Chamber Gets You ‘Behind The Scenes’ In Bitterroot

How do community leaders in the Bitterroot Valley learn about how the valley's "engine" works? Well, some of them take a unique class from the Bitterroot Valley Chamber Commerce called Leadership Bitterroot. The class meets one day a month for nine months to provide information about everything from history of the valley (photo above) to infrastructure, health care, non-profits, economy, agriculture and more.

Registration is happening now for the next series of classes at the chamber office in Hamilton. Often, business owners send a valued member of their staff to the classes to get them more involved in the community. As the chamber says, you don't graduate from Leadership Bitterroot, you progress to a higher level of community involvement. That's because after you take the class, you are involved in planning some of the next year's classes and Leadership Bitterroot members also help organize the parade lineup of the annual Ravalli County Fair parade.

You don't have much time to register. The next Leadership Bitterroot session starts on the third Wednesday of next month, September 15, 2021 and continues on the third Wednesday of each following month through May 18, 2022. Topics include History of the Bitterroot Valley, The Economic Pulse of the Valley, Non-Profits, Health Care, City and County Government, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Infrastructure and a few more areas. Each session is full day - starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. Class size is limited to 25 people.

Applications are available at the Chamber office, 105 East Main Street, Hamilton. There is a class fee and Jodi will tell you about that and answer other questions you might have. The Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce office is at 406 363-2400 or e-mail: localinfo@bvchamber.com. Or check the website.