Chamber board is open to new ideas

It may be time to clarify how the nonprofit Enumclaw Area Chamber of Commerce operates. The Chamber of Commerce office consists of two entities. One, of course, is the chamber and the other is the visitor center. The chamber is totally self sufficient while the visitor center is partially funded by the city of Enumclaw. The chamber is not in any way a division of the city of Enumclaw but is committed to a full partnership with the city. One of our many goals is to promote the welfare of the business community and the city.

February 10, 2009 12:26 am

It may be time to clarify how the nonprofit Enumclaw Area Chamber of Commerce operates. The Chamber of Commerce office consists of two entities. One, of course, is the chamber and the other is the visitor center. The chamber is totally self sufficient while the visitor center is partially funded by the city of Enumclaw. The chamber is not in any way a division of the city of Enumclaw but is committed to a full partnership with the city. One of our many goals is to promote the welfare of the business community and the city.

The chamber staff is responsible for the visitor center as part of their duties. Our staff consists of Executive Director Cathy Rigg, IOM, and part-time staff Kim Peterson. The “IOM” behind Ms. Riggs’ name is a professional designation that took years to achieve and is highly regarded in the industry and by the board of directors. Due to the professional contacts Ms. Rigg has made over the years she has a database of valuable resources that serve us well. The board of directors has happily renewed her contract for 2009.

In addition to the paid staff, our wonderful volunteers are an extremely valuable part of our team. The nine-member volunteer board of directors governs, develops policy and sets strategic goals for the future. The staff is responsible for the daily administration of the organization while acting as a partner to the board.

A daily log is kept to record all phone calls and visitors to the chamber and visitor center. With this log we are able to track our visitor and member needs and what we did to help them. As an example, from Jan. 2 to Jan. 22, we had 184 visitors and 141 phone calls. These numbers help guide us when planning for the future. Inquiries are varied but many include directions to a particular business, where to go to find an item in town, or if we know a plumber, car repair business, etc. For those businesses in town that are not members of the chamber, we invite you to explore how we can partner with you to help you promote your business.

The monthly business breakfasts and our new “business after hours” are educational and are a time for our members to market their business. The chamber Web site, www.enumclawchamber.com, links to our member contact information, allows our members to place “hot deals” discount coupons and offers many other features. Not only is it a site for our local Enumclaw-area community to find a chamber member to do business with, but it is also a destination Web site for visitors and tourists.

Even with all that the chamber currently has to offer, we are very open to suggestions and new ideas. Please call the chamber at 360 825 7666. If you prefer e-mail you can go to our Web site where you will find staff and board member e-mail addresses. We welcome your comments or questions.