News

Taking the reins – Bob Tutskey, vice president of Spiker Communications, is the newly elected president of the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce board.

Tutskey calls the chamber "the front door of the community."

Missoula Chamber’s new president aims for organization to take leadership role

By MICK HOLIEN of the Missoulian

The new president of the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce http://www.missoulachamber.com board wants to see the organization take a more proactive approach to the affairs of the local business community.

Bob Tutskey said chamber staff soon will begin monthly "Bridging the Community" meetings with representatives of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp., Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Association, University of Montana, city and county government, and other groups.

The idea is for the chamber to play more of a leadership role, rather than being reactive.

Earlier this month, Tutskey, a vice president with Spiker Communications, took the reins from Bob Boschee and will serve a one-year term as head of the chamber, which has more than 600 members.

Tutskey believes the Chamber, in addition to serving as an information and marketing center, should be the issue center for the business community, gathering data and weighing in on vital topics.

"I think there’s some reason and value for the chamber to be politically involved. You need to stay in tune with what’s going on," he said. "Anything that affects business and the business community, especially if it affects them in the pocketbook or the cash register, then the chamber’s there to represent them."

The chamber board recently decided to endorse candidates in the upcoming Missoula City Council race, something it hasn’t done in the recent past. Tutskey opposed the move.

"That’s gone back and forth over the years," he said. "Within the board of the chamber there was a strong feeling that we should endorse, that if we don’t take the position of actually endorsing someone, we are not truly representing our membership."

Thus the group’s endorsement of Pete Pettersen in Ward 1, Don Nicholson in Ward 2, Jerry Ballas in Ward 4 and former mayor Bob Lovegrove in Ward 5.

While there’s been speculation that the chamber recruited candidates for the City Council, Tutskey said that wasn’t exactly the case. The chamber did, however, encourage the business community to become involved in the political process, he said.

*********

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

825 E. Front, PO Box 7577

Missoula, MT 59807

Phone: 406-543-6623

Fax: 406-543-6625

[email protected]

http://www.missoulachamber.com

*********

The past year has brought challenges to the Chamber of Commerce, including the emergence of the Missoula Convention and Visitors Bureau, which formerly was under the chamber’s auspices. The new group recently was awarded "bed tax" proceeds, which formerly went to the Missoula Chamber, in order to help promote the area.

Tutskey said his group is working to ensure a smooth transition and will continue to field requests for help while also directing people to the CVB’s office for further information.

"The chamber’s still going to have a lot of that information and provide that kind of service," said Tutskey. "We’re the first place people go for information. We’re the front door of the community."

Tutskey said there are plenty of reasons for a business to be a member of both groups.

"You could think of the dues payment as an insurance policy," he said. "Being a member of the chamber, I think, gives a business a perspective of being involved in their community. It typecasts them in a positive way as a business that cares."

Retaining current members, said Tutskey, is just as important as recruiting new ones and to do that the chamber must show businesses reasons to belong.

"As Missoula grows, the membership needs to be a reflection of that," he said.

Tutskey’s goals for the coming year include overhauling the dues pricing structure, establishing quarterly sessions with Missoula Mayor Mike Kadas and building and retaining membership.

Among the dues changes will be a micro level of membership for incubator businesses and a structure to serve the growing number of Missoula nonprofits.

"I think that’s where the real growth of the economy comes from … the small bunch of entrepreneurs who start a business or who take an existing company and expand it," said Tutskey. "You’re not going to grow business in Missoula by trying to hit the home run and bringing in a big employer who’s going to come in with 1,000 employees."

Reporter Mick Holien can be reached at 523-5262 or at [email protected]

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/10/28/news/local/news03.txt

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.