Evergreen Chamber: A year of success

A year ago a group of business owners in Evergreen decided they needed an organization that represented their interests and reflected the unique character of their community.

They formed the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, rolled up their sleeves and got to work creating an identity for the community and themselves.

“We figured we’d have 50 or 60 members at most when we formed,” said Bev Ferris, executive director of the chamber. “Today we have 165 members and have accomplished quite a few of the things we originally set out to do.”

Those accomplishments have included sponsoring and hosting community events such as “energizers” and luncheon meetings featuring speakers designed to help business and community members.

One of the most visible and arguably one of the most important achievements of the fledgling Chamber has been to give Evergreen a physical identity via highway signs.

“We are the 16th-largest Census Designated Community in Montana and now people will know where Evergreen really is,” said Ferris. “We have identified the Evergreen boundaries and put Evergreen on the map by working with the Montana Department of Transportation to place signage at the four entry locations in Evergreen.”

They also created an identity for the Chamber through its website, www.evergreencofc.com, and have been working to spread the word to the community at large through the use of ambassadors who attend ribbon-cuttings and other business functions.

“People should look at our website for our current calendar of events, and I encourage people to come to our luncheons, energizers and all of our events,” Ferris said. “Everyone can come — current and prospective members — as well as people who are just interested in finding out what we’re all about.”

One of the other major projects the Evergreen Chamber has completed in the last year was opening an information center in the Kmart parking lot.

“The community has been very receptive, especially with our information center,” Ferris said. “We have a register in there, but not everyone sees it or signs it, however we’ve had at least 1,200 visitors picking up just the Glacier National Park map. It’s a great place for businesses to promote themselves and we’re considering keeping it open year-round due to the success we’ve had in such a limited time already.”

Ferris said one of the major goals of the Chamber is to continue to increase membership. According to an inventory conducted by Chamber members, there are about 500 businesses in the Evergreen area, and Ferris said the goal is to include as many businesses as possible in the member list.

“You don’t have to be in Evergreen itself to be a member, either,” she said. “But we provide a voice for businesses in our community, and that’s important.”

Ferris said the Chamber also is looking at adding new community events  over the next year.

“Our No. 2 goal for the coming year is to add a community event or two that we can use as a fundraiser,” she said. “We want it to be family-oriented, and we have several ideas on the table for that, but nothing firm yet.”

Another goal is filling empty buildings and creating new jobs.

“We are excited to announce that we have just appointed T.J. Wendt as our Economic Development chair and will be working hand-in-hand with Montana West Economic Development,” Ferris said. “We will be pursuing job creation and will fill empty buildings in Evergreen.”

For more information or to join the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, visit www.evergreencofc.com or call Ferris at 885-1212.

Reporter Melissa Walther may be reached at 758-4474 or by email at mwalther@dailyinterlake.com.