Nearly three dozen businesses and interested parties gathered on Wednesday, February 1, to discuss the idea of forming a new Peak to Peak Chamber of Commerce. Christian Vanek, owner of The Mountain-Ear and properties in the Nederland business district, had announced the meeting via print and social media, hosting it to determine what interest the region may have in bringing back this important function.
A mix of small service businesses (such as tree care, cleaning, and advisory services), realtors, storefront businesses (including retailers, coffeeshop and brew-pub owners), non-profit directors, property owners, interested local residents, and representatives of local government generated an enthusiastic response to the concept of coming together as a cohesive group.
This newly formed organization intends to serve the entire mountain region, ranging from Central City and Black Hawk to Ward and Allenspark, including all the canyons in between. Business owners expressed interest in offering everything from education to business promotion, shared resources and networking opportunities, promotional efforts and group advertising, and possibly events and tourism. Some of the questions the group began to address, with discussion to continue at future meetings, included:
Will this organization extend beyond downtown Nederland’s storefronts?
Yes, this is a Peak to Peak Chamber, formed to unite all businesses, including small service businesses, many of which operate out of homes and remote locations.
How will it be structured?
While research continues, the most likely legal structure will be a nonprofit under 501(c)3 or 501(c)6. The latter, as more of a business league, allows more flexibility to include more involvement with municipal governments; the former, as more of an educational organization, offers more access to grants and tax-favored donations.
How does the proposed Chamber differ from the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA)?
In addition to representing a much larger geographic area and non-storefront service businesses, the Chamber’s direction would be set by its membership, instead of a small taxing body. While the NDDA is focused on infrastructure of a defined physical area, the Chamber strives to meet the varied needs of a broader membership. It can provide services
that include business-to-business networking, education and support, shared resources (employee benefits, hard goods, etc.), pooled advertising and promotion, events and activities for locals or tourist interaction, economic metrics and analyses, group representation with local governmental actions, and more.
How will it be funded?
The members of the organization will determine what functions it wishes to perform and determine what income will be required to support those activities. Brainstorming regarding prospective income streams will inform continuing discussion. The intention is to develop multiple outside resources to avoid burdening the financial means of its members.
What about liability and insurance?
Once the organization grows into a viable membership with activities, it will carry the necessary insurance to protect directors, officers, and members from liability for events or actions hosted by the organization.
What happened to the last Chamber?
No one from the board or staff during its final years was present to answer this question. The former Director of the Nederland Area Chamber of Commerce, Serene Karplus, who served during its peak years of 150 members in 2002-2006, surmised that several factors may have contributed to its demise after that era. The rise of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) drew both funding and energy towards this new model. After 2007, the Chamber sold to private parties its public events that attracted downtown visitors, ceased holding monthly networking and educational meetings, and discontinued uniting its members with frequent informative newsletters. This lost momentum with its remaining non-NDDA membership. Remaining board members shut down the 40-year-old organization.
What happens next for the proposed new Chamber?
Christian Vanek has offered to spearhead the initial startup with communications and paperwork to form a legal entity. Incorporating the suggestions and inquiries of this initial meeting, he will create proposals to launch continued discussion and begin formulating a membership. He will announce the next meeting, likely to occur next month, via print and social media, including The Mountain-Ear newspaper and Nedheads Facebook page. Interested parties are welcome to communicate with him directly at Christian@CVanek.com.
