Rathdrum Chamber gaining more visibility

The Rathdrum Chamber of Commerce is gaining steam with the help of a new general manager and a membership milestone of more than 100 businesses.

Last month, the chamber hired Mary Jane Honegger of Rathdrum to continue building the chamber and make the organization more visible in the community.

Honegger moved to Rathdrum after 30 years in Spokane Valley, where she established a background in bookkeeping and historic preservation. She was president of the Spokane Preservation Advocates and was the Spokane County representative on the Historic Landmarks Commission for six years. She was also active in the Spokane Valley incorporation effort.

“I see historic preservation as an economic tool,” Honegger said.

When she approached the chamber about a historic preservation group in Rathdrum, they offered her a position as general manager on a volunteer basis.

When she started 16 months ago, the chamber doors were closed and most members hadn’t paid dues in almost two years, she said. Chamber membership went up and down depending on office staffing before she took the position.

After steady growth, the chamber now has 104 members, including both new and established businesses in the Rathdrum area.

Now, the chamber has committed to continued growth by hiring Honegger part time. Honegger staffs the office three days a week between running chamber errands and recruiting new members.

She also organizes the chamber lunch every third Thursday of the month and attends the chamber’s board meetings every second Tuesday.

Chamber lunches have outgrown their meeting place at Twin Lakes Country Club with a steady attendance of nearly 40 members, she said.

The chamber’s 100th member was a new newspaper called the Rathdrum Star. Tom Burnett, publisher, said he joined to gain recognition from fellow businesses in town, and didn’t want to be left out.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I think it’s great.”

Honegger said attracting new members was difficult at first, and most businesses saw few benefits in joining the chamber. So she’s been working to increase member services by keeping the office open every day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and by working with the city to update visitor information.

Her first step in attracting new members was through the Rathdrum Review, a community newsletter mailed to 500 local officials and residents. She also put hundreds of the newsletters at doctors offices, grocery stores and restaurants in Rathdrum.

“We started getting a presence in the community again,” she said.

She hopes to build the chamber to 200 members, and is organizing a membership drive with a goal of gaining 25 members. Chamber members will be highlighted in a business directory that is in the works, she said.

She said residents and visitors are unaware of the businesses and services in Rathdrum. She said the chamber fielded several calls on Election Day seeking information.

“The chamber is the front door to the community,” she said. “We need to provide that kind of presence to visitors to the area.”

She said the next challenge will be making the chamber committees more active in legislation, membership, and economic and community development. The chamber had officers in place, but meetings were rarely held, Honegger said.

“We’ll be able to have more of an impact if we can get our community involved on the legislative end and on economic ideas,” she said.

In addition, she said many of the city’s natural features, such as Rathdrum Mountain, can be an asset to future growth. But she added Rathdrum’s economic growth shouldn’t be growth at all costs. With more people moving to the area, the community could be home to walking trails to boost the quality of life.

“I would like to see us continue to grow and develop those businesses in to our area, but not be detrimental to our quality of life,” she said.