Soda Spring Chamber of Commerce “Revitalization” underway

It has been several years since the Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce was a strong and active institution, but over the last few weeks a number of community and business leaders have come together to try to change that.

Representatives from businesses including Lallatin’s Food Town, Bayer, the Cobblestone, Enders Hotel, the Hospital, and other orgnizations were brought together by School Superintendent Scott Muir, City Councilmember Paul Gritton and Development Council Representative Debbie Dumont in an effort to “revitalize” the Chamber.  

“It’s not a reorganization, exactly,” Dumont said, “because it still exists, it’s just…dormant.  So let’s go with revitalization.”

Muir and Gritton have been involved with getting the ball rolling, but don’t plan to become members of the board themselves.  In fact, Gritton stresses that he feels it is important to keep the city administration separate from the chamber.  “It’s a business organization, and that’w who should make the decisisons—businesses.”

Like many chambers across the country over the last decade or so, a number of issues have led to a reduced presence in the community. 

“COVID affected everything,” Dumont stated during the first revitalization meeting, and many of those assembled agreed.  As a result of restrictions put in place during the pandemic, many public gatherings were cancelled, and even those that weren’t saw attendance greatly reduced.  As a result of people becoming less routinized to being out and active in the community, the second major factor affecting chamber businesses became even more pronounced—the internet as a primary source of advertising and commerce.  

The group of interested business leaders have already held two productive meetings toward the Chamber’s renewal.  During the first meeting, those in attendance introduced themselves and expressed their hopes for what a chamber could do. They also set up a bi-weekly meeting schedule.  During the second meeting, the group took nominations for the board, and established a subcommittee to begin developing the Chamber’s makeup.

“We’re trying to restructure the membership and levels,” Dumont explained.  “It’s hard to meet everyone’s needs, from the bigger companies down to the one-person operations.”  In order to accommodate various needs for the organizations involved, the subcommittee is planning to establish levels of membership that are open to all the interested parties based on their desired level of engagement with the chamber going forward.  The higher levels members join, the more promotional benefits they will receive.

The subcommittee consists of Kaylee Peck Bayer, Kent Loosle, Dylan Liechty, Debbie, Afton Marowelli, Alan Skinner, and Debbie Dumont. 

“We haven’t completely decided yet, but we’re thinking Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum levels. We haven’t quite ironed it down yet, but we’ll meet next Monday.”  The committee did discuss possible annual events, such as a BBQ, Golf Scramble, Ribbon cuttings, monthly meetings, 4th of July Parade.  They also talked about website design and a quarterly newsletter and social events.”

Fund raising activities and member dues are the sources of funding for the chamber.  

Currently, the Rotary Club handles the parade, but the Chamber is planning to discuss taking it over or contributing significantly to the effort this year.      

Dumont explains that she’s never been involved with the chamber before, “but I’m a huge proponent of getting involved in the community.”  And indeed she is.  As a member of the SE Idaho High Country Tourism Council and the Cariboo (yes, that’s the correct spelling) Development Foundation, she has worked for years at promoting businesses and tourism in the area.

SE Idaho High Country tourism is a council that meets monthly to promote tourism in SE Idaho.  “We offer grants to businesses to print fliers, brochures.  We attend travel expos to promote tourism in Caribou County.”  The Council is supported by the state through hotel taxes to Idaho Tourism Board, and the group applies for grants through them.

The council includes everything from Firth to American Falls, including Bear Lake, Soda Springs, Preston, Lava Hot Springs, the Idaho Potato Museum, and various Pocatello members.  While Soda Springs isn’t primarily a tourist destination, “we do get a lot of people passing through. We’re kind of a crossroads.”

The Carriboo Development Foundation is a committee of board members in town, run as a private no- profit composed of individuals who volunteer their time.  They have overseen projects like the Hooper Connector bridge, and the metal signs at entrance to town.  The group pursues grants for community events, such as the Community Cleanup last spring.  They also offer scholarships to different groups to do things the city needs done.  The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have been involved, as well as “a couple girls going to a band competition.”   The group has arranged for the playground in the city park to be painted, along with the dugouts.  Youth church group placed benches at skate park, Hooper Trail, and other projects.  The group may coordinate with the newly revitalized Chamber down the road on joint projets.

Another organization in town promoting business is the Greater Soda Springs Community Development Committee. The Committee is appointed by the mayor for four year terms, under councilmember Ryan Carpenter.  It is legally distinct from CDF, but works on many of the same projects.  

All of this keeps Dumont very busy.  “I’m used to juggling a lot.  The really good thing is that the organizations here all overlap a certain amount.  We all strive for the same kind of things.  Growth and development of businesses.  Another benefit of being on all of them is that I have contacts for one org who can benefit the others.”

The emerging board itself features the involvement of “all facets of the town,” and provides a good cross-section of the business community.  

Asked what she hopes to see in the first year of operations, Dumont explains “I’d like to see us have a successful first year, and happy business members.  In essence, that’s what the chamber is about—providing benefits for businesses.”

Best method for becoming involved in the chamber is to contact Dumont at her cell (208-521-7024) or come to the next meeting, which is scheduled at Enders Hotel at 3:00 on February 22.  The Chamber will be electing board members and planning a membership drive for May.”