BY Mike McKenna
We’ve all got this much in common: We live here because we love this place. We love watching the sunrise across our cozy nook in the Northern Rockies. We love grabbing coffee from familiar and friendly faces. We love seeing old friends on the trails. We love having après-adventure drinks at Grumpy’s or the Power House or a friend’s house. We love watching the sunset over Baldy.
It’s the common love of this place, and the realization that it’s not always an easy place to live or make a living, that ultimately unites us. It’s what makes us a community.
And a strong Chamber of Commerce is the hallmark of a strong community.
The strength of our community is on display at The Chamber – Hailey & The Wood River Valley. The Chamber—much like our community in many ways—has never been stronger. More than 350 members representing small businesses, nonprofits, government organizations and some of the largest and most successful enterprises in our region make The Chamber strong. These places employ thousands of locals—your friends, neighbors and family members.
That’s why we appreciate all of our Chamber members and especially appreciate when you support them.
Every membership helps make a positive impact. Every time you support a local Chamber businesses or event, you are helping and we are thankful.
I am part of The Chamber because I believe in it. I believe in this community. I believe in the business owners in Bellevue, in Hailey, in Ketchum and Sun Valley. I believe in our community and in doing my part to keep it special.
Our goal at The Chamber is really pretty simple: Do what we can to help make our community as great as it can be for businesses, for events, for locals and for visitors.
We’ve got some pretty darned good things going on around here this winter. The Wood River Valley offers a top-notch ice rink in Hailey, a new state-of-the-art theater in Ketchum, America’s first destination ski resort has recently been remodeled—oh, and some of the best skiing on the planet is taking place on Baldy, the Harriman Trail and in the local backcountry right now.
No wonder Idaho was the fastest growing state in the country in 2017 and came in second to Nevada last year.
As we all know, the Wood River Valley is something special. It’s our job as members of this community to keep it that way. Thanks for your help.
Mike McKenna is the executive director of The Chamber – Hailey & The Wood River Valley. To find out more about The Chamber, please come to the Wood River Business Expo at the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum on Thursday, Jan. 17th from 5-8 p.m. It’s free and the public is encouraged to attend.