Chamber is ‘evolving with intention’

By Tara Bitzan, Executive Director, Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

The Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce entered the new year with some big changes, the most visible being a new location. We are now located at 203 Broadway, just across the street from our previous location within the Runestone Museum building at 206 Broadway. One of the Chamber’s key pillars of operation is collaboration, and it’s interesting to see when looking back through the organization’s history that that was true from the very beginning.

In 1907, the Business Men’s Association was formed to promote the village of Alexandria. The group later changed its name to the Alexandria Commercial Club, and in 1928, became the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. Also in 1928, 10 local businessmen purchased the Kensington Rune Stone and put it on display at the Chamber office, then located at 608 Broadway. The stone was later put in storage in the Chamber basement. Thirty years later, Chamber leaders set out to find a larger office for the Chamber that would include a permanent display area for the rune stone. In 1958 the Chamber purchased and moved to the location where the museum now stands. In 1962, the Runestone Museum Foundation was established by the Chamber “to own, operate, manage, expand and control a museum.”

Through the years, more collaborations came into play and more land was purchased. Fort Alexandria was dedicated in 1976 as an expansion of the museum, and in 1979 an addition was added to house the Douglas County Historical Society. In 1990 the Chamber entered a partnership with the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission (AAEDC) to “establish a working relationship to achieve economic development in the Alexandria Area.” In the late 1990s, Explore Alexandria Tourism (EAT) formed as Alexandria Hotel and Hospitality to manage the lodging tax for the City of Alexandria and the townships of Miltona and LaGrand “for the purpose of marketing and promoting the city or town as a tourist or convention center.” Both the AAEDC and EAT were housed with the Chamber for a time at the 206 Broadway location.

Many great things happened and several strong organizations were formed because of those early partnerships and collaborative efforts. However, as the organizations grew and evolved focusing on different missions and needs, many challenges came into play that involved some strategic restructuring. The Douglas County Historical Society moved to its current location in 1986, and in 1991 the Chamber and the Runestone Museum Foundation became two separate entities. The early partnerships involved various levels of ownership in the property. It was eventually determined that ownership of all property was best suited to the museum foundation, and the Chamber entered into a lease agreement to continue operating out of that location along with the EDC and EAT. Space limitations later posed more problems and the EDC and EAT each relocated, with their most recent address being 324 Broadway.

Things have come full circle, as those entities will be moving this week to join the Chamber back on the north end at 203 Broadway. The offices for Alexandria Township and Hometown Planning will also be joining us in our new space. The Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission, and Explore Alexandria Tourism will all remain separate entities with their own organizational structures and missions. However, these entities work collaboratively in many ways all year long, and being housed in the same location will allow greater efficiencies and lay the groundwork for even more collaborations to come, so that we may all continue our work to best serve the community of Alexandria and greater Douglas County.