Letter: Thanks for supporting the chamber

Editor:

Wellington and the Chamber of Commerce have seen many notable events this year. In February, we had the Downtown Colorado, Inc. town assessment, which was the major entry point to establishing the Wellington Main Street Program. The Chamber participated in the assessment, and continues to cooperate with the independent Main Street Program for the mutual advancement of Wellington businesses.

We finally established a physical office presence by renting space in the Kinzli annex building. Our administrative assistant, Kacy Lobato, is working there part time. Business Plus Chamber members may also reserve the office for business meetings at no charge, which is a new benefit of membership. Most recently, the Main Street Program also opened an office in the building, which will facilitate our work together.

We finally achieved our goal of reaching 100 members. My thanks to our hard working Membership Committee for this outstanding result. Our Chamber Bucks program was fully implemented, and is receiving a good reception from businesses and consumers. Please take advantage of it to reward your employees and customers.

We held our first annual disc golf tournament at the town’s disc golf course. Even with modest first year participation, we raised additional funding to support the Chamber’s activities, thanks to generous contributions from our sponsors.

We continued our traditional activities, including participating in the Harvest Farm Easter Egg Hunt, the town July 4th Parade and the fall Harvest Fair. We had nine ribbon cuttings, including one to open our Chamber office. Our annual meeting and silent auction yielded a $1,373 contribution to the Wellington Boys and Girls Club, in addition to supporting the Chamber’s operations. We continued our Business After Hours and Business Roundtable meetings, including hosting a well attended meeting with Poudre School District Superintendent Sandra Smyser at which we were able to raise awareness of the growing need in Wellington for additional school space and our desire for a local high school.

Finally, I would like to review some of the significant events that took place in Wellington this year. We had an important election which brought in a new mayor and five new trustees. We are already seeing the impact of their energy on bringing about advancement in projects that will improve our town. Cameron Oil finally completed its building and moved in, bringing many new jobs to town. Bomgaars Farm Supply completed acquisition of the Wellington Ace Hardware store, with a complete renovation of the space with greatly expanded inventory. The North Forty News moved to Cleveland Avenue, opened the Owl Canyon Coffee shop, and began publication of the Wellington Weekly, which will greatly improve communications of community news to our residents. We saw a farmers’ market established this summer, and look forward to having it open again in 2015.

On a personal note, as I come to the end of my second term as chamber chairman, I want to express my gratitude for the Chamber’s trust in allowing me to serve in a leadership role. I have enjoyed working with the Board of Directors, the town leadership, the Main Street Program and businesses and residents to support the advancement of efforts to make our town even better. As I pass the leadership role on to Wendell Nelson, I am confident that he will lead the Chamber to even greater achievements. I will continue to be involved as the chair of the Economic Development Committee. We will be initiating several projects with the support and participation of the town government to promote the economic growth of Wellington. I invite any Chamber members with an interest in this committee to contact me. We can always use more help!

Thank you again for your support and encouragement.

Walter Lamia
Chairman, Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce