Published December 2001

Stanwood group gets
a home in town and online

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

As 2001 comes to a close, the Stanwood Chamber of Commerce may well remember this as the year of homecomings.

In March, the group moved into office space at 8725 271st St. NW in the downtown corridor. Provided by the city, the office came with a “very cheap rent,” which the dues-driven chamber could afford, President Laura Byers said.

“In past years, we’ve had offices in other parts — we operated for a while out of Sterling Savings Bank. ... But we’ve been kind of itinerant,” Byers said.

Also this year, the organization, which has more than 100 members, got a home on the Web at www.mystanwood.com, which was designed to help chamber members use the Internet to promote their businesses and includes online Yellow Pages, a section for online coupons and information about the chamber and the local economy.

“Any time that we can do something to bring business into the community, that’s something that we hope to promote,” she said.

The chamber has been working with the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce on another promotional tool: an area map for newcomers that will feature Stanwood and Camano Island advertisers.

And the two chambers are about to start working with the city of Stanwood, the Stanwood Area Historical Society, Warm Beach Christian Camp, an area artists group and other community members on developing a strategic plan for tourism and economic development.

One of the challenges Stanwood faces in that area is keeping its “small-town flavor” while offering convenience for residents, said Byers, the Branch Manager for EverTrust Bank’s Stanwood office.

“You want to provide the services the community needs as business, but you also don’t want to lose that unique chemistry that Stanwood has,” she said, adding that so far, the community has succeeded, with businesses in the newer Stanwood-Camano Village proving a complementary addition.

But business isn’t the only thing on the chamber’s agenda. By partnering with other community groups and the city, the chamber has been a part of the annual Arbor Day Celebration and the city’s annual parade.

And this month, with help from the Historical Society, the chamber will be holding an old-fashioned Christmas celebration at the D.O. Pearson House on Dec. 8 and 15, with Santa Claus, hot cocoa and fun.

The chamber holds its membership meetings at noon on the second Tuesday of each month at Merrill Gardens at Stanwood. For more information about the chamber, call 360-629-0562.

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