Evergreen Chamber finds wide support

An informational meeting for the newly formed Evergreen Chamber of Commerce turned out to be more productive than its founders anticipated.

Twenty-eight members signed up at Thursday night’s standing-room-only meeting in the Flathead Electric Cooperative building. Board member BJ Lupton of Snappy Sport Senter expects there could be as many as 75 members within a few weeks.

“I don’t think it’s fantasy that we’ll have 150 members in three months,” he said. “There is huge excitement and this is long overdue. We should have done this years ago.”

Lupton said he believes there is a great deal of support in Evergreen’s business community for the idea of having an Evergreen-specific organization. Though he said he will continue to be a member of the Kalispell Chamber and encourages businesses to continue their memberships there, he said there are many Evergreen projects that are too big for Kalispell to tackle given its wider concerns.

He wants the membership to give input about the future of the Evergreen Chamber, but he does have some specific ideas for the initial push.

“I think one of the first things we should do is look at vacant buildings, as we’ve got Walmart and others that are vacant,” he said. “How to promote development and beautification and attract commerce.”

Lupton, TJ Wendt of State Farm Insurance and Craig Witte of Perkins Family Restaurant were the initial steering committee and the founders of the Chamber. Witte has since decided not to be on the board, but his wife, Susan, is taking his place and will be the treasurer. They have also recruited Rod Leese of West One Bank to join the board, which Lupton said will most likely end up with seven members.

A business membership to the Chamber is $200 a year and an individual membership is $100. Charter memberships are offered for $250, and Lupton believes that all who joined at the first meeting opted for charter status.

“Anyone who joins now can be a charter,” he said. “It means, ‘I’m in on the ground floor and I really support this.’ It offers no benefits except leadership by example.”

The next meeting for the Evergreen Chamber is 6 p.m., Sept. 20, at the Evergreen Fire Hall Community Room.

For more information on the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, call 260-6092. The Chamber address is P.O. Box 5604, Kalispell, MT 59903.