Chamber Members are our Greatest Assets

At Chamber central, we turn the lights on every morning reminded that our work begins and ends with our greatest assets – our members. No doubt about it, we have a great deal of fun, day in and day out. At the same time, we take our work seriously knowing that at the end of the day, our members’ business matters; acutely aware that our community’s future relies on, is in fact defined by, your success.

Our mission is to support you in your enterprising and community impact endeavors; to provide programs that strengthen your business, to be at the table when your interests are at stake, and to offer a platform, a bullhorn when the occasion calls, to promote our community, to advance your worthy cause, your service, your product. To tell your story. 

Reflecting on the past year, we find countless reasons to celebrate the Chamber community’s success. An undeniable entrepreneurial energy driving revitalization in Springfield’s downtown core is one of these. The last few years, developers and entrepreneurs have invested their financial resources, talents, time, and passion for community, breathing life into tired spaces and attracting dozens of new businesses to the Main Street corridor. Locally grown businesses bring regional, national, and even international brand notoriety with them; Swallowtail Spirits, PublicHouse, The Cornbread Café, Main Street Market, Cornucopia, and Parr Lumber to name just a few. They join a strong set of legacy employers like IEQ Technology, Lithia Toyota, Rosboro, Swanson, and Timber Products; definitively catalytic enterprises like Urban Lumber Co., PlankTown Brewery, and Systems West Engineers; and cultural anchors like the Emerald Arts Center, the Wildish Theater, and the Springfield Museum.

We’re seeing remarkable diversity, including an emergence of creative industry professionals and a growing number of women-owned businesses. A common thread among them is a passion for creating community and working in collaborative networks that complement entrepreneurial endeavors. 

Best in class? Yes. The list is long. We’ll bring those stories to light in future Bottom Line articles. However, it’s not hard to be inspired and motivated by the tenacity and innovative nature of these efforts. I’ll take this opportunity to offer a hat tip to a few.

Less than a year after finishing touches on renovations at the wildly popular food, drink, and gathering hub, The PublicHouse Hub landed on Men’s Journal’s Top Ten Coolest Places in America to Drink Craft Beer. The team behind management dynamos Patrick and Colby are constantly trying out new ideas, offering live music, organizing events, and attracting business to downtown. They’ve recently introduced a new app – a software developed by local techies – that allows customers to order and pay for food and drink from any of the Hub’s vendors, from any location within the PubHub space. 

Directly across from the Chamber office we watched Kevin Barrett, founder of home-grown, premium spirits distillery Swallow Tail Spirits, work tirelessly transforming a former auto body shop into a warm and welcoming indoor-outdoor tasting and gathering space at the corner of Mill and Main Streets. The distillery touts eight national and international awards including Oregon Distillery of the Year from New York International Spirits Competition. 

At a 30,000 sf design studio nestled in the Booth Kelly Mill complex, Urban Lumber Company’s small but mighty team of highly skilled artisans apply innovative engineering techniques to create unique furnishings from locally salvaged lumber. Among their recent accomplishments, a three-story centerpiece staircase for the new School of Forestry building at Oregon State University, and two “Springfield Welcomes You” signs to be placed at the western and eastern gateways into town. 

Meanwhile, we’ve seen significant renovation and new construction in healthcare-related spaces, furthering Springfield’s place as a regional healthcare industry hub. The newly constructed Heartfelt House at the PeaceHealth Riverbend campus, and a new building for Oregon Neurology on Hayden Bridge are two significant projects that were completed and opened this year. Additionally, we cut the ribbon on two newly renovated patient care clinics for Nova Health in Thurston and Hayden Bridge, and for Mid-Valley Ambulance on east Main Street. In Mohawk, we were thrilled to see medical practices like Treehouse Kids Dental select a stand-alone building in the Mohawk area and renovate the interior with modern rustic flair and interactive play spaces for their patients. 

Hoteliers were in the game as well. In Glenwood, we are watching ALKO Hotel’s newest property, their third in four years, near completion and across town in Gateway, Merete Hotel Management is finishing up a large renovation and expansion of Holiday Inn properties. These projects mark a steady tourism industry economy. They also enhance our region’s brand value and visitor experience. 

Finally, just north of the hospitality and shopping district, the former Symantec campus is now under ownership of PacificSource Health Plans and well on its way to becoming the company’s central hub of operations. Mid-year, the largest new tech sector employer to the region selected Springfield as their first west coast customer service center. Since their grand opening in September, globally-recognized brand Wayfair is on track to be one of the region’s largest employers. Wayfair management is committed to community impact. Their employees have already logged thousands of volunteer hours in service to local causes.

I admit it is taking me some time to accept that when the ball drops on the first of January, we’ll have arrived in the year 2020. It feels futuristic. In some ways, I guess it is. The past is behind us. We’ve navigated quite proficiently through a number of trying challenges, have stepped outside our comfort zone more than a few times, made it to the other side better off than where we were, and have realized frankly what some would never have believed possible.

I guess I’m left with an unoriginal, but truthful conclusion: how thrilling it is to live in these times. How fortunate I am to be here, in this together with you – the Springfield Chamber community.