After several months of emails, meetings, and telephone calls, our negotiations have led the Lincoln-Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and I to an agreement. On Tuesday, February 12 2008, I accepted the position of Executive Director and started my transition the next day. Lincoln and Woodstock are two great little towns located off I-93 North of Plymouth and just South of Franconia Notch. Known for their skiing at Loon and Cannon Mountains in the winter and for bountiful outdoor activities in the summer, the towns, and their chamber of commerce have accepted me back.
From 2002 through 2006, I was the General Manager for InnSeason Resorts Pollard Brook, a 5 star resort directly accross from Loon Mountain. I was also an active board member for the chamber, chair of the marketing committee and its president during my tenure. Now, after 18 months away from the area, I find myself getting back to the people, the businesses, and the environment that was so good to me for those 4 years.
The LWCC is an integral part of a community that is navigating its way through some stormy waters of change. At the top of the list is the explosive development taking place on Loon Mountain and its expanded South Peak. New businesses are cropping up and introducing new and exciting products and services to offer to the local base and the tourists that seek them. And, the residents and employees of the towns are realizing that their small mill town, is looking more and more like a true destination.
What the community needs now is a chamber of commerce that can bring the cogs together to form a well oiled machine. Piecing the needs of the individual membership together with the collective needs of the community in a manner that diminishes our weaknesses and exposes our strengths will be the true challenge. From marketing and public relations to legislative affairs and community planning, the chamber of commerce is being asked to lead the community to the next level.
LWCC Mission: To attract new and promote existing businesses to ensure the economic vitality of Lincoln-Woodstock in cooperation with, and providing a benefit for, the civic, educational, traditional, and environmental needs of the Lincoln-Woodstock community.
My role with the LWCC will be one of a facilitator, marketer, communicator, organizer, and leader. I am being asked to lead the Lincoln Woodstock community toward prosperity, for businesses and individuals alike. It is no small task, but one that I greatly accept. So I say to the people of Lincoln and Woodstock, New Hampshire “Here we go! You ain’t seen nothin yet.”