During the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting held on January 23, 2024, the board of directors had much to share with attendees. Along with the usual financial information, election and year in review, the board also announced the new Executive Director of the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC).
Joe Goetzke has been hired as the new executive director. Goetzke, who has been on the LACC Board of Directors for four years with the last year serving as board president, will now transition into the role of executive director. “I couldn’t be more excited,” stated Goetzke.
Following that announcement, Goetzke called the annual meeting to order. The meeting was held in the Rustic Hearth Event Center at Cedar Valley Resort in Whalan, Minn., which is beautiful and the perfect setting for a meeting in the month of January, especially with a toasty fire going.
“The annual meeting is a place for us to gather as a Lanesboro business community, reflect on the past year, report on the state of Chamber finances, elect new members of the board, review and approve this year’s budget and look forward to the next year,” stated Goetzke.
In the spring of last year Andrzej Zalasinski left the position of executive director and Melissa Vander Plas, who had been interim ED, took over the position. Vander Plas resigned from the position recently, leaving the position open once again. Goetzke thanked Vander Plas for her hard work and dedication during her tenure with the Chamber, saying they are in a “much stronger position” going into 2024 than they were going into 2023.
Official business was taken care of, such as approval of the sgenda and the minutes of last year’s snnual meeting.
Treasurer of the board of directors, Sheryl Johnson, presented the 2023 Financial Report and the proposed 2024 budget. The 2024 budget was approved.
An election was held, with the results being new LACC board members Jeremy Van Meter, Marti Gray and Brett Clarke, each for a three-year term and Laryssa Hanson for a one-year term. The chamber board meets monthly.
LACC office administrator, Jonathan Levine and board vice chair, Andrew Darling gave a 2023 year-in-review presentation, highlighting the many different events and activities that took place in Lanesboro and Whalan in the last year, including Chill Inn Lanesboro, Gamesboro, Sons of Norway events, Cabin Fever, Surly Gives a Damn, Biking across Minnesota and many more.
Levine shared information about Lanesboro tourism interest in the last year. There were 126 members of LACC in 2023. The visitor’s center had 8,200 visits and the website was popular with 77,703 member page hits and 232,020 total search hits.
The Chill Inn Lanesboro video that was put on Youtube has been viewed 24,000 times as of recently. Another thing Levine and Darling highlighted was a list of events that were covered by media and many accolades that Lanesboro has received, including Top Small Town in Minn., one of the Midwest’s Most Charming Cities and several others.
Goetzke, the LACC staff, board of directors, volunteers, ambassadors, members and area residents are looking forward to a very exciting 2024 with continued success and some fresh ideas.
Another highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the new Whalan and Lanesboro visitor’s guide. Alison Leathers gave a powerpoint presentation showing pages from the visitor’s guide. This year the guide is highlighting Lanesboro and Whalan area musicians. The visitor’s guide will be available soon.
Chamber member Steve Harris spoke about how each business has a story and each business owner should tell their story because it is meaningful.
Sheila Craig, representing Chamber member Fillmore County Fair Board, shared information about the 2024 fair. There will be the traditional fair events such as grandstand activities and also new events such as the West End Contests. Craig stated about half of the events will be traditional and half will be new. Watch for updates on the fair’s website.
The Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce has specific and exciting plans for the next year and beyond, which is something we can all look forward to.
For more information about the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce and to view upcoming events, visit lanesboro.com.
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