By Jo Mixon
Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 2014/2015 were seated at the Quarterly Breakfast/Membership Meeting April 24, 2014.
Top Row
- Michael Turri, President – Turri Productions
- Michael Dean – Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails
- Rogers Lanon, Past President- ReMax Mountain Realty
- Donna Klassen, Treasurer- First National Bank of New Mexico
Front Row
- Donna Holman-Chase – Cove Development
- Wende Woolley, Vice-President – Wende Woolley Photography
- Samantha Weeks, Secretary – Pioneer Title/Law Offices of Richard Norris
- Andrea Boutelle, Angel Fire Resort
A Letter From the President
by Michael Turri
The question for the month is; “Do you know that your Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization?” The Chamber’s only funding comes from membership dues, donations and monies raised from Chamber events. And yet, the perception is that the Chamber gets money from the Village or state government. Not. We, along with the other nonprofits in the Village, are always trying to balance a budget based on perceived income. When Jo first accepted the job of Executive Director, the budget for that fiscal year had been accepted for $20,000.00 in the red. When she saw it, she was very confused. How do you write and approve a budget for $20,000.00 that isn’t there? It took two years for us to bring the budget into the black. The amount was barely $1,000.00 in the black. Today we manage to stay in the black. But it is a very thin financial high wire we walk every month to stay that way. A new board was sworn in this month and I look forward to brainstorming ways to not only better serve our members, but to also find fun and exciting events to bolster the Chamber bottom line. The Habla Tamale event scheduled for next June 2015, is a great start to get that ball rolling. (I will be asking for more volunteers to help out with this event.)
I believe the Chamber is doing a good job. I think we are headed in a positive direction. We have proven ourselves to be a trustworthy organization, working to help build and advertise our businesses and unite our community. Membership in the Chamber shows unity. And, as we are tied to the local economy via our members, this past winter season was tough on us all. As go our members, so goes the Chamber. As with the other nonprofits, we will always be looking for additional funding sources to help us stay afloat. In asking for donations and participation, we make sure we not only stay above water, but that we are able to help our members and the community as well. No one said it would be easy. But with the new board of directors and an optimistic eye to the future, I feel confident we will all persevere.
News
We have received our new computers at the Chamber office.We are still in serious “New Computer 101” class! Due to the hacking and virus problems we have experienced over the past year, the email askus@angelfirechamber.org has been permanently changed to info@angelfirechamber.org. Rosie will be sending the change to our membership, and we will change it on our websites for your inquiries. Thank you for your patience and support!
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