By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Reorganization efforts are nearing completion for the city’s new chamber and recently created economic development facet.
Nearly 10 months past the previously anticipated completion of the Caribou Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s division into the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce (CACC) and the Caribou Economic Growth Council (CEGC), the city’s finalized reorganization moves one step closer to fruition with the Sept. 16 announcement that a new board of directors has been named for the CACC.
Sitting on the chamber’s current board of directors are President Lisa Cantafio, Vice President Jim Cyr, Secretary/Treasurer Laurie Colton, Chris Bell, Peggy Bugbee, Bradley Frank, Kim Jones and Joyce Knorr.
With the same city council approved amendment to the bylaws back in May, which led to the creation of the new chamber board, the wheels began turning to create a board for the CEGC as well.
As explained by Caribou City Manager Steve Buck, the CEGC maintains the 501c6 distinction from the former CCC&I, making it a private organization with authority to establish its own board of directors; when the CCC&I divided into the two new entities, the organization’s then-board members deliberated as to who would remain with the 501c6 organization (Caribou Economic Growth Council) and who would join the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
“We tried to make sure that we had enough institutional memory on both boards,” Buck explained.
CACC President Cantafio and Secretary Cyr were previously members of the CCC&I board.
The current CEGC board consists of Joseph Sleeper II, Shawn Anderson, Shawn Pelletier, Troy Heald, Rick Solman and city-appointed representatives Chris Bell and Steve Buck. All current CEGC board members served on the previous CCC&I board and all but one voted in favor of the chamber’s division in late July of 2010; Sleeper abstained from the vote. Current representation of the former CCC&I board had split votes; Cantafio voted in favor of the division, while Cyr voted against splitting the former chamber entity.
The executive structure of the CEGC board hasn’t been named as of yet; the group is scheduled to meet in early October to iron out the remaining reorganization details.
Buck estimates that both new entities should be finalized in the next couple of months, though he’s hopeful for completion by November.
“This restructure process has been long in the process but [is] nicely developing into a new entity with lots of ‘focused’ direction and enthusiasm as we had hoped,” wrote Sleeper in an e-mail on Sept. 16, celebrating the New CACC board.
Director of the CACC Jenny Coon estimates that upgrades to the new chamber facility at 657 Main Street in the Nylander Building will be finalized in the next few weeks as the location undergoes the finishing touches to accommodate the chamber’s cohabitation with the museum.
But with or without a new sign and a formal setting, the chamber is currently offering the full extent of its services — UPS services are also back up and running, according to Coon.
Additional information regarding the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce can be obtained by calling 498-6156.
