Meet your new chamber board members

With the new year in full swing, the local chambers of commerce are welcoming their new directors into the fold to begin their work in their respective communities.

On the Silver Valley Chamber, Gus Colburn, Monica Miller and Shayleen Jerome have joined the board of directors and all excited to bring their own unique perspectives to the board.

Colburn has been living in the Silver Valley since he was just 8 years old, and upon graduation from Grand Canyon University with a degree in sports marketing, he returned to the Silver Valley to work as Silver Mountain’s marketing coordinator.

“I spend my summers hiking, biking and going to concerts, and my winters skiing, winning snowball fights, and watching and/or coaching basketball,” Colburn said. “I’m very excited to be on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors to collaborate with the businesses and people of the Silver Valley and help our community prosper.”

Miller is a Silver Valley lifer, born in the now-defunct East Shoshone Hospital in Silverton, she was raised in Kellogg, and has since opened up her own fitness studio, Prospect Fitness in uptown Kellogg.

Miller, a comedic genius in her own right, is equal parts pet mom and community-minded denizen.

“?Over the past eight years, my love for the area has deepened as I’ve settled into a life with my significant other, Willy, and our spectacular group of friends. We enjoy taking advantage of everything the Valley has to offer including road biking, bar hopping on our cruisers, cozy morning coffee at The Bean and adventuring with our black lab, Junebug,” Miller said. “My small fitness studio in Kellogg is my life’s work, but being a cat mom to my tabby, Barry is my greatest triumph. I anticipate a bright future for our community, and I take pride in contributing to its prosperity.”

Jerome grew up in one of the Valley’s more remote areas, but that might be part of her strength as chamber board member.

“My childhood growing up along the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River has given me the opportunity to love and value the beautiful area that we are blessed to live in,” Jerome said. “Not only have I had the privilege of being raised in the Silver Valley, I also have had the privilege of raising my four boys here as well. I embrace all the wonderful activities our area has to offer such as hunting, hiking, camping, fishing, huckleberry picking, and my very favorite is floating the river.”

That passion has led Jerome down a fairly diverse career path of teaching locally, being a VISTA Volunteer Coordinator for the Kellogg School District, and now currently working as the Business Development Coordinator at Shoshone Medical Center.

The Wallace Chamber is welcoming Matt Sawyer, Scott Haney and Jim Shields to their board of directors.

Sawyer is the director of marketing for Lookout Pass and the Route of the Hiawatha.

He currently serves on both the Montana Ski Areas Association Marketing Committee and the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association.

Sawyer’s experience in tourism is a natural fit for the Wallace Chamber and it’s one of his biggest strengths.

“I know firsthand the value of tourism and its impact on small communities,” Sawyer said. “I love the community of Wallace and especially the historical significance the town has and find it fascinating as I continue to learn more. I’d be happy to serve in a capacity to try to gain as much support for Wallace and the region as possible.”

Haney is a relative newcomer to the area, but in his short time in the area he has made a significant splash in the Wallace tourism world.

Haney is a retired attorney, who purchased Wallace’s Silver Streak Zipline last year, he also owns a construction business in Texas and is considering projects here as well.

He and his wife, Gina, have plans to expand usage of the Zipline mountain property this year and next, including the building of a new bike park, snowboard course and adding limited ziplining all yearlong.

Shields has been an active member of the Silver Valley community for several years working at the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the local EMS groups, but is also the co-owner of the Idaho Silver Shop in Downtown Wallace.

Shields has also been incredibly active in the community culture of Wallace organizing several parades, as well as being heavily involved in the annual High Mountain ATV Jamboree.