Havre Area Chamber of Commerce celebrates successful year

The Havre-Area Chamber of Commerce held its 113th annual meeting Wednesday to introduce their new board, talk about the past year and outline their goals for 2023.

Incoming Chamber President Maia LaSalle thanked those in attendance, including Havre Mayor Doug Kaercher, the Hill County Commissioners and a delegation from Montana State University-Northern.

LaSalle also thanked the chamber's members, her colleagues on the board and the leadership that preceded her, as well as Chamber Executive Director Jessica Fagerbakke, who started in that position early last year.

"Jessica has worked diligently to help promote our businesses throughout our community," she said. "... She's worked really hard to elevate our events, bring people to town, put heads in beds and really makes this community thrive."

She wished all of their members success in the coming year and thanked everyone for being part of an engaged community.

After being introduced by LaSalle, Fagerbakke took to the podium and talked about how she came to be in Havre and at the Chamber.

She said she grew up in a farming and ranching family in a small town in North Dakota and was a small business owner for 10 years then worked in the corporate world in various leadership positions before coming to Havre and receiving the warmest community welcome she'd ever had.

"Community is what makes a place for me," she said. "I have moved over 20 times in my adult life... this is the longest I've ever spent in a community outside of my time in Bozeman and it's because of the people."

Fagerbakke then talked about the Chamber's last year, which saw 19 new members join, including a lot of brand-new businesses in town.

She said the Chamber had a number of well-attended events in 2022, which she said is important, because events are part of what makes people want to live in and be part of a community, as well as what makes people want to visit.

She said the Bear Paw Marathon went incredibly well this past year and they already have 60 people from seven states signed up for the 2023 run even though it isn't until June.

She said the Agriculture Appreciation Banquet also went very well and Festival Days saw more than 80 floats in its parade which is a really great turnout.

Fagerbakke said the Holiday Stroll was also a big success despite the weather.

One of the other highlights from the previous year, she said, was the Chamber's Gift Certificate Program, which sold over $406,000 worth of certificates in 2022, their biggest year yet and one that represents an enormous amount of money that is going to stay in the community.

She said the Chamber also had some rewarding opportunities to give back, including to the Havre Splash Park which they agreed to become a funded partner of and got a tourism grant from the state to support.

Fagerbakke said they also provided seed money for Havre Public Schools' newly formed chapter of Future Farmers of America, and have been supporting Downtown Havre Matters! in their mission to make a more vibrant local community.

She said they also helped bring in donations for the Havre Salvation Army and Eagles Club for their programs providing holiday gifts to local children in need.

Fagerbakke also talked about the Chamber's goals for 2023, including growing their membership and building on their existing relationships with their members.

She said the needs of every business are different and she wants to personalize the support that each member gets based on their needs.

She also said she wants to continue to improve relationships between the Chamber and local government and with Downtown Havre Matters!.

"There is no community without unity," she said.

Fagerbakke said they also want to increase their online and social media presence and become a hub for local event-related news.

She said they gained 2,000 followers to their social media accounts since last April and she wants to use that reach to support their members through digital marketing.