Letter to the Editor: Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce President Resigns
I, Bink Huddleston, president of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce to members of the IVCC:
It has been an honor and pleasure to serve these many years as a board member of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce. I have been on the IVCC board for over 20 years serving in multiple positions, most recently serving as the Board President. During that time I have seen much change in our beautiful Indian Valley.
Losing funding from the Plumas County Board of Supervisors was a very detrimental turning point for all chambers in the county. But we persevered and we kept our annual budget of over a $100,000 going for many years after that, continuing with our efforts of promotion of commerce and keeping our events going. Events such as Gold Digger Days, Century Bike Rides, Annual Crab Feed & Auction, Barn Quilt Tour, Annual Merchants Christmas Open House, Veterans Day Parade, 4th of July Parade, Annual Easter Egg Hunt and many others.
In 2008 we lost so much of our seasonal tourist traffic, much of which has never returned and our businesses and events in the valley suffered for it. Promotion then and now is more important that ever. We do not have enough full-time residents to keep our businesses and events prospering. We must continue to promote ourselves and fight for the county to advertise itself to attract more visitors.
It is wonderful to see the energy now coming from volunteers, old and new, to help our community move forward. It is unfortunate that it took such a catastrophic event as the Dixie Fire to do so. Keep that energy up! If you want change, stay involved!
The liability and responsibility of an IVCC board member is a great one, something that should be taken seriously. A Chamber of Commerce can open the doors for many possibilities. But it will take commitment and determination for it to succeed, and it is only as strong as its members.
Moving forward, I wish all the success in the world to the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce, to its members and to all businesses of Indian Valley.
Respectfully,
Alfred “Bink” Huddleston