WOW! Just like that, it’s August, kids are in school, and summer is winding down. This has been a very eventful month for the chamber and the staff, with a variety of events. On Tuesday, August 8, we held our 11th Annual Golf Tournament at Homestead Resort. We are always blown away with gratitude for all our many wonderful sponsors and players who help us make this the “funnest” golf tournament in the state! We are proud to commit the proceeds of this tournament to our Wasatch Works scholarship program. This program is specifically designed to encourage students enter the local workforce during their high school years and scholarship funds toward a higher education program. We look forward to keeping this scholarship sustainable through the funds and donations raised by the golf tournament, along with additional contributions earned and donations made throughout the year. Thank you to all those who helped make this year's golf tournament a major success.

At our most recent “Donuts with the Director,” a great group of chamber and community members came to network and share ideas and feedback on things happening in Wasatch County. It’s been insightful to hear how themes tend to emerge at each of these events. During this past meeting, I received feedback from business owners about the Hwy-40 bypass. I shared information about the Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) that Heber City is working on. Then we spent the remainder of time talking about our shop local efforts. It is clear from the conversation that there is always more to do. Businesses still hear, “I never knew you were here” or “I didn’t know we had that locally.” Our ongoing effort will be to promote our local businesses through marketing, events, and recommendations.

Finally, to that end of creating a stronger connection between local businesses and residents, we have been working with Roger Brooks, a downtown destination development expert, to help us create a plan to revitalize our downtown. Brooks has worked in over 2,500 cities nationwide, helping them with the same issues we face right here in Heber Valley. The Chamber’s goal is to create a critical mass of businesses in a pedestrian-friendly area. Consumers like to park once and walk to explore many different shopping experiences. We are considering developing a "community living room" or community plaza concept with local businesses surrounding and benefiting the geographic area. With a variety of local businesses there, we’ll be able to create that critical mass that is essential for the economic health of our community.

There is so much more to say about all these topics and projects, and much more that needs to be done. As we get the presentations and strategies from Brooks, we’ll share them with the community. We’ll need your help to make this a success for all of us. Stay tuned... there's lots more to come.