As her last official rule as the 2023 Carbon County Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) Board President, Lisa Mortensen presented a year-end report at the 2024 installation banquet on Jan. 18.
Mortensen thanked the board for giving her the opportunity to be the 2023 CCCC President, sharing that it was a fun and eventful year. To kick it off, in January, the installation banquet was hosted at the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center on the USU Eastern campus.
Then, in March, the chamber was approached by USU Eastern about partnering in a new event with the goal to connect university students with local businesses and serve a meal to them. This was held in conjunction with the start of the new fall semester in August and was called Town Ties. There were seven chamber businesses that participated with carnival-style booths to introduce their businesses to the students.
Mortensen stated that it was a very successful event and thanked the board members that volunteered their time and helped, including CJ McManus, Kara Maynes, Tim Frame and Barbie Haeck. Mortensen also gave a shoutout to Brad Watson and USU Eastern for involving them in the event, as she believes that it is critical to get university students involved in the community and know what businesses are out there so that they will stay. Mortensen then said that they look forward to participating again in 2024.
In May, the fourth annual Casino Night took place, located at the Carbon County Event Center. The event raised over $11,000 thanks to raffle tickets sold by board members as well as the generosity of sponsors and donations from local businesses.
In October, the chamber’s fourth annual golf tournament was hosted at the Carbon County Golf Course. This two-day tournament brought in over $14,000, once again in large party by raffle ticket sales, prizes donated by businesses, golfers and generous sponsors. Mortensen said it is a great tournament and the community is always so generous and supportive.
At the end of November, the First Responders Banquet was hosted, and Mortensen credited this one as one of the favorites of the chamber as they are able to give back to the first responders. At the tournament, 160 meals were served and, due to proceeds from raffle ticket sales at the golf tournament, they gave away 24 cash prizes that night that totaled $5,500.
The chamber hosted 10 lunches, 23 ribbon cuttings and welcomed 24 new business chamber members in 2023. At those monthly luncheons, there were nine guest speakers, 12 community spotlights and 16 business spotlights.
Mortensen stated that the friendships and connections she made both personally and professionally is something she will be forever grateful for. She thanked Barbie Haeck, Chamber Director, for keeping them all organized and moving forward.
Following the report, Price City Police Chief Brandon Sicilia oversaw the swearing in portion of the evening. The 2024 Carbon County Chamber of Commerce Board members are President Taren Powell with Emery Telcom, Vice President Scottie Draper with ETV News, Secretary Steve Swinburne of Price Chapel, Treasurer Valorie Marietti with Marietti Monuments, Past President Lisa Mortensen of Flawless Sheeting, Alyssa Potter of Four Corners Community Behavioral Health, Ann Anderson with Castle Country Radio, CJ McManus with AJB Broadcasting, Carmen Jones with WaFd, Doug Miller with USU Eastern, Kara Maynes of Castle Country Radio, Shannon Jones of Intermountain Electronics and Terry Willis of Willis Works Studio.
Chief Sicilia stated that the ultimate goal of the board is to direct the chamber, staff and members in creating a prosperous and friendly business environment for all of Carbon County. The 2024 Board of Directors, as elected members of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce, agreed to adhere to the duties of responsibilities as outlined in the bylaws.
“I want to be the first to congratulate you all and mostly thank you,” Sicilia concluded.
President Taren Powell then took to the stage to close the evening, stating that the board consists of parents, grandparents, and those that came from different backgrounds, have different beliefs and political affiliations, but the one thing they have in common is a love for the community.
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- Photos by Jamie Swank
