ITC Grant Award – On July 24th the Idaho Travel Council announced their allocated awards to the various organizations submitting applications and presentations. The Stanley-Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce was awarded $26,000.00, an increase of $3,000.00 from the previous year. Monies were allocated as follows: Radio – $8,000, Newspaper/Print – $2,000, Winter Snowmobile Co-op – $4,000, Infonet/Web Site – $2,000, Fulfillment – $10,000, Total – $26,000. Our grant award reflects the chambers effort to direct monies towards all seasons, specific target market groups, and dollars to better fulfill requests for information.

Radio Show – “Stanley... A Playground For All Seasons” began airing on September 18th on Treasure Valley radio station KBOI. The show is hosted by media personality Paul J. Snyder and is aired every Wednesday at 10:05 a.m. The show features information on events, recreation opportunities, valley highlights, seasonal attractions, and much more. Don’t be surprised if you get a call from KBOI, as there are a number of chamber members who have expressed interest in providing information for the show. The show will air fifty-two weeks out of the year and gives the valley consistent exposure in a significant target market. If you would like to become a program sponsor or advertiser please contact Autumn Klink at (208) 429-5561, or email autumn.klink@citcomm.com.

2003 Membership Drive – Membership renewal packets were mailed to all existing members and some potential new members the first of September. Please remember to complete the entire application and check your listing in both the directory and on the web site. We will make every effort to establish an accurate mail and contact list. Please include your summer and winter contact information. You will also notice two additional line items on the application. One is for the web site banner ad program and the other is for the Special Occasions rack card we hope to have printed. Banner Ad Program – As reported to members in the spring and summer newsletters, and at the June membership meeting...we now have banner ad capabilities on our website. When you check out the site you will find some member businesses already participating in the program. Its cheap and easy to get done! At an introductory offer of $15 per month its hard to go wrong. Wedding/Special Occasions Brochure – As you may recall, the chamber has been attempting to put together a printed marketing piece for persons planning an event or special occasion in the Stanley Basin. This piece would consist of member businesses who provide services of this nature. We introduced this program this past spring and thus far have received registration forms from six businesses. We need a minimum of twelve businesses to complete the project. The cost is merely $25 and the benefit is great, as the chamber office gets countless requests for such information. Don’t delay, call today for information on these and other advertising opportunities available to chamber members.

Chamber Winter Operations – Did you know that during the fall, winter, and spring months that your chamber is quite literally staffed twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Beginning October 1st the Visitor Center will close and all operations will be switched Greg Edson’s offices in Twin Falls. Some people may ask; why is our chamber office moved to Twin Falls? In years past the chamber was sporadically staffed throughout the off season. A chamber staff member would collect messages, return phone calls, and respond to inquiries on a weekly basis. Two years ago, the Chamber board made the decision to hire a full time marketing consultant. Throughout the off-season the phone, mail, and email is transferred to Greg’s office. This arrangement has afforded the chamber the opportunity to have a live person responding to customer and member requests for information on a daily basis. When out of his office in Twin Falls, Greg forwards the phone to his cell phone. Phone calls are responded to on either an immediate basis or a daily basis. Email inquiries are handled daily, as is other important chamber business. You don’t have to make an expensive long distance phone call to reach the chamber, you simply need to call the 800#. Should you need to contact the chamber throughout the off-season, simply call 1-800-878-7950. Greg can also be reached via email at gedson1@mindspring.com.

FYI – Two projects are underway that may affect businesses in the Stanley Basin. Last year the Idaho Department of Commerce along with the City of Stanley, Chamber of Commerce, and local citizenry began looking at the possibility of building an All Events Center in Stanley. Such a facility may include a large meeting space, offices, workshop and classroom area. Federal monies are available for this project. The City of Stanley, with the support of the chamber, agreed to proceed through the initial stages of the project with a feasibility study. This study is currently underway and we will report the results once it is made available. Additionally, there has been an increased interest in Stanley for small to medium sized conventions and meetings. There are currently several statewide organizations and Idaho corporations who have expressed interest in Stanley for their meetings. The chamber has been exploring the space and support structure available to meet their needs and will put them in contact with area business who meet their criteria.

Checkout Our Numbers – Since January 1, 2002 the chamber office has been busy keeping up with the inquiries, walk-in customers, and requests for information. Take a look at our numbers from January through September, 2002. Phone call inquiries – 1,376 vs. 1,568 in 2001, Request for information from web site 587 vs. 829 in 2001, Brochures & information packets mailed 1,014 vs. 1,274 in 2001, 3,983 visitors at the center vs. 3,784 in 2001. As you can see the effects of 9/11 and the economy did have an affect on our numbers.

Sawtooth Salmon Festival – Generated greater numbers of visitors, vendors, and business activity than the previous year. President Charlie Thompson and Greg Edson will be meeting with the organizations involved with this event in October to plan an enhanced and enlarged version for 2003. A full report will be given at the Winter meeting and in the next newsletter. Any suggestions or input from members is encouraged. This event in 2003 has the potential to provide the chamber additional income and grow exponentially.

Thank You…to Bob and Delores Cook and Ron and Judy Ellenbaas for their hard work and dedication to the chamber visitor center. These folks did an outstanding job of directing people to lodging, RV space, food, shopping and area attractions. They also provided a positive attitude and smile with each visitor they encountered.