October 2017
KALISPELL CHAMBER NEWSLETTER
CALENDAR OF EVENTS OCT 2 - 25 Flathead Manufacturing Month Various Locations - See page 4
OCT 12 Thinking Thursday: Career Path Development with LC Staffing 8:30-10:00am - Kalispell Chamber
OCT 17
October Luncheon: Featuring the Denver Urban Renewal Authority 11:45am-1:15pm - Red Lion Hotel
OCT 17
Italy: Amalfi Coast & Rome Informational Meeting
5:00-6:30pm - Kalispell Chamber
OCT 19
Exploring Fundraising for Non-profit Organizations
YOU’RE INVITED TO THE 113TH ANNUAL BANQUET & AUCTION THURSDAY, NOV 9, 2017 | HILTON GARDEN INN-KALISPELL Without members like you, we would not be able to continue to develop our business, economic and community projects. Some outcomes from this last year include: net new member growth of 135; successfully advocated for state laws to support workforce training, community college dual credit and bonding, and retail beer license sales; and, ensured the voice of business was heard on local growth policies, downtown plans, and transportation plans. I would like to invite you to join us at the Banquet this year. Our theme, “Downtown through the Decades” is meant to celebrate where our fantastic community has been, coupled with the historic opportunity Kalispell has to develop its downtown area due to the removal of the railroad tracks. The proceeds of this year’s banquet and auction will go towards our 2018 top agenda items. Those initiatives will include: downtown development, growing Kalispell as a regional trade center, building on infrastructure momentum, accelerating non-resident tourism growth, and strengthening manufacturing and innovation. Thank you for your commitment and financial leadership to improve our outstanding community. All of us at the Kalispell Chamber look forward to seeing you on Nov 9. Visit www.kalispellchamber.com fot tickets.
8:30-10:00am - Kalispell Chamber
OCT 19 Flathead Timber Tour
12:00-4:30pm - See page 4
OCT 25 UNWIND at Applied Materials, in partnership with LC Staffing
5:00-6:30pm - 655 W Reserve Dr. Kalispell
NOV 9 113th Annual Banquet & Auction 5:00pm - Hilton Garden Inn, Kalispell
Sponsorship opportunities begin at just $250. Please contact Katie Brien, Administrative Services Manager, to learn more: (406) 758-2806 or k.brien@kalispellchamber.com. Joe Unterreiner, President/CEO
CHAMBER BRIEFS NEW OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS NAMED FOR 2018
A slate of officers and directors has been approved by our Board of Directors for 2018. Two vacancies on the Board are proposed to be filled by Rob Ratkowski, Airport Director for Glacier Park International Airport, and Erica Wirtala, Government Affairs Director for the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors. Proposed officers are Bob Herron, Chairman; Dave Hergesheimer, Vice-Chair and Treasurer; Mike Smith, Secretary; and, Joe Carbonari as Past-Chairman.
MONTANA HIGH-TECH JOBS SUMMIT OCT 8-9
The Montana High Tech Jobs Summit, organized by U.S. Senator Steve Daines, will be held at The University of Montana Oct 8-9. The second biannual summit serves as a unique opportunity to bring together the nation’s tech leaders in the hub of Montana’s growing tech sector and to discuss ways to create more good-paying Montana tech jobs. For more information or to register, visit https://montanatechsummit.com/.
J-1 VISAS USED BY FLATHEAD BUSINESSES AT NO COST TO TAXPAYERS
We support the continuation of the J-1 visa program, which is privately funded and operates at no cost to the American taxpayer. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester recently signed letters to Secretary Tillerson urging him to continue this reciprocal exchange program that is heavily used by some of the Flathead’s major employers of seasonal workers. Interested in learning more? Click here to read the letter.
MONTANA DISASTER RECOVERY SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM
Small businesses impacted by disaster, including this year’s fire season, are encouraged to apply for the Montana Department of Commerce grant program that encourages affected businesses to create and retain jobs, re-open, or stay open due to an adjacent disaster event. An online application is required and can be found at: http://marketmt.com/grants/recovery.
THINKING THURSDAY: FREE SEMINARS EVERY MONTH TO FUNDRAISING FOR NON-PROFIT GROW YOUR BUSINESS CAREER PATH DEVELOPMENT Thursday, Oct12 | 8:30-10:00am Kalispell Chamber Board Room It’s no secret that employees feel more engaged when they believe their employer is concerned about their personal and career development. In recent studies, the opportunity for growth has been found to be one of the top five most important workplace attributes for employees. Career paths provide employees with an ongoing mechanism to enhance their knowledge and skills, often leading to a mastery of their current job, promotions, and new or different positions. Implementing career paths within your company can improve morale, career satisfaction, employee retention, productivity, and responsiveness in meeting company objectives. In this seminar, LC Staffing will outline ways to develop career path plans for several different Montana industries. Register soon, space is limited to 35 participants
ORGANIZATIONS
Thursday, Oct 19 | 8:30-10:00am Kalispell Chamber Board Room Community leaders are often expected to join nonprofit boards. Once on the Board, they are then expected to fundraise; yet, “asking for money” ranks as the first or second top fear for most people. As a result, many board members feel guilty or become involved in high risk, low return, time-consuming fundraising events. This interactive seminar will give you an opportunity to explore your motivations for giving and how that understanding will help you serve non-profits more effectively when you are asked to participate in fundraising events and activities. Using the 7 Faces of Philanthropy framework, you will learn to identify your motivations for giving, learn to link common donor motivations to the mission and work of the non-profit you serve, and learn to look for key signals to discern the giving motives of prospective donors.
PLANNING AHEAD: OCTOBER LUNCHEON FT. DENVER URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY TUESDAY, OCT 17 | 11:45AM - 1:15PM | RED LION HOTEL-KALISPELL How can Kalispell accelerate investment in the downtown core area now that the timeline is set for the removal of the railroad tracks? That is the subject of our Oct 17 luncheon program. We will feature the executive director of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, Tracy Huggins, who will tell the story of the redevelopment of the Lower Downtown area of Denver through the ‘90s and ‘00s, which is considered one of the most successful recent downtown redevelopment examples in the western U.S. Her presentation will cover challenges, successes, and steps our local community can take to accelerate growth, investment, and jobs in a downtown urban renewal.
Register for this luncheon here, or visit the calendar tab on our website for more information.
MONTANA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL CANCELLED THE FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY REACHES OUT TO VISITING PADDLERS Unhealthy air conditions caused by forest fire smoke forced the cancellation of this year’s Montana Dragon Boat Festival. The cancellation announcement was made Sept 7, however several teams and individual paddlers had already made the trip or were unable to cancel travel plans so they spent the weekend in the area anyway and were welcomed by the Flathead Valley community: •
Local club team, the Flathead DragonFlies, took Silver Lining, a breast cancer survivor team from Missoula, and the Las Vegas Paddle Warriors for a paddle on Flathead Lake that included a rose ceremony memorial honoring a Silver Lining team member who had passed away several days earlier.
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The KCVB and local Dragon Boat teams hosted visiting paddlers at the Kalispell Brewing Company Saturday afternoon.
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Several teams attended the Live at Lakeside event Friday night that had been planned as a paddler welcome party. The Lakeside community turned the event into a wildfire relief benefit and raised $3,800.
Many thanks to event sponsors who have agreed to defer their sponsorships to the 2018 festival and to Kalispell lodging facilities for allowing Dragon Boaters to cancel reservations without a penalty.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP MILESTONES Thank you to the following businesses and organizations for your renewed commitment to the Kalispell Chamber and to making our community a better place to live and do business.
30 YEARS Kalispell School District No. 5 10 YEARS Torrent Technologies 5 YEARS Eckstrom Consulting LLC Montana Trolley Co.
1 YEAR
Kalispell Elks Lodge No 725 Plexus - Stephanie Murray Flathead Moms for Moms JLS Conservation Golden Ratio Media LLC/Website Express Hygge Montana Purpose Coach & Hygge Consultant Murphy Business & Financial Corp. Batavia Self Storage & U-Haul Chick-fil-A Lisa Lorge - National Parks Realty Bridgewater, LLC Healing Hands Chiropractic & Wellness Krispy Kreme Kalispell
FLATHEAD MANUFACTURING MONTH You’re invited to celebrate the breadth and quality of products made in the Flathead Valley during Flathead Manufacturing Month and the events surrounding National Manufacturing Day. Take this opportunity to attend a free tour of many of the finest manufacturing companies in the world, specializing in making computer equipment, energy, communications, machined products, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, wood products, food and beverage, and more. All Manufacturing Month events are open to students, parents, educators, media, customers, suppliers, and the entire Flathead Valley community. Register for any of these free events below at www.kalispellchamber.com/manufacturing.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6
5:00pm at Flathead Lake Brewing Company
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3
3:00pm at Weyerhaeuser - THIS TOUR IS FULL 4:00pm at Weyerhaeuser
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5
11:00am at Kalispell Kreamery 1:00pm at Bio Energy Systems 2:00pm at Bio Energy Systems 2:30pm at PROOF Research - THIS TOUR IS FULL 3:00pm at Aluma Glass 4:00pm at Aluma Glass 5:00pm at Glacier Sun Winery
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
8:30am - 10:00am: Career Path Development Presented by LC Staffing
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19
12:00pm - 4:30pm: Timber Tour, visiting Weyerhaeuser and FH Stoltze Lumber Plants
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25
5:00pm - 6:30pm UNWIND wtih Applied Materials and LC Staffing
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
PRESENTED BY:
All of these tours and events are free to attend, but many of them have attendance limits. Please register at www.kalispellchamber.com/manufacturing.
8:30am at Colter Coffee Roasting 10:00am at Defiance Machine 11:00am at Applied Materials 1:00pm at Nomad GCS 2:30pm at Glacier Precast Concerete 3:30pm Northern Plastics, Inc. 5:00pm at Kalispell Brewing Co.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY | NOV 25, 2017 Small, local businesses help create jobs, boost the economy, and invigorate neighborhoods all across the Flathead Valley. Small Business Saturday is back in the Flathead for the 6th year, and we’re encouraging all small businesses to sign up with us before Nov 1. Businesses who sign up with the Kalispell Chamber by Nov 1 will receive expanded marketing this fall via our social media and communications channels, additional SBS promotional materials, and a customized listing as we develop our 3rd annual special edition insert that will run in the Flathead Beacon on Nov 15. Participation in Small Business Saturday is free for every small, local businesses. For elligibility requirements, or to sign up today please contact us at (406) 758-2803 or info@kalispellchamber.com.
LEADERSHIP FLATHEAD KICKS OF 2017-2018 YEAR Leadership Flathead is proud to announce the Class of 2018. The new program year started off with a bang at an overnight leadership and personal development retreat at Glacier Camp on Flathead Lake, Sept 21-22. Thirty-five participants from a variety of businesses and organizations in our Valley engaged in leadership training, team building activities, and dialogue. This class will be involved in nine full-day sessions this year, focused on continued leadership skills building and community awareness. Welcome to these new members of our Leadership Flathead program. Anton Kaufer - Daily Inter Lake BJ Hattel - Flathead Electric Co-Op Brian Heino - Flathead County Sherrif’s Office Cara Ballard - Glacier Bank Cathy Allard - FVCC Connor Welles - Flathead Beacon Dawn Hendrickson - Homewood Suites Doug Overman - Kalispell Police Department Hannah Brown - Immanuel Lutheran Communities Jacqueline Vigil - KRMC Janie Hunter - Loyal Care In-Home Assistance Jeff Steffens - North Valley Hospital
Jenn Cronk - Keller Williams Realty NWMT Jaren Knaff - Jackola Engineering & Architecture Jeri Moon - NWMT Association of Realtors Jill Parish - Weyerhaeuser Kat Dodd - Keller Williams Realty NWMT Keith Haskins - City of Kalispell Kendall Massie - Montana First Insurance, Inc Kendra Moore - Sunnyview Pediatrics Lisa Owens - The Wave Marc Rold - Wild Horse Limousine Mary Wysong - Glacier National Park Matthew Shaffer - U.S. Forest Service
MB Bertram - Glacier Bank Melanie Bettis - Whitefish Credit Union Mellody Sharpton - KRMC Nathan Stoll - Learned Reality Paige Doda - Morning Star Lawn Care Sarah Smith - First Interstate Bank Stephanie Juneau - FVCC Sunni Green - SGI Tad Wehunt - U.S. Forest Service Tim Ells - Park Side Credit Union Tobias Liechti - APEC Engineering
CLASSES AROUND THE COMMUNITY PROFIT MASTERY - WITH THE KALISPELL SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER | OCT 4 - 25
Profit Mastery: Getting Control of Your Business is a 16-hour course designed to help business owners and managers get more from their financial statements. Through case studies and a down-to-earth style, experience this remarkably powerful program today. Click here for more information.
INTERNAL QUALITY AUDITOR TRAINING WITH THE MT MFG EXTENSION CENTER | NOV 14 - 16
Internal audits drive continuous improvement. Skilled internal auditors are an integral part of a solid quality management system that helps your company meet and/or maintain compliance with recognized standards in your industry. Click here for more information.
THE BEST OF THE AMALFI COAST & ROME
ITALY MARCH 14-21, 2018 FROM $3,249/PERSON* 8 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS INCLUDING HOTELS, MEALS, DAY TRIPS, AND AIRFARE FROM KALISPELL
Please Join Us at Our Next Informational Meeting October 17 | 5:30-6:30pm | Kalispell Chamber Board Room | 15 Depot Park