Library District Receives Business of the Month

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce honored the East Bonner County Library District with the February Business of the Month award for their excellent resources and services to the area.

Founded in 1910, the East Bonner County Library celebrates 100 years with expansive programs and services today from their humble beginnings. With insightful and informative staff, they provide multiple resources including books, videos, CDs, DVDs, wi-fi, internet computers, and a variety of services to the community, even going above and beyond by obtaining resources for residents with no-cost services such as their Interlibrary loan program. For people living in the district who are homebound or unable to come to the library due to physical limitations or lack of transportation, they provide home delivery. With a full list of free programs, such as storytime for kids, computer classes, tutoring, notary services and more, they are constantly striving to provide resources to our east Bonner County communities.

This month the library expanded their hours at the Clark Fork Branch and are now open at 10 am daily. The Sandpoint Library is open September 1 through May 31 on Monday through Thursday at 10 am to 8 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. From June 1 to August 31, they open 10 am to 7pm Monday through Thursday and 10 am to 5 pm Fridays and Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays and holidays.

The Chamber congratulates the East Bonner County Library District for this honor and for their continuous service to provide resources to our community and encourages the general public to utilize the incredible resources available.

For more information, visit EBonnerLibrary.org or call (208) 263-6930 in Sandpoint or (208)266-1321 in Clark Fork.

Photo Caption: Pictured are Wayne Gunter and staff from East Bonner County Library District receiving the Business of the Month award from Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Diane Miller (on left).

Carol Warren Receives Volunteer of the Month

Carol Warren received the Volunteer of the Month award by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce at the February Power Lunch.

As a retired teacher in special education, Carol gives her time in multiple nonprofit organizations. Weekly she volunteers at the Bonner Community Food Center, stocking shelves and working wherever needed. She’s an active Sandpoint Rotarian, hosting over 17 exchange students through the Rotary Youth Exchange and volunteering at many Rotarian service projects. To add to an already extensive schedule of volunteering, she also has a full-time volunteer role as the Chamber’s Ambassador Chair, coordinating volunteers for both Chamber and community-wide events, performing ribbon cuttings for new businesses, meeting new member businesses, and representing member businesses on the Board of Directors.

“No matter what the occasion, Carol is always the first to volunteer. Most recently she volunteered on Saturday in our Visitor Center to promote businesses during the annual Mardi Gras celebration,” said the Chamber’s executive director Amy Little. “We are thankful for the amount of time she invests in our community to make it a better place to live and work.”

Photo Caption: Pictured is Carol Warren, on left, receiving the award for Volunteer of the Month by the Chamber’s Chair of the Board Kathy Hubbard for her extensive involvement at the Bonner Community Food Center, Rotary of Sandpoint, and the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.

Horizon Credit Union Hosts After Hours

On Wednesday, February 24th relax and unwind with live music, complimentary hors d'oeuvres and wine tasting at the Chamber Business After Hours hosted by Horizon Credit Union. Be sure to bring plenty of business cards to enter drawings for fabulous prizes.

Horizon Credit Union, most recently honored as Employer of the Year by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, is a member owned financial cooperative. Over the years, Horizon has grown from a single branch serving the needs of one company to 16 branches and over 35,000 members living throughout Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. Since the credit union started in 1947 it has consistently provided the communities it serves with secure and innovative financial products.

The general public is welcome to attend the event and meet with the Horizon team to learn about the credit union's financial services. The after hours event will be held at Horizon Credit Union's Sandpoint branch, located at 520 North Fifth Avenue. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

For more information, call Andrea Cordle, Horizon Credit Union's Sandpoint branch manager at (208) 263-7525.

Chamber Hosts Workshop Series

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s Business Development committee is pleased to offer the 2010 TGIF Workshop Series presented by Bonner Business Center.

“TGIF workshops provide small business owners the tools to increase the likely-hood for long-term success, in addition to helping professionals expand their advancement and employment opportunities,” said committee chair Amy Whalen of Graphic Ink Creative Group. “Covering a variety of business topics, these workshops are designed to inspire entrepreneurship and further develop our community’s workforce.”

Launched in 2009 these 90-minute workshops provide instruction on niche topics of interest to businesses.

Over forty business professionals attended the first workshop in the 2010 series titled Make Time Work For You instructed by Jessica DeHaan of Express Employment Services. The committee welcomes back executive director of Life Skills Northwest and business consultant Linda Spagon to instruct the second workshop, Communication: Lessons from the Tower of ‘Babble’ on February 19th where Linda will answer question on how to connect the broken lines of communication.

Other upcoming workshops include Small Budget, Big Buzz: How to Promote Your Business without Breaking the Bank with Jennifer Leo of GraphiComm Inc., Dealing with Difficult Employees with Ruth Wimberly of Wimberly Human Resources Consulting, Conversations with Successful Entrepreneurs with Doug Hawkins of Litehouse, Paul Schaller of Quest Aircraft, and Doug Faude of Molehill Mountain Equipment, and Social Networking: Building a Network to Grow Your Business with Joe Davis of Coldwater Creek.

The workshops continue throughout the year, with future workshops planned. The cost is $15 for Chamber members and $20 for non-members and includes a boxed lunch. Workshops are held once a month on Fridays at noon to 1:30 pm. To view the schedule or make reservations, visit SandpointChamber.com or call (208) 263-2161.

Photo Caption: The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s business development committee kicked off the 2010 TGIF Workshop Series with Make Time Work For You instructed by Jessica DeHaan, owner of Express Employment Services. Pictured is a work group discussing pros and cons of time management styles.

Chamber Celebrates with Stacey's Country Kitchen

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome new restaurant Stacey’s Country Kitchen, located at 469000 Highway 95, north of Sagle Road.

Owned by Mike and Lisa Chronic, Stacey’s Country Kitchen serves delicious home-style cooking, breading their own chicken strips and cooking homemade soups, hash browns, red potatoes and more. With great food at affordable prices, the community has embraced this Sagle restaurant since opening their doors with frequent families, church groups, and other individuals meeting frequenting for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant has become a new favorite birthday locale, and with a reasonably priced kids’ menu, families come to gather for many occasions.

For those who are on the go, Stacey’s Country Kitchen also allows customers to call ahead to order so they can have a hot meal ready when they arrive, or to take-out.

The owners have embraced the community and are excited to give back. Recently they hosted free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at no charge, and they were pleasantly surprised with the many volunteers, some of which they had to turn away because so many stepped forward to help.

The Chamber is excited to hear of the success of Stacey’s Country Kitchen and hopes the community will continue to support this new Sagle restaurant.

Stacey’s is open 7 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week.

For more information, call (208) 265-5095.

Photo Caption: Pictured cutting the ribbon are owners Mike and Lisa Chronic celebrating their new business, Stacey’s Country Kitchen, with the Chamber Ambassadors. The new Sagle restaurant offers home-style cooking at affordable prices and is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Chamber Honors Sleep's Cabins as Business of the Month

Sleep’s Cabins, the historic vacation getaway treasure on Lake Pend Oreille, received the Business of the Month award by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce for the month of January. With cozy, unique themed and decorated cabins depicting the Northwest culture, a fire pit for families and friends to gather, and delicious homemade cookies packaged with warm hospitality, Sleep’s Cabins is a place like none other.

Owned by Brent and Tawnie Sleep, the historic cabins are a labor of love. Brent’s grandparents, William F. and Frances Hamilton Sleep, originally purchased the property in 1936 for $75 for each of the three 50 foot lakefront lots – a challenge during the years of the Great Depression. The vision was to build a restaurant and rental cabin resort with home-cooked meals. Grandma had her own idea which did not include slaving over a wood burning stove, but she grasped the idea of rental cabins. She invested her time planting beautiful flower gardens requiring the family to haul truckloads of dirt and build a lake-water irrigation system since she built them from a rock point.

Today the Sleeps continue to maintain their lakeside treasure and care for the people who come to visit as William and Frances once did. Travelers come from all over the world to make a temporary home away from home.

One guest wrote, “Once again we have experienced the stillness and solitude of this special place. It has been a welcome retreat from the busyness of our lives, one where we have been able to restore and replenish ourselves. We will return to our routines with a new appreciation for life and its many blessings. Thank you for all your effort and attention to detail that makes Sleep’s Cabins such a comforting place to stay.”

The Chamber thanks Sleep’s Cabins for their commitment to serve visitors with excellence and the contributions they make to support the businesses of the Greater Sandpoint area.

For more information about Sleep’s Cabins, visit SleepsCabins.com or call 255-2122.

Photo Caption: Pictured is owner of Sleep’s Cabins Tawnie Sleep accepting the award for Business of the Month from Chamber Ambassador Clem Hackworthy.

Angel Investors, Venture Capital Topic at Upcoming Power Luncheon

On Thursday, February 11th the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and Bonner County Economic Development Corporation are pleased to invite John T. Kupice, CEO of Pneumex, Inc., to speak at the monthly Power Luncheon presented by Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters.

“Now is the time for businesses to pull together,” said Chamber executive director Amy Little. “John has a wealth of experience with venture capital and angel investors, and we are pleased he will share his expertise and vision of how businesses can pull together to support economic growth.”

The event will be held at the Sandpoint Center’s Community Room, located at 414 Church Street and begins at 11:30 am with networking, so bring plenty of business cards to enter to win door prizes. The cost is $15 for Chamber members with a reservation and $20 at the door and for non-members. Call (208) 263-2161 to reserve or visit SandpointChamber.com.

Kimberlee Langford Receives Rookie of the Month

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is pleased to recognize businesses with the Rookie of the Month Award, an honor to a new business or member who is actively engaged in supporting the business community. Kimberlee Langford of Mary Kay Cosmetics – Mother Me Beautiful received the first award of the year for her continuous involvement. In the past year she has been involved with the Career Fair, Business Fair, and is active in the Chamber’s Women in Business committee. Most recently she was the keynote speaker in the Women in Business luncheon and presented How to Put Your Best (Face) Forward. The Chamber congratulates Kimberlee on this honor and wishes her continued success. For more information, visit MotherMeBeautiful.com or call 265-9347.

Photo Caption: Pictured is Kimberlee Langford, on left, receiving the award for Rookie of the Month from the Chamber’s Chairman of the Board Kathy Hubbard of the Bonner County Daily Bee.