Chamber Welcomes Sanctuary Seconds

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomes Sanctuary Seconds to the Chamber. They have been in our community at various locations for the last 8 years. In September, they moved to their new location at 521 Church Street and are expanding in the near future. Their new location offers a fun, pleasant and affordable shopping for their customers.

Sanctuary Seconds is a 100% volunteer powered Thrift Shoppe. They are a 501c3 non-profit which means they offer tax deductible donations of funds and clean saleable goods. They appreciate your patronage and are always looking for more volunteers. Volunteers ensure the continuation of this mission of compassionate caring for our fellow beings.

Lifetime Friends is an animal sanctuary for stray, abused, and abandoned animals but primarily cats. Michael Sowders cares for over 150 cats at his 4-acre, cyclone fenced, multi-house compound. Adoptions to new loving homes are welcomed and greatly cherished.

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce wishes Sanctuary Seconds continued success in our community. Visit them at their new home, 521 Church Street, weekdays from 10am-4pm, 10am-5pm in the summer, and Saturday’s 10am-3pm. For more information call 263-0300 or visit www.ltfas.org.

In Photo: Michael Sowders cuts the ribbon at their new location with Sanctuary Seconds volunteers and Chamber Ambassadors.

Chamber Welcomes TransEco Services

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomes TransEco Services to the Chamber. Stacey Stovall started TransEco Services, Inc. in June 2011. She is currently working with both the Kalispel Tribe and the Kootenai Tribe to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat. No stranger to creating policies and strategies that benefit natural resources, Stacey hopes to begin helping organizations and small businesses with creating sustainability strategies.

Stacey’s interest in sustainable development began 30 years ago when she spent her summers and student loans traveling the world. In 1985, she joined the Peace Corps and accepted a post as a fisheries volunteer in Costa Rica. She managed a fish production facility and taught farmers to grow fish (tilapia). Secondary projects included building stoves in schools and working with her community to secure its first bus service. She loved the work so much that she served an additional term, returning to Idaho in 1989.

She taught English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, and technical writing classes at Boise State University before landing a job with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as a Research Wildlife Biologist. She found her niche as a Wildlife Mitigation Biologist working in natural resources policy and land conservation, mitigating the loss of wildlife habitat caused by the construction of private and federal hydropower projects. Stacey also served as the Wildlife Project Manager for the Kalispel Tribe for several years.

“I love talking with landowners who have a strong connection and love for the land,” said Stacey. “It reminds me so much of my Peace Corps work. My love for conservation has grown and evolved to the point where now I believe that it’s not enough. It’s time to apply conservation and restoration strategies to the built environment if we are to have any hope of our grandchildren enjoying the natural environment as we know it. The way to get there is with the innovation and entrepreneurship of the business sector.”

Companies can take steps toward becoming more sustainable by becoming more eco-efficient, re-positioning products and services, gaining competitive advantage, and investing in natural and human capital. “The return on investment is pretty astounding for those companies that implement a sustainability plan,” Stacey explained.

“I’m anxious to start working with small businesses. I think it’s important for businesses to figure out what it means to be sustainable and help them design a strategy for how to get there. This is not just about recycling or turning the lights off when you leave the room. This is about discovering what your business needs to be healthy over the long run, clarifying the business case for pursuing sustainability, and tailoring a planning process to meet your needs. Sustainability assessments can be part of the larger planning process to help companies track their progress.”

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce wishes TransEco Services continued success in our community. For more information on how Stacey can assist your business with being more sustainable and eco-friendly, call her at 255-4487 or visit http://www.transecoservices.com.

In Photo: Stacey Stovall cuts the ribbon with her client of the Kalispel Tribe and the Chamber Ambassadors.

Chamber Recognizes Northwest Autobody and Towing as January’s Business of the Month

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize Northwest Autobody and Towing as the January’s Business of the Month. Established in 1978, they are a family owned and operated business. At the age of 26, Mel Donenfeld opened Northwest Autobody on a premise of providing top quality work and customer service on all vehicles, as well as 24-hour towing in North Idaho.

Northwest Autobody's close proximity to the high school enables them to assist in the high school's driver’s education course. They also participate in the Sandpoint High School's job placement program giving opportunities for local students to learn about the business and the industry. Vinny, the lead in the towing department, started over 20 years ago through the same high school program.

Northwest Autobody also recently participated in Relay For Life of Northern Idaho in memory of Hope Woodby. Eric Eugene Donenfeld is a local Rotarian and has truly enjoyed hands-on community service projects.

Please join the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce in congratulating Northwest Autobody and Towing for their success in the Collision repair industry and thanking them for their commitment to the region and our community. For more information, give them a call at 263-6931, visit www.northwestautobody.com or visit them at their location at 1305 Michigan St, Sandpoint, ID.

In Photo: Eric Donenfeld receives the award with Chamber CEO Kate McAlister.