by John Dowd
The Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce has been expanding over the last few years. In the last month, they have created an entirely new position to help with this growth. Dawn Ludecke was hired in late March as the new membership and outreach coordinator. She says it will be a fantastic opportunity.
According to Ludecke, the Chamber wanted to restructure and they wanted a separate, more defined role doing what she does. Their hope was that this would take some work off Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jodi Mitchell’s plate, as well as from others involved in the organization.
Dawn Ludecke stands in front of the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, in Hamilton. Photo by John Dowd.
Ludecke will be in charge of events, membership welcoming, recruitment, banquets, membership retention, social media and more. She said one of the highlights will be social media.
“I love social media and I love to create,” said Ludecke. She said making the graphics and other things, as well as connecting with thousands, is super fulfilling and can be a powerful tool. “You have a bigger reach with less work,” said Ludecke. She also said social media allows a person to reach entirely new customers without all the ground work.
When asked what she brings to the position, Ludecke said she was looking for a more steady job, especially one that included her interest in networking. That skill made the position a perfect fit, because one of her main responsibilities will be outreach to members already within the Chamber to cross promote businesses. “We like our members to support each other,” said Ludecke.
She will be working to generate new members, and retain ones they have. She believes concerns that drive people away are always concerns that can be addressed. She believes this comes down to how many may not know what all the Chamber has to offer. She said they have connections to numerous resources like the Chamber visitor center, which allows placement of flyers, info and business cards. The Chamber also puts out a weekly newsletter that showcases new businesses, old ones and a lot of what is going on.
Other resources include ribbon cuttings, after hours events and various committees. One such committee she wanted to highlight was the agriculture committee, which is relatively new and doing a lot to bring recognition to those in the agriculture business in the valley.
She also wanted to highlight how the Chamber has partnered with the Bitterroot Valley Board of Realtors, whose youth branch, the Young Professionals Network (YPN), assisted with cleaning and sprucing up the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center with new paint and more.
Finally, Ludecke wanted to highlight events like the upcoming Beck Dental ribbon cutting, which will be her first alone, to be held on April 29 at 12:15 at the dental clinic location, 244 Honey Lane in Hamilton. She also spoke about the upcoming banquet, on May 10 at the Bitterroot River Inn, in Hamilton. This will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. She mentioned that interested parties must call the Chamber to reserve a table and tables are going fast. Ludecke said the Chamber is also still looking for those wishing to donate to the banquet.
Ludecke is a USA Today bestselling author of romance novels, and active in the community. She loves history and lives with her husband and four children in Darby.
Anyone interested in speaking with Ludecke, or the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce in general, can call (406) 363-2400.