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Show Chamber Corner Faye: The lady behind the scenes 'ill til m BOUNTIFUL AREA CHAMBER of Commerce executive secretary Faye Richards is always welcoming new members to the Chamber luncheons. Her duties are varied, but she loves them all. By TOM HARALDSEN BOUNTIFUL Every city and town in America has its landmark. In San Francisco, there's no mistaking mis-taking the Golden Gate Bridge. In Seattle, it's the space needle. And in New York, the Statue of Liberty serves as a good clue as to where you are. For the six cities in south Davis County, perhaps the most recognizable recog-nizable figure, at least in the business busi-ness world, is Faye Richards. As executive secretary with the Bountiful Boun-tiful Area Chamber of Commerce, Faye is constantly involved in ribbon-cuttings, luncheons, and meetings with business leaders. Her smiling face, adorned with those infamous sunglasses, has graced many a picture in the Clipper; Clip-per; and her presence is just a part of the genuine effort the Chamber is putting into the fostering of business busi-ness success in this area. If anyone was ever born to serve in a certain capacity, it would have to be Faye. The daughter of Harold and Bertha Stahle Hardy, she was born and raised in Bountiful, attending school here and graduating graduat-ing from Davis High. Though she planned on college after high school, her first job as secretary for the Salt Lake Hardware Company soon changed her plans. She fell in love. "We had a young man in the warehouse, Bob Richards, and all the girls in the office thought he was pretty cute. It just so happened I got him," she recalls. They were married in 1948. Before Be-fore long, the couple moved to San Luis Obispo, Calif, when Bob entered en-tered the Army. Later, Faye returned re-turned to the Salt Lake Hardware Company and worked while her husband served the Army in Korea. Faye worked for eight years with that firm. In 1954, their son Craig was born. Bob was transferred to Utah County, so Faye stayed home and played mother for a few years. It was in 1961 that their daughter Shauna was born while they lived in Utah County. But in 1968, after nearly 1 1 years in the Provo-Orem area, Bob was transferred again, back to Salt Lake City. The couple moved to Bountiful, buying a home where they live today. Faye got involved with Bountiful Junior High School's PTA, serving as president for two years. She also began working again, part time as a secretary sec-retary for the Central Solvents and Chemical Company in Woods Cross (now Chemcentral of Salt Lake). As her children got older, that position began to become full time, which she didn't care for. Later in .1976, Fred Roe, her manager at Chemcentral, sug-. gested to Faye that he had seen an ad for a secretary position at the Chamber. "He told me he thought I'd be perfect for the job," Faye remembers. remem-bers. "At that time the position was only part-time, which was fine with me as I still had my daughter at home." On May 25, 1976, Faye interviewed inter-viewed with Lynn Bradford and Rich Mavin, at that time board members with the Chamber. She was hired the next day, which and lives in Salt Lake City. And husband Bob, the man she stole from her girlfriends 38 years ago, is a wardrobe consultant with J.C. Penneys in Centerville. But Faye's devotion to her duties at the Chamber really take a backseat to nothing else. "I think now it's easier, because people seem more receptive to the Chamber Cham-ber than in the past. They're more willing to put something back into the community. I just love to go out and meet people and get to know them." She feels very good about the Chamber's Women in Management Manage-ment arm, as well as its Benchmark Region of economic development. "We really get to meet the cream of the crop of the community," she says. And many have also met Faye, "with her sunglasses, her smile, and her willingness to help. : i " I I - "win in, r I i L means that this week she is celebrating celeb-rating her 10th anniversary with the Chamber. Faye began part-time, working with then Executive Director Aldin Hayward. The office moved from the First Security Bank building to 99 North Main, then eventually to its current location at 145 North Main. She began working with current cur-rent Executive Director Haven Burningham in 1980. Today her duties are many and varied. Faye coordinates member-shipping member-shipping of the Chamber, a critical position. She also helps coordinate the luncheon programs, ribbon cuttings, cut-tings, correspondence, and answering lots of phone calls. She is most proud of her position with the Mountain States Association of Chambers of Commerces, where she is serving her third straight two-year term on its board of directors. direc-tors. The association consists of chamber executives from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. She says the association "deals with the common concerns of each state. We exchange ideas." She is also active in the Sorop-tomist Sorop-tomist Club of Bountiful, serving as president three years ago. The club helps non-profit groups. Son FAYE RICHARDS Craig is the father of two and lives in Bountiful, while Shauna Richards Blackett has one child |