Scott Swanson
Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce officials gave a report to the community Thursday evening, Jan. 13, on the organization’s progress over the past year.
New President Christy Duncan, of Samaritan Health, opened the virtual presentation from Chamber headquarters, noting that former President George Medellin had stepped down after five years as a leader of the organization, including serving as president since 2018.
The chamber has been recovering since 2017, when organization leaders discovered it was in deep financial trouble, was in arrears with the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies, and was facing an exodus of board members, for a variety of reasons.
Then-President Bill Matthews and other board members spent months trying to reconstruct records that were deleted by then Executive Director Katrina Crabtree, who later pleaded guilty in Linn County Circuit Court to three misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit card. As part of a plea agreement, a felony charge of fraudulent use of a credit card and first-degree theft, a felony, were dismissed.
One of the reasons for the financial turnaround was the sale of the chamber’s property at 1575 Main St. to Tony and Shelly (Tack) Larson, Matthews said at the time. The chamber is still in the building, and Shelly Larson is the organization’s vice president this year, Duncan announced.
The chamber reconstructed five years’ worth of Forms 990, submitted them to the IRS and requested reinstatement of its nonprofit status, which the IRS revoked in August 2014 after the chamber failed to file a Form 990 in 2012 and each year since.
Nonprofit organizations file Form 990s annually to provide the public with their financial information.
Melody Jordan Reese, now executive director of the organization, reported that the chamber is moving forward and last year regained its status as a 501 (c) 6 nonprofit.
“(Treasurer) Mark Opperman spent an eternity working on mundane paperwork” to get that done, she said. “It’s a huge milestone.”
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID crisis, Reese said the chamber worked within the past year with neighboring communities and chambers to get county business grants to seven Sweet Home businesses, each of which received up to $15,000.
“That was a huge help,” she said.
Reese said the organization’s online presence is strengthening, with a 31% increase in Facebook visits and a 1,053% increase in visits to the website.
“We’re getting more eyes on Sweet Home businesses and the community as a whole,” she said. “It’s super exciting. It’s good to know that all the great things that are happening here in town are getting out into the world. People can come to visit and see what we’re all about.”
Also, Reese said, membership increased 34.6% in the past year, from 81 at the beginning of 2020 to 109 by the end of 2021.
“That goes to show that Sweet Home has a ton of heart,” Reese said. “People who work here, live here, play here, love the community and want to pour all that back into it.”
The chamber has made improvements to its online business directory, she said, including search engine optimization and improved design.
“We have improved the listings to have direct links so customers can link directly to a business,” she said. “Now it’s easier for potential customers to give you a call right away.”
She said the chamber continues to collaborate with the city and other organizations to put on events such as the Tune It Up Tuesdays summer concert series, Cut the Gut cruise night and the Oregon Jamboree.
She said goals include “being the eyes and ears” for members at community meetings, and improving events such as Cut the Gut.
Also, she said, the chamber plans to continue building relationships with other communties to promote tourism in Sweet Home.
The chamber plans to have personnel regularly at Linn County Commission and Sweet Home City Council meetings “to stay on top of future opportunities for our members,” she said.
Chamber board members voted to re-appoint Paula Newman of Figaro’s Pizza to a three-year term, and to elect Cooper Whitman of Pacific Power to the board, also to a three-year term. Pacific Power has not had board representation since the death of longtime board member Doris Johnson.
Reese noted that Whitman, a Lebanon resident, previously served as president and CEO of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce and helped arrange Pacific Power’s sponsorship of the Christmas Lights Parade in December. He assumed the company’s regional business manager role in 2020. Previously, he had also served as economic development specialist at Marion County, focusing on streamlining economic development efforts and processes for rural communities.
“He really wants to be involved in the community,” Reese said.
Duncan said the chamber plans to report annually to the community. She encouraged contacting the chamber at (541) 367-6186 with comments or questions.
“If you have suggestions for the chamber to help us improve, let us know, or better yet, join the board and you can come along for the journey,” she said.