November 2017
KALISPELL CHAMBER NEWSLETTER
CALENDAR OF EVENTS NOV 6
Public Hearing on Kalispell Downtown Plan 7:00pm City Council Chambers
NOV 9
113th Annual Banquet & Auction 5:00-11:00pm - Hilton Garden Inn
NOV 17
Open House at U.S. Optics
3:00-6:00pm. Must register ahead of time with the Kalispell Chamber
NOV 23
Thanksgiving Day
NOV 25
Small Business Saturday VIC Open 10:00am-3:00pm
DEC 1
Kalispell Art Walk & Tree Lighting 5:00-9:00pm - Downtown Kalispell
DEC 9
Kalispell Holiday Parade
5:00pm Main Street - Kalispell
DEC 30-31
Flathead Skijoring
Hosted at Rebecca Farm
KALISPELL CITY COUNCIL SEEKING PUBLIC COMMENT ON DOWNTOWN PLAN
At our signature event of the year, the Annual Banquet and Auction, we highlight our members and our community’s successes from the past year before detailing our agenda items and focus for the coming year. This year’s theme “Downtown Through The Decades” is meant to celebrate the tremendous momentum going on in Downtown Kalispell. With new stores, a new trail, and new sites ready for development, our area is in the midst of excitement like never before. Proceeds from last year’s banquet, coupled with our members unwavering support over the past year have made a difference in our community. Some of our favorite highlights over the past year include developing a day for teachers and counselors from area schools to learn about the good-paying jobs available to their students in the manufacturing sector, funding support for the AERO group resulting in new direct airline service to San Francisco, and supporting scholarships for students at FVCC to learn skills important to current and future employers. Thanks for your continued support over the past year. We can’t wait to share our plans for 2018!
Joe Unterreiner President/CEO
Earlier this year Kalispell City Council developed a revised draft of the Downtown Plan. The plan includes concepts for the redesign of Main Street and the Courthouse Couplet, plus suggested strategies for historic building preservation, creative redevelopment of underutilized space, infrastructure improvements, and the overall character and vision for the future of Downtown Kalispell. Please consider attending and sharing your thoughts during the November 6 meeting where City Council will be hearing public comments on the plan. To view the plan and the agenda for the meeting, please click here.
CHAMBER BRIEFS Gov Bullock Calls Special Session to Tackle State Budget On Monday, Nov 6 Governor Steve Bullock said he will call lawmakers back for a special session starting Monday, Nov 13 in order to address the state budget issues and serious fire season. The Governor also released a final list of state agencies receiving budget cuts in order to bring the state budget out of a $227 million deficit, though the amount of cuts were reduced to $76.6 million, leaving lawmakers to address the rest of the shortfall during the special session. The last time a special session was called was in Sept 2007 under Governor Schweitzer to pay for firefighting costs. To read more about the special session and view the list of budget cuts, please click here.
The US Chamber and Federal Tax Reform It has been 31 years since Congress last reformed the tax code, and in the time that’s passed, the code has become an anchor weighing down the economy, job creation and job growth. The US Chamber of Commerce created a sign-on letter, urging Congress to develop comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform. Read the letter here.
Remember, You Can Earn BIG With the Kalispell Convention & Visitor Bureau With the KCVB’s Bring It Home Campaign
The Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s tourism brand, the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, has a program for meeting and convention referrals brought to Kalispell. It’s simple, easy, and gives our local economy a boost! Click on the thumbnail to the right for more information or contact Dawn Jackson, KCVB Group Sales Manager, at (406) 7582820 or dawn@discoverkalispell.com.
Montana Indoor Soccer Championships
Kalispell CVB Launches New Event in March 2018 More than 60 youth teams across the northwestern US and western Canada are expected to participate in the inaugural Montana Indoor Soccer Championships (MISC), March 2-4, 2018. The tournamet will be held in the Trade Center Building at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with the games played on professional indoor turf. Indoor soccer is rapidly growing in popularity and the Kalispell event will be the first-ever indoor soccer tournament in the region. MISC is the newest event sponsored by the KCVB, which also manages the Montana Dragon Boat Festival, Montana Spartan Race, and the Montana Pond Hockey Classic. For more information, click here.
Montana Pond Hockey Classic January 19-21, 2018
The puck drops January 19 at the Montana Pond Hockey Classic, starting three days of fast-paced hockey action at the 4th annual tournament on Foys Lake. Teams from across the US and western Canada have already signed up and the tournament is expected to sell out at 80 teams. Our event sponsors help us put teams on the ice, heat in the tents, music in the air, and beer in the mugs. They provide much-needed support in the form of financial contributions, in-kind donations, advertising, event amenities, and more, making this free, public event possible. If you’re interested in joining Tamarack Brewing Company, Kalispell Toyota, Moose’s Saloon, and Hilton Garden Inn in sponsoring this event, contact Vonnie Day at (406) 758-2809 or vonnie@discoverkalispell.com. For more information, click the thumbnail to the right.
Leadership Flathead’s Class of 2017 experienced their first session day in October. The theme for the day was “Planning, Growth & Government” with a focus on Conflict Resolution as a leadership development skill. Tom Jentz outlined the story of Demersville, which preceded Kalispell, along with our Valley’s surrounding towns. A history of our valley sets the stage for the entire year and we must understand the characteristics unique to each community and the common qualities shared by us all. A panel discussion with our City Managers (Doug Russell, Kalispell; Adam Hammatt, Whitefish; and Susan Nicosia, Columbia Falls) and Flathead County Commissioner, Mike Pence, was a great way to illustrate how we must listen to and work with one another to create a plan for our future. The afternoon focused on downtown Kalispell, and explored the concepts of Kalispell’s Downtown Plan, as well as the community involvement behind the development. We all have opportunities to provide our input and participate with the decision-making process in our local government. Leadership Flathead heard the message that our voices and opinions are welcomed and valued. For more information on Leadership Flathead, please visit click here.
The Kalispell Manufacturers Alliance is comprised of manufacturing members of the Kalispell Chamber and each fall the group works to highlight the growing industry through Flathead Manufacturing Month. This year, Flathead Manufacturing Month played host to a kickoff luncheon for 200 people and featured speakers from many different reaches of the manufacturing industry. Following the luncheon was a full week of tours where over 350 community members were able to visit and tour 15 different manufacturers across NW Montana. A staple of the Kalispell Chamber and the Kalispell Manufacturers Alliance is the committment to growing and advancing education and workforce opportunities. This year 50 high school students visited manufacturers and learned about the wide variety of career opportunities in the industry. Also, a continuing education day was developed in conjunction with Flathead Valley Community College to help educators help students with education and career planning when exploring opportunities in advanced manufacturing. Additionally, two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to students in advanced manufacturing tracks at FVCC. Our final event of Flathead Manufacturing Month is an open-house with new-totown, US Optics. Please see page 4 for more information.
Final thanks to our title sponsor:
WELCOME EVENT AND OPEN HOUSE Friday, November 17, 3:00-6:00pm Join us for an open house event welcoming U.S. Optics, a top custom rifle scope and optics company, to Kalispell. Recently having relocated from California, U.S. Optics is opening their new facility as they get underway for full operations here in the Flathead. Please join us as we celebrate this exciting new business in town. Anyone interested in attending MUST REGISTER with us before entering the building. Please click here to register.
Thinking Thursday: Social Media on a Budget How to use your smart phone to produce images, graphics, and video that can help build your social media presences with little, if any, expense. Thursday, November 16 | 8:30-10:00am Kalispell Chamber Board Room Hosted by Jason Charles of Golden Ratio Media/Website Express. Jason is a filmmaker and nationally syndicated columnist. Jason is also an owner of and art director for Golden Ratio Media, a local media production company in addition to operating a website hosting service called Website Express. With over 17 years of experience in media production, online marketing, and design, Jason uses his experience to help customers create brands that capture the vision of their companies via a combination of online and traditional marketing mediums. Space is limited. Please click here to register.
Help Us Welcome These New Members!
Milestone Membership Celebrations This November 30 Years
Les Schwab Tire Center
5 Years
Dream Adaptave Recreation KLJ William B & Jennifer C.K. Hargett
1 Year Sunburst Community Service Foundation Whitefish Equestrian Center Cinnamon’s Norwex Healthy Cleaning Supplies KwaTaqNuk Resort & Casino Volunteers of America Flathead Fish & Seafood Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo Burch’s Custom Framing Tipsy-Brush-Painting Classes Birds Eye of Big Sky Layla Threading - Facial Hair Removal