West Chamber members exchange ideas with South Dakota chambers

SUBMITTED BY: Andrea LaRew, Director of Marketing, West Chamber of Commerce

LAKEWOOD – The West Chamber embarked on its first Chamber Exchange Trip on Sept. 23 when  Chamber members travel to Spearfish, S. D. for a three-day networking and brainstorming event with members of the Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood and Sturgis Chambers of Commerce.

The West Chamber participants will stay the Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort, which is located at the Frawley Ranches, a National Historic Site and the site of a new, planned community developed by Propp Realty.

“We chose our Chamber Exchange Trip to Elkhorn Ridge and Frawley Ranches because of the similarity to our Rooney Valley area,” said Amy Sherman, President of The West Chamber.

Bankers, real estate investors and community leaders are among those who will attend the event.

“In economic times like this, it’s important to think outside of the box to get new ideas, and find out what works well in other communities,” said Mary Ann Proctor, Propp Realty leasing agent and West Chamber member.

As part of the exchange The TSR Group, a company based in Golden, will highlight the concept of Agriburbia™.  Agriburbia™ is essentially creating communities that incorporate the benefits of sustainable living within new and existing urban, suburban and rural environments.  “I am very impressed with the Agriburbia™ model and how they are using it in Jefferson County.  We want to share the information with our chamber friends in South Dakota and see if they can benefit from this sustainable land use.” said Sherman.

Additionally, Chamber members hope to learn how the Spearfish, Deadwood, Lead and Sturgis chambers build alliances to promote tourism and economic development in their region and bring that knowledge back to help The West Chamber with smart growth and promoting the Rooney Valley area.

Rooney Valley is generally defined by Morrison Road to the south, Hogback to the west, Interstate 70 to the north and the Green Mountain subdivision to the east. The Rooney Valley Association is a public-private partnership, which is managed by The West Chamber.  It has been formed to consolidate and maximize the promotional resources of those organizations that share in actively supporting the mission of the Rooney Valley Association.

For more information on the West Chamber’s programs and membership, please visit www.WestChamber.org or call 303-233-5555.