Letter from Robin Anthony , Executive Director / President
Greetings Chamber Members !
It is my honor and privilege to continue to lead this futuristic organization into another year . April 1 , 2022 , marked my sixth year with the Chamber , and I am proud to serve our community in partnership with other community leaders . We have a dedicated Chamber staff , Board of Directors , and of course our Ambassador Team ( aka - The A-Team ) who volunteer many hours of their personal time to serve the Chamber , Chamber Foundation , and its missions .
Our two biggest highlights in 2021 :
1 . We combatted COVID and its Leftovers . In 2020 , former President of Lakeview Hospital , Ted Wegleitner , said to me , “ Our Chamber is a beacon of hope . We will get through this together because we are stronger together .” We did just that , and I am proud of what our team accomplished . Many of our community events got compressed together to make up for our financial loss , just like the business community we had to recharge and reignite . While executing these events in short time , we continued to serve our businesses ’ needs , and our residents and community leaders with their needs while appreciating their support . It was like we started all over , but this time we did it together . Because of our actions , our strength , and our perseverance , the Stillwater area is thriving now more than ever !
2 . We launched a Chamber Foundation . It has been said by many , if you want something done , put it in the hands of a busy person . By implementing a Chamber Foundation , it now affords us an opportunity to give back more to the community , offer more scholarships , provide additional educational sessions , enhance our leadership and connection programs , and bring super cool events to the area , such as the World Snow Sculpting Championship in 2022 . Special note , we did that during a pandemic when international travel , COVID testing , and COVID in general was still a huge challenge . Consider the possibilities now .
Entering 2022 we were very excited to bring to Stillwater , the World Snow Sculpting Championship ! In 2022 the event brought over 40k people to visit the Stillwater area and assisted the businesses in the first quarter complimenting the city of Stillwater ’ s strategic plan to have Stillwater become a year-round destination . The World Snow Steering Committee is already up and running and there is a lot of buzz around the world in the snow sculpting community about this event in January of 2023 . If you are interested in sponsoring , please contact our office . This is a 300K investment and we did it up right and want to do it even better for 2023 and beyond .
Our most important asset to the Chamber is our committed members who understand the value to invest in their business and the greater good of the community . Our membership counts are large for a community our size at over 500 active Chamber members . We continue to work with our businesses , municipalities , county , schools , nonprofits , and civic organizations for the betterment of our community . My door is always open to ideas and feedback , so please stop in anytime .
Thank you all for your continued support for the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and Foundation . We believe strongly in our tagline , “ Bridging Business & Community ;” and it is a true privilege to serve you .
Warmest Regards ,
Robin Anthony Executive Director / President , IOM Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce
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