Libby Chamber of Commerce back on track

Most people know the brand name, but many don’t know the function of a Chamber of Commerce. There’s an old adage in the chamber world: “If you’ve seen one chamber, you’ve seen one.” For the new board members of the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce the story isn’t so much about what they’ve done, but where they’re headed.

Newly appointed president of the chamber Robin Benson said, “The last couple years I guess you could say the chamber has gone through troubled times. We had just a few people on the chamber board who were kind of keeping it afloat.”

It seems not everyone keeping the chamber afloat had its best interest in mind. In March, the executive director of the chamber, Naomi Rebo, resigned from her position for purchasing cigarettes with the Chamber of Commerce debit card.

Rebo was found to have also used the debit card to make purchases out of state that she said were kept track of and paid for out of her paycheck. Rebo said she misunderstood the purchasing practices for chamber employees.

Benson said she doesn’t feel like the chamber has a history of abuse. “I think that was probably a single situation,” Benson said.

Nevertheless, media coverage of the event has given some a negative impression of the chamber. “With the bad press people’s minds went wild and they assumed things happened that didn’t happen,” said new board member Michelle Mercer.

In the two months Mercer has been a part of the chamber she said things have drastically turned around and she gives much of the credit for the about-face to Amber Managhan. “There’s a lot of gratitude that needs to be expressed to Amber. If it wasn’t for her the chamber probably wouldn’t be where it’s at right now.”

Managhan took the initiative to arrange all the paperwork necessary for an audit of the chamber’s financial records by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit revealed the chamber’s books were in order and their review was a favorable one, giving credence to Benson’s belief Rebo’s case was an isolated incident.

With a revamped board there is a great deal of optimism for the future of the chamber. There are now eight members on the board with diverse backgrounds, interests and experiences who are enthusiastic about moving the chamber in a positive direction.

That means the chamber has to do a better job promoting their member businesses. The board members met last weekend to organize their priorities. Some of the ideas that came from the meeting were: have volunteers for Saturdays throughout the busy tourist season, define their focus on how they will promote and serve local businesses, improve advertising to let local business know the chamber is here and let them know the services they offer, and improve their social media presence.

Former president of the chamber Wayde Block is staying on the board for another year after serving as president for six years. He said it’s been several years since there was a full board, which is at least seven members. “The more people you’ve got, the more ideas you’ve got,” said Block.

Block would like to see a little more participation from chamber members. He said some members might not be aware of the work going on behind the scenes and if they got involved they would see that. Block said there are key members that do a lot, but a little more participation from some members would go a long way.

Some board members have different views on what businesses they would personally like to see come to the area, but they share the belief that the chamber is positioned to be an asset for businesses already here.

Benson said small businesses are the backbone of the community, but she would also like to see a bigger private sector business utilize the Port Authority site.

Retaining the area’s traditional logging and mining industries and promoting the recreational opportunities in the area is what Mercer sees as important for the community.

Board member Noelle Gilmore has worked in the restaurant industry and would welcome some eateries that offered gourmet farm-to-table options.

Shellie DeLeo is also new to the chamber board. She would like to see some entry-level jobs such as a call-center or jobs that used to exist at the mills be brought to the area.

They all agreed that people in Libby should have work opportunities that pay enough to be able to raise a family here.

One thing mentioned by all the board members interviewed was the need to shed the moniker attached to Libby of being a Superfund city. “It’s a new board and so I’m excited about that. It’s perfect timing, too, as we gear in towards the transition with the EPA leaving,” Benson said.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the Chamber of Commerce is putting on their annual fundraiser at the Memorial Center. This year is a little more of a dressed-down affair than it has been in the past. The theme for the night is One Team, One Dream and attendees are encouraged to wear the jersey of their favorite football team.

The fundraiser helps the chamber to promote itself, which in turn, promotes its members. “This is our biggest event. So we do rely on it to help throughout the year with our finances,” Benson said.

Several of the board members said they feel like they have the pieces in place to help the chamber perform their role of promoting Libby businesses. “I’m looking forward to getting the trust back from the local business community,” Mercer said.