Chamber Welcomes Northridge Property Management

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is excited to welcome Northridge Property Management. This Sandpoint family owned and operated business started in 2003 by two lifetime and third generation Sandpoint locals, Mike Robinson and Jeremy Brown. They offer vacation and long-term rental management, HOA (Home Owners Association) management and vacation home watch and property protection services, serving all of Bonner County including Schweitzer, Dover, Sagle and Hope.

‘We offer a high level of personal service and go above and beyond to make sure our homeowners real estate investments are well cared for,’ explained Jeremy. ‘We are available 24/7 for emergencies from our home owners and vacation guests.’

Northridge Property Management offers a wide range of services for vacation home and investment home owners that can be customized to fit every need at a fair price (rental management fees are 100% performance based). They are dedicated to protecting their client’s real estate investments.  Proudly, they stand as Sandpoint's only VRMA - Vacation Rental Managers Association affiliated professional vacation rental management company.

“What we always try to think of is if we owned the property, how would we want it managed,” said Jeremy. “We manage several homeowners associations that we also manage vacation rentals within so, we obviously have to do a great job to keep the owner of the vacation rental property happy, and we also have to make sure that all the other home owners in the HOA are happy and not disturbed by the rental.  We definitely have a lot to lose if we did a poor job.”

Currently, they are offering commission discounts for the 1st year for any new vacation rental and 1 free Month of Home watch inspections with a 12 month service agreement.

Please help the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcome Northridge Property Management to the Chamber and wish them continued success. For more information, call Jeremy at 208-290-6847 or Mike at 208-290-6531, email info@northridgepropertymanagement.com, visit www.northridgepropertymanagement.com or connect www.facebook.com/NorthridgeVacationRentals.

In photo, left to right: Carol Warren, Jeremy Brown, Representative George Eskridge, Kate McAlister, Mike Robinson, Tyler Tennison and Peggy Shadel. 

Sandpoint Summer Sampler Kicking Us Off For Summer

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce would like to invite the community to the 8^th Annual Sandpoint Summer Sampler at Farmin Park Thursday, June 27^th, from 5:30-8PM. This event is regarded as the local’s kick-off to summer by dishing up Sandpoint’s favorite restaurants and featuring our award winning breweries and winery. The Summer Sampler is your chance to sample many of Sandpoint’s best eateries and check out the Litehouse Foods Cooking Competition with local chefs battling for the ‘Best Of’ title.

Since the positive feedback of last year, once again the food and beer and wine garden will be all together so you can eat and drink all in the same place with family and friends. Wear your Sandpoint Suit; flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt because dress is casual at this outdoor event. As always, the event is free to attend and you should bring the whole family. Food tickets are on sale at the event for $1 each. Food and beverage samples range from $3-7.

This year’s attendees include but are not limited to: Chimney Rock Grill, Connie’s Café, Eichardt’s Pub, Grill & Coffee House, Forty One South, Joe’s Philly Cheesesteak, Jupiter Jane Traveling Café, Laughing Dog Brewing Co., MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Pend d’Oreille Winery, Pend Oreille Pasta & Wine, Sweet Lou’s, Trinity at City Beach, and Skeyes the Limit Catering.

Show up early for the Farmin Park Bandshell dedication with the Sandpoint Rotary, Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Sandpoint. The keys are being passed to the City of Sandpoint at 5:15PM since construction is complete and project was a success. After the dedication, the Litehouse Foods Chef Cook-Off will take place under the bandshell!

Please join the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce at the Sandpoint Summer Sampler this Thursday, June 27, from 5:30-8PM, at Farmin Park in downtown Sandpoint. Thanks to our wonderful sponsors Litehouse Foods, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Bonner County Daily Bee & KPND 95.3. Farmin Park is between 3^rd and 4^th Avenue on Oak and Main Street. For more information, call or the Chamber at (208) 263-2161 or visit www.sandpointchamber.com

Chamber Welcomes Talus Rock Retreat

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is excited to welcome Talus Rock Retreat and owners, Heather and Bruce Pedersen. The ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber, commissioners and local friends, neighbors and family members on Monday, June 10^th, marked the official opening of their bed and breakfast, Talus Rock Retreat

Primarily catering to couples’ luxurious romantic escapes, small & intimate wedding gatherings, and unconventional corporate retreats, the new meeting space/B&B will offer a refined option for Sandpoint sojourners - a posh escape one mile from downtown Sandpoint eloquently nestled into a forested 18-acre playground with stunning views of the Cabinet Mountains. Guests will enjoy the experience of staying close to the many amenities and advantages of downtown Sandpoint, while still connecting with nature. Unique features of Talus Rock Retreat include striking mosaics, copper tin ceilings, Parisian balconies, and a tree shower, home theater, hot tub, pool, waterfall, and fish-stocked pond. Each of the six, exclusive, bed/bath suites are uniquely decorated in the warm, rich colors of an earth palette and are furnished with a blend of antique and collected treasures from around the world. Great care has been taken in the details to make Talus Rock Retreat a one-of-a-kind architectural gem, and a fantastic lodging and meeting space morphing function with elegance.

“We hope our guests will feel they’ve discovered an oasis of tranquility. Their relaxation and rejuvenation are our ultimate goals,” says Heather Pedersen. “Talus Rock guests will spend generously downtown which is great for the local economy; when they’re ready to explore, we’ll make sure they know about all the great options available in Sandpoint and the surrounding areas. We are thrilled to share Sandpoint and steward this place,” she adds.

When Bruce and Heather built Talus Rock Retreat in 2008, their essential vision was to raise their 3 children (now teenagers) and share their abundance with family, friends, and others seeking a place of solace, refuge, and reprieve from life’s hardships or fast-paced, energy draining occupations; they sought to build a place and share it with people who need to rejuvenate and renew themselves; they opened their home accordingly. When the nest started emptying compounded with the economic downturn, they pursued a bed and breakfast as a natural sequence. Bruce Pedersen figured, “After all, the infrastructure was in place; why not make the asset work to pay for itself?  We can still share, and, at the same time provide discerning Sandpoint tourists with a unique lodging option.” Bruce continues, “Heather and I discovered we thoroughly enjoyed hosting, serving, and meeting new people.”

The Pedersen’s have not forgotten their core vision of ‘serving those who serve others’, and in keeping with it, they continue to do both - give open-handedly and play host to tourists. Part of the dollars spent at Talus Rock Retreat goes to local and international humanitarian efforts.  As an unconventional social venture, Talus Rock allows guests to become extraordinary patrons of work in India, Uganda, Swaziland, Peru and the Philippines. “We are thrilled that we have the opportunity to serve our guests, our community, and destitute children overseas.” says Heather Pedersen (who also happens to be the Asia Director for International Children’s Network, the mission behind the Matsiko World Orphan Choir).  

Private, chic, and eclectically elegant with six, bed-bath suites, this Tuscan-style, timber frame lodge is described as a “hidden treasure” and “rare find” evidenced by rave reviews on Trip Advisor. Talus Rock Retreat can be enjoyed by the room for a couple’s secluded refuge, or reserve the entire retreat to enjoy the peaceful paradise exclusively for a memorable friends-and-family or business gathering. The Retreat is a total of 18 rooms including living rooms, lofts and other ancillary spaces great for futons, pull-outs, bunks, etc. to comfortably sleep a maximum of 24 guests, one mile from downtown Sandpoint. Rates range $185-$350.

Please join the Chamber and welcome Talus Rock Retreat to the Chamber and celebrate their grand opening. For more information or to make reservations, please visit www.sandpointretreat.com or call 208-255-8458.

In photo: The Pederson’s cut the ribbon with community members.  

Preparing for Summer Visitors

Part 2

By Kate McAlister

Summer started early for us this year; let’s hope it stays until October.  With the beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing it’s easy to see why visitors make this a destination.  After they meet us, it’s easy to understand why they come back year after year. The combination of scenic beauty and our friendly, thoughtful community is exactly what travelers are seeking; an authentic, fun experience.

Last month we talked about the demographics of our visitors; where they come from, how they heard about us and what are they looking for when it comes to using their precious vacation time.  So how do they spend the most money when they get here?

When I asked Melody Circo, Chamber Visitor Center expert, where visitors spent the most money, without hesitation she said, “Visitors who come to Sandpoint for a few hours or a couple of weeks will most definitely spend money on dining, shopping and entertainment.”

According to the State of Idaho and the commissioned Longwoods report, when it comes to spending, more than half of every visitor dollar is spent on “food, shopping and entertainment”. They could have saved money and asked Melody because she was right on the dot with her answer. In 2008 total spending in the state from overnight visits equaled 1.8 billion dollars, yes ‘billion’.  Overall visitor expenditures included $502 million for lodging, $412 million for food and beverage, $333 million for retail, $298 million for transportation and $218 million for recreations/sight-seeing and entertainment. 

Domestic and international travelers to Idaho spent $3.5 billion and generated $499.7 million to federal, state and local governments, dollars helping fund jobs and public programs such as police, firefighters, teachers, road projects and convention centers.

• The 26,000 jobs created by travelers to Idaho represent 4.0 percent of the state’s total non-farm employment.

• Without these jobs generated by domestic and international travel, Idaho’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent would have been 8.3 percent of the labor force.

• For every $1 million spent in Idaho by domestic and international travelers, 7 jobs are created.  1 in every 8 jobs is tourism related.

 Idaho’s tourism industry has been growing faster than the national average and since 2003, has grown by 22.9%, contributing over $3 billion to Idaho’s economy. 

The Idaho Travel Council, a division of the Idaho Department of Commerce Tourism Division, awarded almost $3.2 million in grant dollars in August 2012 to 28 organizations to assist them in promoting their regions. The grant funds come from the bed tax and total lodging tax receipts are dispersed as follows:

• 10% to administration of the tax
• 45% to fund travel promotion statewide
• 45% to the region from which it came as travel and convention promotion grants

The Idaho Travel Council (ITC) is made up of eight individuals appointed by the Governor for three year terms, representing the seven regions of Idaho plus one member-at-large.  This group determines the rules and regulations around state tourism and also determines the grant awards.

For us, the grant writing process starts in late February with our Tourism Sandpoint Council – Visit Sandpoint, as we discuss our marketing strategy for the coming year. All grant funds have to be spent out of the area to encourage travelers to visit our communities. Our ads appear in publications such as: Outdoors NW, The Swerve (in Calgary), the Inlander (Spokane), Horizon/Alaska Air, NW Travel and others.  All ads list upcoming events in the area to lure visitors to town.  We are also responsible for our award winning visitor guide; we won best in state in 2010 and 2011.  This year, 2013, we won best website in the state for www.VisitSandpoint.com.

Our Chamber Tourism Council is made up of 15 members representing; lodging – 5, Retail – 3, Activities – 3, Public Relations and media – 3, and a BID representative.  This group is a closed council and businesses have to be a member of Visit Sandpoint to be eligible to be on the council.  This council is democratically run and majority rules. 

The first round of the grant is submitted on April 25^th each year and presented in the first week of May at the State recreation and tourism conference.  Final submission is the first Monday in June.  We find out what our award is the first week in August.  The Chamber receives 10% of the grant for grant administration, as you may guess there is a terrific amount of paperwork and time spent throughout the year to comply with State regulations.  Last year we requested $231,000 and were awarded $111,137.  For 2014 we are asking for $267,700.

We all do a tremendous regarding tourism and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the hard work that goes on all summer.  Visitors add to our economic vitality substantially and help raise the tide for those who work on the frontlines whether serving food or being at the front counters in retail. If we can raise their standard of living, we all benefit.

That’s tourism in a nutshell for our area.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us here at the Chamber. We will be talking about the visitor experience at the June 13 General Membership Luncheon.  Our very own Melody Circo will be there to tell what visitors experience when they arrive at our door.

Here’s to a great visitor season. Remember, it’s about Succeeding Together! See you around town!

Preparing for Summer Visitors

Part 1

By Kate McAlister

It is hard to believe Lost in the 50’s is three weeks away. In addition to being a fabulous event, it’s the economic ‘boost’ we look forward to in the shoulder season, and we are thankful.  Thank you Carolyn and crew for all you do and all the visitors you bring to town year after year.

As we prepare for Lost in the 50’s and other visitors this summer I wanted to give you a brief overview of tourism in our area in my April and May articles.

How do visitors decide to vacation in our area? The number one reason for overnight visitation was our recreational opportunities with the lake and camping.  Those of us who live here love it and we talk about it to all our friends, relatives and anyone who will listen and we are so good at painting the picture of what a paradise we live in, people are compelled to visit.  This along with the advertising we do outside of the area to entice visitors helps create economic vitality for those businesses who rely on tourism. Once visitors are here they want to stay, or definitely come back.  When they go home and tell others about us we get even more people wanting to come and see what we are all about.  We have a reputation for being a very friendly and welcoming town. I’ve heard comments from visitors about how nice it is to come to a town where people still have manners. Our biggest selling point, after the natural beauty, is our people.  We are fabulous people.

According to the state commissioned Longwoods study in 2008, we have a snapshot of what the Idaho visitor represents and what they like to do. Demographically speaking visitors to Idaho in general are more likely to come from the Mountain and Pacific regions of the United States. In our area, especially over the last several years, we are seeing a lot of visitors from drought ridden states. Our abundance of water is very compelling.  In a recent poll done by Rand McNally when asked ‘what states would you visit for adventure’?  Idaho was listed as the number two state for adventure right after Utah.  Other statistics from the state study; more visitors are female; 74% are couples; 58% do not have children; 81% have gone to college and 40% are retired.  For our area the statistics are comparable to the overall state. In addition, we also have a larger share of Gen Xer’s and Millennial visitors due to our variety of outdoor activities from the mountains to the lakes. Families love our area as well since we always offer a great family experience.

Some of the other key findings from the state:

•       Market share: Overall travel to Idaho grew 3.9%, higher than the national average of 2.9%. The biggest gains were in leisure travel and day trips.

•       Party size: While data showed some slippage in Idaho’s average travel party size (2.74 in 2000-2002 to 2.59 in 2003-2005), it still rates slightly higher than both the U.S. (2.43) and competitive western states (2.53) average party size.

•       Spending: Travel spending in Idaho is growing faster than in the U.S. and competitive states.

•       Motivations: Visiting friends and families, enjoying a getaway weekend, or attending special events.

Our visitors come from everywhere with the highest concentration being from other parts of Idaho, Washington, Texas, California, Oregon and internationally, our friends to the North in Canada. Here at the Visitors Center we have seen a rise in those visitors coming from Texas.

Next month we’ll talk about the spending habits of our visitors, jobs created and the process for the state grant Visit Sandpoint applies for each year to promote tourism in our area. 

See you around town!  Remember your manners, we have visitors coming!