COEUR d'ALENE - Think of 2007, and you smile.

Economists have pinpointed that year as the pinnacle of one of the most prosperous periods in the history of our nation. Some have declared that U.S. economy among the three or four most robust in the annals of civilization.

Locally, the good times could hardly have been better. In a bricks and mortar testament to the optimism of the day, the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce flung open the doors of its brand new building across the street from the lake and the Coeur d'Alene Resort, right where tourists and retail merge.

That was September 2007, exactly six years ago.

"It certainly put bright lights and attention on an organization that for years had been very difficult to find," Steve Wilson, the chamber's president and CEO since November 2011, said in a one-on-one interview with The Press this week. Wilson noted that in its new location, the chamber welcomes 35,000 to 38,000 visitors a year - 10 times the visitorship of the previous facility on 3rd Street.

But September 2007 proved to be a cliff with a tantalizing view - and a long way to fall. Full story. Mike Patrick, CdA Press

Are chambers of commerce good gauges of the economy?

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