Published November 2001

Lake Stevens chamber
is flourishing thanks
to gala, members

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

With a healthy bank account and an active membership and board, the Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce is “back in the growing mode,” President-Elect Julie Lowry said during a recent interview.

Last year, membership grew by 15 percent, chamber President Desiree Cahoon said. And this past spring, the chamber hired part-time Office Manager Donna Foster and created an Economic Development Committee to look at and plan for future growth.

That’s quite a change from just four years ago, when the chamber’s “funds were fairly depleted,” making it difficult to launch initiatives, said Cahoon, who credits the turnaround to chamber members who “work hard to make sure it flourishes” and to an annual gala fund-raiser, which started three years ago.

The semi-formal gala, which this year is scheduled for Nov. 10 at Lake Conner Park, includes a well-known speaker, a catered dinner and silent and live auctions, Cahoon said.

“This fund-raiser has been very successful for us,” said Cahoon, noting that last year, “after everything was said and done,” the auction brought in about $8,500 for the chamber coffers.

“We do need that money,” she said. “All of the things that the chamber provides cannot be accommodated solely off of the dues at this point in time.”

What the chamber provides its 100 or so members are opportunities to showcase their businesses, to learn about and be a part of their community and to get a heads up on issues affecting them — through the chamber newsletter, Web site, monthly luncheons, quarterly evening “mixers” and candidate forums.

Now that there’s an Economic Development Committee in place, the chamber is looking at promoting the business community with proper signage and considering what types of businesses it wants to lure to the city.

It’s an opportunity, Cahoon said, “to look at what kind of land we have in the area ... and to maybe think about what this area needs — jobs that would help, would bring in higher wages so there (are fewer) people having to go outside of the area.”

The chamber holds general luncheons at 11:30 a.m. on the second Monday of the month at the Lake Stevens School District’s Community Room. For more information, call 425-334-0433, send e-mail to info@lschamber.org or visit the chamber’s Web site, www.lschamber.org.

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