Turkey Hay Sculpture at Lookout Bar and Grill

Turkey Hay Sculpture at Lookout Bar and Grill

Last night, under a tent at the Mountain Meadows Lodge, the Killington Chamber of Commerce held it's 35th annual meeting. About 100 businesses from Killington and the surrounding towns which make up the Killington Region participated.

Guest speakers at the event included Paul Costello from the Vermont Council on Rural Development, Chris Nyberg, the president of the Killington Resort, and Jeanne Karlhuber, the Chairwomen of the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

Phil Black, owner of the Lookout in Killington, was sworn in as the newly elected President, replacing Chris Karr from Jax's and the Pickle Barrel night clubs. In his opening address, Phil spoke of how the Killington Chamber and the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Committee have had to work together over the last year to define the roles of each organization. The net result has been the creation of a Memo of Understanding between the groups which spells out joint interests and mutual responsibilities. The first fruits of this agreement are hitting the streets as we speak with the creation of a new Discover Killington promotional guide.

Paul Costello spoke of the sense of accomplishment he was feeling for Killington. Paul visited Killington 2 years ago while hosting a series of organizational meetings for the "Grow Killington" initiative. Those activities have now come together under the official auspices of the Town of Killington with the passage of the 1% option tax to fund economic development and the creation of the EDT.

Chris Nyberg gave a very frank talk about the state of the Killington ski resort. He reviewed Powdr's and KSRP's impressions about the business and spoke of some of the successes and challenges the resort faces. He was very forth coming is communicating to people that after 2 years of running an eastern ski resort that they have developed an understanding of the value promoted by the original owner, Preston Smith, in being the first resort to open and the last resort to close. He also understood that driving volume through customer loyalty was important. Last year saw a slight increase in overall skier and rider days at the resort, but it came mostly from an increase in visits from season pass holders, not individual paid tickets.

Jeanne Karlhuber, innkeeper at the Snowed Inn and Chairwomen of the Killington EDT spoke of the work ongoing by the EDT in the community. A new website promoting Killington, "Discoverkillington.com" is due to launch at the end of October. Jeanne also announced plans for a Killington Film Festival in April, and the return of the Killington Stage Race next Memorial Day weekend.

Also at the chambers annual meeting, Andy Reid of the Killington Deli was awarded the chambers Volunteer of the Year award. Andy is stepping down from the Chamber of Commerce board of directors after a long term of service to the community.

Congratulations to Phil on his election as President, Andy as the Volunteer of the Year, and the Killington Chamber of Commerce for 35 years of service to the Killington community.