The new chamber registered as a 501(c)(6) a year and a half ago, but didn’t fully launch.
Now, new board chair Josh McReavy, owner and partner at Ultimate Home Lending in Kamas, is getting serious.
“The original founders of the Kamas Valley chamber thought it would be a good idea to represent more of our side of the Wasatch Back and more serve our needs,” he told KPCW.
Both Park City and Heber have chamber organizations. Chambers are business associations: business owners pay dues and benefit from networking and an association’s political advocacy.
Networking is something McReavy said he loves but has been more difficult since the COVID-19 pandemic, so that will be a focus of the Kamas group.
“I want to make this a community thing and shape it into what's actually needed, not just what's kind of been done elsewhere,” he said.
One of the things that might be needed is help on the commercial development front, not just residential.
“Some of the buildings don't have hardly more than two or three parking spots, and I know that some developers are having a hard time getting things passed due to what the city wants,” McReavy gave as examples. “All of the cities are great—know all the mayors, great, great people—but just trying to shape Kamas Valley and making sure that we're doing it in a responsible way.”
He said businesses already in the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau are welcome to join the Kamas chamber too.
One of the biggest differences between the two areas, business-wise, is tourism: Park City has a large hotel and lodging industry, whereas the Kamas Valley tries to capture campers on their way to the Uintas.
And the Kamas Valley Chamber of Commerce is also looking for board members. There are two open spots on the five-person board.
McReavy expects to fill those during the first meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 14. The location is still to be determined.
He said meetings will be monthly, on the second Thursday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
