Here we are at the beginning of 2024. I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season and showed some appreciation to the family and friends who stood beside you in 2023! I know I am grateful for these individuals in my life.

I will be handing over the reins to my successor, Misty DeBarbrie from Regence Blue Shield. Misty has worked closely with me this past year and has been a tremendous asset for the Chamber. I am excited to continue to work aside her in 2024 as the ex-officio. I have two quotes that come to mind that really depict this past year:

“Teamwork: Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.” -Henry Ford

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in except to conviction of honor and good sense.” -Winston Churchill

The year started out with an amazing board and longtime chamber staff. The Chamber’s heartbeat and success was built by the amazing and committed staff of Kristin Kemak, Blake Harrington, and Kristina Bickford. It was a pleasure to work with them these past several years. However, change is inevitable, and it happened quickly for us in 2023. Kristin and Blake’s passion followed a different path and Kristina’s quickly turned to her growing family. 

The Chamber board was faced with replacing an entirely new staff to carry on the vision for our LC Valley Chamber of Commerce. It took collaboration and “Teamwork” not only from the Board of Directors but many others who continued to believe in our mission and strategic goals; I am eternally grateful to you for giving me clear directions and supporting my leadership over and over again. The Chamber is heading in a great direction, and it is because of teamwork, plain and simple! I am so proud of our board, new staff, and Ambassadors. In the face of changes, these people, plus our members, continued to show unity for our mission. We had to address critical situations throughout the year in a timely and constructive manner while never losing sight of our core values and strategic plan. I am excited for the future of our Valley and will continue to be actively involved with everything Chamber! My wish for you is to always remember, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”-Phil Jackson

Christy Armstrong
Outgoing 2023 Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce ChairO