Volume 35 , Issue 5
www.buttechamber.org
The Butte Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce hereby announces the schedule for the 104th Annual Chamber Dinner, which will be held October 1, 2015 at the Butte Civic Center. No-host cocktails will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and entertainment at 6:30 p.m. Beverage service will be provided by Lydia’s Supper Club, dinner will be catered by The Uptown Café, and Entertainment will be a short production from Butte’s Orphan Girl Theatre Company. Individual tickets, tables, and event sponsorships are all open – contact the Chamber at (406) 723-3177 for more information on any of these items. The Chamber is also seeking nominations for their annual awards. Recipients will be announced at the dinner. The Harold McGrath Award Established by the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce in 1986, this award is presented to an individual business, non-profit organization, civic or government entity that has enhanced or contributed significantly to the “quality of life” of the Butte-Silver Bow community. Recipients must have an obvious and recognizable impact on the community. There will be two winners selected: Large Businesses—50+ employees & Small Businesses—1-49 employees The Mike Venner Spirit of Butte Award This award will be presented to an individual who exemplifies the resiliency, love of life, family and community that Mike had. Recipients of the award should have the ability to unite people regardless of circumstances. Award nominations for either award can be sent or dropped off to the Chamber at 1000 George. The deadline for nominations has been extended --- nominations are due to the Chamber by Wednesday, September 23, 2015 to allow the committee time to review them.
September 2015
Thursday, September 17th – 12 noon Chamber Ambassadors @ Chamber Thursday, September 17th - 5:30 p.m. Business Card Social—KXLF Monday, September 21st– 11:30 a.m. Chamber Executive Board Meeting @ Chamber Thursday, September 24th – 7 a.m. Chamber Board Meeting @ Chamber Sunday, September 27th - 12 p.m. Rescheduled Paint the Town 5K Fun Run—@ Chamber Thursday, October 1st – 5:30 p.m. 104th Annual Chamber Dinner @ Butte Civic Center Wednesday, October 7th – 5:30 p.m. Business Card Social @ Butte Civic Center
Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center 1000 George St. Butte, MT 59701
Marko Lucich Executive Director mlucich@buttechamber.org Maria Pochervina CVB Director/TBID Executive Secretary mariap@buttecvb.com
Stephanie Sorini Marketing, Membership & Bookkeeping Director
marketing@buttechamber.org Cheryl Ackerman Receptionist/Staff Associate bsbchamber@gmail.com
(406) 723-3177
Shane McCarthy, Safeway
Don Peoples, Individual Member
Desiree Shogren, Comfort Inn of Butte
Cindi Shaw, Council of Commissioners
Ed Stepan, REC Silicon
Pat Fleming, Fleming & O’Leary Attorneys
Paul Tash, Tash Communications
Lynn Lloyd, Montana Standard
Alana Ferko, Butte Plaza Mall
Bill Melvin, Butte Civic Center
Linda Granger, School Trustee/Highlands College
Kevin Dennehy, St. James Healthcare
Town Pump Hotel Group
Paul Babb, Northwestern Energy
Chris Ackerman, Cherry Creek Radio
Ed Stepan, Vice President
Tami O’Connell, Stix & Stonz
Herb Kelsey, Farm Bureau Financial
Karen Corbin, KXLF TV
Judy Jonart, School District #1
Maura Uggetti, Copper Ridge Healthcare
Andy Zdinak, BLDC
Becky Sprunger, Human Resources Council, District XII
Jeff Gorman, McDonald’s Kristen Rosa, Butte-Silver Bow
Colin Higgins, MacKenzie River Pizza Company
Machelle LeProwse, Northwestern Mutual
Bob Bentley, Jr., Bentley Construction
Pete Akey, Glacier Bank
Matt Vincent, BSB Chief Executive
Marsha Foster, Individual Member
Donald Blackketter, Chancellor Montana Tech
Janel Morgan, Harrison Avenue Realty
Paula Ruark, Town Pump Hotel Group
Craig Tippett, Newland and Company, P.C.
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Pete Akey, President Glacier Bank
Colin Higgins, President-Elect MacKenzie River Pizza Company
Paula Ruark, Past President
REC Silicon
Bill Melvin, Vice-President Butte Civic Center/CVB President
Desiree Shogren, Vice-President Comfort Inn of Butte
Paul Tash, Vice-President Tash Communications
Chris Ackerman, Vice-President Cherry Creek Radio
Chamber Board Presents 2016 Slate of Candidates for Chamber Board of Directors and Officers The following directors will be completing their 2nd and final term on October 31, 2015: Chris Ackerman Herb Kelsey Lynn Lloyd Paula Ruark The following directors will be completing their 1st three year term and have agreed to serve a 2nd term: Andy Zdinak Judy Jonart Kristen Rosa Machelle LeProwse Pete Akey Proposed slate for new directors for 2016 commencing on Nov. 1, 2015-Oct. 31, 2018: Francene Archibald - Account Executive, NBC Montana Jamey McDaniel - Manager, Wal*Mart Jenean Salle Kujawa - Montana Standard Mike Paffhausen - State Farm Insurance Proposed Executive Board for 2015: Pete Akey - Past President Colin Higgins - President Paul Babb - President Elect Craig Tippett - Treasurer CVB President Bill Melvin - Vice President Desiree Shogren - Vice President Ed Stepan - Vice President Paul Tash - Vice President Marsha Foster - Vice President
Nomination by Petition If a Chamber Member would like their name to be placed in nomination for the Board of Directors, the following procedure must be followed in accordance with the Chamber Bylaws. See Article VI, Election of Officers, Section 4. Nomination by Petition. Additional names of candidates for directors can be nominated by petition bearing the signatures of at least twenty-five (25) members of the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of commerce in good standing. Any petitions for nominations shall be presented to the board of directors prior to the September meeting. Also see Section 5. Petitions must be turned in to the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce no later than Friday, September 11, 2015, by 5 o’clock p.m.
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A few months ago, Maria Pochervina and I coauthored an article about “Tourism Matters.� The content of the article had to do with bed tax and TBID monies that the hotel owners assess themselves to try to get tourists to come to Butte and spend a night or more. Everyone believes that they benefit the most from these efforts, but in reality, the hotels rank 4th on a very long list. These efforts truly benefit the entire community. This month I would like to enlighten our readers about the other great and selfless acts that this group does for our community. In addition to the monies they raise and give to events in our community, they continually provide complimentary rooms during major events to help event coordinators offset costs. Over and above what has already been stated, they volunteer their time at all of the hospitality rooms, many events and for many other causes that benefit our community. I would like to thank and congratulate the Silver Bow Hospitality Association for all that they do for our community. They are a force that takes us to the next level. However, they are small in numbers and we still need many more individuals to assist us and them in all of the great events we host here in the Mining City. Butte is always willing to step to the plate, so let’s donate some time and assist this great group of people. I hope to see all of you at the 104th Chamber Annual Dinner at the Butte Civic Center on October 1st. Sincerely,
Executive Director
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Where did “it” go? “It” being our prime tourism season, “it” was here and in a blink of an eye “it” was gone!! Although the Visitor Center continues to see tourists, the prime summer season was extremely busy for our summer help. Here’s just a brief overview of our observations:
In June, July and August we continued to see a high number of visitors from the states of Washington, California, Minnesota, Florida, Texas and Oregon.
Visitors are more technology savvy, using their smartphones and tablets. We were “googling” information for visitors and only printing pieces upon request. Many times we were simply verifying information the visitor already had obtained when searching for themselves.
Outdoor recreational opportunities were sought after more than in the past. Our area’s spectacular beauty and ease of access will continue to be one of our greatest assets.
While the fires had an impact on the communities closer to Glacier, we fielded many calls on what was “open” in Butte area as people worked to re-route themselves.
Website: It’s up and running!!! If you visit www.buttecvb.com and then www.visitmt.com, the official site for the Montana Office of Tourism (MTOT), you will see these two sites have the same look and feel. This is because of a partnership between Butte and MTOT, which allows the CVB to save money and capitalize on the products the MTOT has purchased and created to assist our visitors. Although the Butte CVB will have amazing “bells and whistles” on our website, it will only be as good as what appears on the website. Simply stated, “Content is King.” In order for the Butte CVB website to be most useful for our visitors we need community participation and input from our local businesses who cater to visitors. In the middle of September either myself or Cooper Fisher, the young dynamic MT Tech student the Chamber has hired, will be contacting many of you to assist with the process of “claiming” your site, uploading pictures and pertinent information. The gathered and approved information will appear on www.buttecvb.com, but also on www.visitmt.com and here’s the very best part…it’s free, that’s right FREE!!! If you want to get onboard right away, give me a call at 723-3177 and we’ll begin the process with you!! Meetings and Conferences: Do you attend meetings in other communities which could be hosted here in Butte? Have you ever thought of inviting the group to Butte, or has it been a while since they met here? Call me, I can assist you with meeting facilities of all sizes. With the beautiful expansion at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, the new Butte Brewery conference room with the highest in internet connectivity, to the meeting rooms in our local hotels or the large venue at the Butte Civic Center, Butte can host many functions, all it takes is some imagination and some Butte hospitality to bring an event to life. While summer is almost gone, the work continues. We are already working toward the next summer season while looking for other opportunities for business for Butte.
Happy Fall,
CVB/TBID
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We had to reschedule due to unsafe air quality on the original day we had selected for the Paint the Town Color Run!
We’re up and ready for the event on our new date. The Butte Chamber of Commerce Paint the Town 5k Color Fun Run put has been rescheduled for September 27th. This is a color run where you will get a white t-shirt to wear and color will be thrown on you and your family and friends as you walk/run the trails.
Pre-Race Registration is online http://goo.gl/forms/rIQ6dSNXee If you pre-registered for the color run last time, PLEASE re-register for this new date. This will help us keep our roster in good order and make check-in go more smoothly. Race-Day Registration is at 12 noon and the race is at 2 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. Call 723-3177 or email Marketing@ButteChamber.org for more information. It’ll be fun for all ages!
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2700 Paxson Street Missoula, MT 59801 406-542-5843 Contact: Lynda McLeod
832 S. Montana Butte, MT 59701 406-723-4004 Contact: Richard T. Tschetter, MD
1822 Harrison Avenue Butte, MT 59701 406-533-5253 Contact: Cristin Nielsen
www.rentbuttemt.com
327 S. Excelsior Butte, MT 59701 406-723-3308 Contact: Chad O’Connell
www.driscolldrug.com
If you have had any changes to your business name, address, website, management or contact information, please make sure that the Chamber has been informed! Please remember to send an email to marketing@buttechamber.org with your new details so your listing can be updated! The Progress | Page 10
The 7th Annual Golf Tournament was held at the Fairmont Hot Springs on Friday, August 28, 2015. This tournament is co-hosted by the Butte Chamber of Commerce and Montana Tech.
Gold Sponsors for the tournament were: NorthWestern Energy, Opportunity Bank, Hampton Inn, Best Western Butte Plaza Inn, The Montana Standard, Daniel Financial Services, Inc.-Steve and Laura Daniel, Montana Tech, Montana Abstract Title Co., Glacier Twenty Five teams participated at this year’s Bank, Copper Ridge Health and Rehabilitation event, making it one of the largest Center, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc., tournaments in the history of the tournament. Community, Counseling and Correctional Services, Inc., Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, There was a tie for first place between Montana Tech and Opportunity Bank and the Spectrum Business, McDonald’s, Horizon Credit Union, Newland & Co., Town Pump, winner was decided by the very appropriate Butte way: a game of rock, paper and scissors. Duggan-Dolan, KOPR/KBOW and Acadia Montana. The winners of this year’s tournament were: Corporate sponsor for the event was Express 1st Place Montana Tech Employment Professionals. 2nd Place Opportunity Bank Hole sponsors for the tournament were: 3rd Place Acadia Montana Quarry Brewery, St. James Healthcare, Stix and
Stones, and Super 8. The Golf Committee consisted of Jeff Gorman, chair; Chris Ackerman, Kristen Rosa, Paul Tash and Marsha Foster. This tournament would not have been so successful if it wasn’t for the hard work of Maria Pochervina, the Chamber Ambassadors, Suzie Bleken, Elaine Schnell, Stephanie Sorini, Montana Tech, the Butte Cobras and the Montana Tech Golf Team. The Chamber would like to thank Montana Tech, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort and the Fairmont golf course employees, especially, the amazing Mark Fisher for organizing a flawless and fun golf tournament. We want to thank everyone who participated and we hope to see all of you at next year’s tournament.
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The Montana Vietnam POW/MIA Memorial Enhancement will be dedicated on the state Capitol grounds on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Friday, September 18th at 1:00 P.M. The dedication will include Governor Steve Bullock, key note speaker, music and remembrance. As well as the new park area which will include a new bronze plaque honoring the 22 Montana men Missing In Action from the Vietnam War and a new park area. The original plaque and Freedom Tree were dedicated in 1973. One of Butte’s own is listed on the plaque. Captain Robert E. Holton graduated from Butte High School in 1959 and joined the Air Force upon graduating from the University of Montana. He was shot down over Laos on January 29, 1969. Thank you to everyone who donated to this heartfelt cause helping it to become a reality.
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1000 George St. Butte, MT 59701
POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to: Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., Butte, MT 59701. Membership investment includes $3.00 per year subscription. The Progress (USPS 124-550) is published monthly by The Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St., Butte, MT 59701. Periodical Postage Paid at Butte, Montana.
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