Chamber as conference center manager makes sense

One of La Grande’s best assets, the Blue Mountain Conference Center, is under new management these days. Here’s wishing the Union County Chamber of Commerce all success in running it.

The center, part of the National Guard Armory on 12th Street near Gekeler Lane, was built in 1998. Since then it has been the site of countless community events ranging from public meetings, to banquets, to seminars and classes and more. It is a hub of community life in the truest sense of the term, and a key factor in Union County’s economic well-being.

For more than a decade, the facility, with its banquet room, kitchen and catering area, board room, conference and teleconference rooms, was managed by Shaneen Burgette, Carolyn Gilbert and Judy Loudermilk, collectively known as BGL.

The three women did a magnificent job. The place has always been well-equipped and well-maintained, and few if anyone can remember having a less than a pleasant time at a Blue Mountain Conference Center affair.

But the time came recently when members of BGL had to move on to other things. The conference center foundation and the chamber worked out a new deal.

As foundation Chairman C. Joseph Grover said recently, the chamber and the center will pool financial resources. In addition, the chamber will contribute its marketing expertise and also help build stronger ties and better communication between local organizations.

With its many contacts inside and outside the community, the chamber, headed by Judy Hector, should be able to bring more events to the center and improve on services that were already outstanding.

Managing a facility the size of the conference center will always present challenges, but challenges generate opportunity. This has all the earmarks of a positive move, for the chamber, the center itself and the

community.