Wisdom from the Chamber
I often try to share my perspective of the valley, the chamber, and our local economy. Knowing I have a letter to write keeps my mind open to new observations. However, today I want to share some wisdom I have gleaned recently from other business owners in our community.

“Always be building and creating.” – Tom Stone, Guild Mortgage
I know that may be triggering given our fast-growing community, but this is not the only context where this thought applies. Though growing and creating a community is part of this sentiment, what really grabbed me is this concept applies to “things” and “people.”

There is power and joy in creating, be it art, cars, wood, music, or whatever - it trains your mind to stretch to see new possibilities. Building goes hand-in-hand with creating. But as Tom and I discussed this idea, we revolved around the idea of building community, building up people and organizations. Both concepts bring a spark of joy and meaning to our lives. I would rather be a person that creates and builds up rather than tear down and diminish.

Like Businesses Create Synergy
This next story comes a bit second hand. Shawn Robinson from Mountain Refined Flooring visited with a staff member about how important it is for our community to have multiple flooring companies in town. Paraphrasing here, Shawn said he is grateful when customers have several flooring companies to compare in the valley because he knows that residents are more likely to purchase locally when there are more options, even when it is another business he’s recommended.

I loved hearing this approach from a local business. Many of us know exactly what Shawn is saying. We like options and recommendations. I may speak for myself, but when a business recommends another business for a product or service they don’t have, I become more loyal to the first business making the recommendation. The better we can serve our residents with multiple options and include recommendations to fellow members, we create stronger connections in the community.

Quality vs Quantity
Finally, we just wrapped up our Ask Heber Valley Community Expo on April 11th. We had great support from the local business community. They showed up big! While I was hoping to shoot the moon with mass attendance, I saw something even better. I witnessed an engaged crowd that was interacting with each vendor. I heard people having in-depth conversations with vendors and I heard many vendors say they received several new clients or customers from the event.

This shows me that not every event has to be about quantity. Our goal as a Chamber is to provide quality connections to the community. It feels like the Community Expo was a major accomplishment. We look forward to making adjustments to continue improving the event while bringing quality guests who will engage with local businesses.

I love the wisdom shared by others in our community. To me these sentiments are practical applications of how we meet our vision to unite, connect, and promote within this community.