Hood River County Chamber announces new structure and Board of Directors
(Hood River, OR) – The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce (HRCCC) and the Visit Hood River Council (VHR) have conducted a multi-month review of the vision, mission, business model, strategic plan, structure and governance of the organization to address the reality of economic challenges facing the business stakeholders and community as a result of COVID-19 impacts. In developing a clear path for continued success, the Board has approved a revised operations plan to manage resources efficiently and effectively.
“As we empathize with the Hood River residents and businesses suffering in this pandemic, COVID has levied a severe hit to HRCCC revenue-generating activities, including; large signature events, hotel transient lodging tax collections and membership dues necessary for our programs and operations,’ stated Grant Polson, Hood River County Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board, ‘To ensure we are responsible to both our public and private stakeholder partners, we have been required to implement a fifty-percent reduction in staff, coupled with a stringent examination of funding for priority programs.”
The HRCCC and VHR have undertaken a detailed review over multiple months to ensure the organization will remain proactive in continuing to deliver upon its vision and mission for Hood River. With the decline in key revenue streams, the HRCCC Board and VHR Council have combined to become one, united Board of Directors. The combined Board will oversee an aligned implementation of economic development and tourism destination marketing and management. The organization has named Ashley Huckaby May, former Director of Visit Hood River, to serve as the Interim Director of the organization. The organization will realize additional changes in the coming months. The business office and visitor center will move from the long-time location at Port Marina Drive and shift to remote offices and visitor information platforms. Additionally, the organization is exploring programming to best serve its stakeholders. Solicitation of stakeholder feedback is in process via surveys. Please contact the organization if you have not received this information. Additional information will be released as it is made available by the Board of Directors and interim leadership.
The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce is a 501c6 non-profit association serving the greater Hood River destination. The mission is to inspire and sustain economic vitality and responsible destination development as stewards of community resources in partnership with local leaders. Entrusted with public and private funds, HRCCC is committed to develop, execute, measure, communicate and provide ongoing accountability for programs designed to support a vital and enduring economy to benefit the businesses, residents and guests of our community.