The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The beginning of 2015 has been busy for the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce. Our new director, Shannon Gildea, took over in December and has been adapting well with the transition. Here’s a summary of everything accomplished this quarter:

In January: the Chamber hosted a Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting for Smoky Waters Communications; the 2015 Events Calendar was compiled, printed, and dispersed to the community via The Wahkiakum Eagle; chamber members were contacted about January membership renewals; Shannon was interviewed by The Wahkiakum Eagle and shared about her personal and professional development; the chamber provided start-up information to a prospective new business owner; Shelbie Abbott, the new high school intern was hired; and Sheriff Howie and Shannon shared information about Wahkiakum County on a live radio interview at Coast Community Radio in Astoria, Oregon.

In February: the preparations were underway for the 30th Annual Crab & Oyster Feed; chamber members were contacted about February membership renewals; financial assistance was provided to two local businesses through the Chamber Memorial Loan Fund; the chamber finalized paperwork with RelyLocal to sell the trolley; Shannon served as a guest speaker for the financial algebra class at Wahkiakum High School; Shannon attended the CWCOG Regional Informational Forum to share updates about the chamber; Shannon agreed to host a Speech & Debate Club at Wahkiakum High School for spring semester; a reciprocal membership agreement was initiated between the Chamber and the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce; and preparations were made to host an Economic Development 101 Seminar in the early spring.

In March: the Chamber was represented at the Building Bridges Business Expo in Kelso; Shannon represented the Chamber at the Southwest Washington Economic Development Commission meeting; the Chamber agreed to work with the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Career Development Consortium in helping high school and college-aged students become career ready; the Chamber worked with the Town of Cathlamet to manage the spare keys for the community center; chamber members were contacted about March membership renewals; the Chamber hosted a successful 30th Annual Crab & Oyster Feed at the Norse Hall; the Chamber helped with the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for Cathlamet Dental; Shannon represented the Chamber at the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments Annual Meeting; and Shannon represented the Chamber at the GRVC Super Sale at Johnson Park.

The Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to supporting local business, encouraging economic development, and fostering community interaction and involvement. We welcome and celebrate new memberships for businesses and individuals! Contact the chamber at wchamber@cni.net or 360-795-9996 for questions or more information.

Upcoming Dates:

• 3rd Annual “Hook the Hawg” Salmon Derby – April 3-4th at the Elochoman Slough Marina;

• Bald Eagle Planning Committee – First Meeting – 5 p.m. on April 15th at the Community Center;

• Economic Development 101 Workshop – 5:30 p.m. April 22 at Skamokawa Resort Conference Center.