved to Oregon from Southern California when she was seven and settled in Ashland.

In 2002, I joined Direct Effect Promotional Products. My passion is the promotional product division. We also design and manufacture point-of-sale displays for such companies as Godiva Chocolatier and Mt. Saint Michelle Winery. We have more than 700,000 promotional products to select from.

Greeters is a terrific networking mechanism, and Greeters is responsible for a large percentage of our promotional product clients. I am a firm believer in the Greeter motto, "Greeters Works!" 

Gordon Roda
Direct Effect Promotional Products
(541) 482-3275