TOWER-SOUDAN- After more than a year of work, the next generation of chamber leaders are getting a new Lake Vermilion Chamber website up and running, as well as restarting a chamber presence on Facebook.
The Lake Vermilion Area Chamber went off the radar, back in 2022, after the death of chamber director, website manager, and Facebook guru Troy Swanson. Swanson lived with a chronic illness, but his death was unexpected, and he hadn’t passed the reins, i.e. website passwords, onto the next generation of chamber leaders. The TowerMN facebook page, which has over 21,000 followers, is now the Lake Vermilion Chamber Facebook page, and while the name has changed, they were able to hang on to all the old followers.
Chamber director, and local small business owner, Katrina (Broten) Blocker said the chamber is currently in a rebuilding phase, and right now all the work is being done by volunteers, including herself.
“Right now, our main focus on Facebook is promoting our members,” said Blocker, “as well as driving more viewers to the website.” The group is currently using its Facebook page to promote member businesses, but she hopes to expand in the future for wider promotions of area events. They are also looking at creating a presence on Instagram.
The website, at www.lakevermilionchamber.org, was created by Jake Aune and Blocker.
“We are a place to highlight our community,” Blocker said. Costs for the website development and hosting have been funded by membership dollars along with a small amount leftover in the previous chamber’s bank account.
Recruiting chamber members is mostly happening by word of mouth and online, Blocker said, but they hope to be able to start meeting with area businesses face-to-face to grow the membership back to its previous level.
“We have a lot of wonderful ideas for the chamber,” she said. “But the website is our first focus. We have big aspirations for the chamber’s future.”
The group is also working to network with other tourism-related groups such as the Lake Vermilion Resort Association and the Tower-Soudan Lake Vermilion Events Board.
Membership payments and applications right now are only available online, through the website at www.lakevermilionchamber.org.
“We are trying to get all our information and files in one location,” said Blocker, “So our team can easily find and attend to chamber responsibilities.
Miranda Kishel has donated time at her FlexSpace co-working facility, which offers high-speed broadband, to get their website work completed.
The Lake Vermilion Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, community network dedicated to providing a tree of support for aspiring and local businesses.
“We are emphasizing on “tree” of support because every successful service starts with an untangled root system that supports its ability to thrive and grow. We want our service to have roots that assist in growing a strong foundation for the mission of our Chamber and its members,” said Blocker. “The tall trees of northern Minnesota grow tall and full because of what goes on underneath the soil. This is the same as any nonprofit. The hours of volunteer and teamwork that goes on behind the scenes of what you see are the roots of an organization. It is our mission to begin bringing our community professionals together in a way that builds confidence and pride. The professionals in this neck of the woods deserve to be seen and provided for. Our mission is to thrive, together!”
A basic chamber membership is $150 and includes a business listing on the website, sharing opportunities on the chamber’s Facebook page which has 21,000 current followers, access to the chamber’s business resource portal, and a highlighted welcome on the Facebook page. The $200 VIP membership includes the previous benefits plus a “business spotlight” feature on the chamber’s website and a $20 Facebook advertising boost.