New leader for Othello Chamber of Commerce

Chasity Krebs to head entity through 2005

OTHELLO — Hoping to bring more services and promote businesses more, Chasity Krebs has become the new president of the city's chamber of commerce.

Krebs, a training coordinator at Skillsource, said that she would like to provide the services the chambers' members would find useful, such as the security seminar that took place weeks ago to combat a wave of burglaries.

"The goal is going to be reaching out to businesses and finding out what is useful," she said.

Another focus would be the increase of Othello tourism, especially through the development of the Coulee Corridor Interpretive Center, still on its development stages.

"We have a committee in the chamber for (the center)," she said, adding that the project is on hold, waiting to hear back from the federal government on grants.

"As soon as those get approved, we'll start moving forward," she said." For now, the interpretive center has focused on signage on the highways that run around the edges of Othello.

Othello tourism is growing at a medium pace Krebs said.

The improvement of the monthly business meetings known as "Business After Hours" is on Krebs' to-do list, as well.

"It has not been as successful as it is in Moses Lake," she said. "But we are in a growing process,"

A member of the chamber for the past four years, Krebs said that combining the work of the chamber with the work of the City of Othello, Othello could be fertile ground for new businesses. The question is what needs to happen for local businesses to grow.

"The customer basis is just not there," she said. "Othello needs to grow in order for businesses to be profitable. If we stay small, people will keep going out of the city for bigger services and businesses will not prosper."

In many instances, having a Wal-Mart in a city has been accused of stunting the growth of small businesses there. Krebs said having the giant retailer has been good for Othello, adding that businesses have adjusted to having a Wal-Mart and they are doing fine.

"Wal-Mart has brought people from Warden and Royal (City)," she said. "They come to buy groceries and shop in other outlets, versus going to Moses Lake or the Tri-Cities."

Krebs replaces Bonnie Thompson as president, who will now serve a year as Past President of the chamber. Being elected president of the chamber requires at least a three-year commitment, the first one as president-elect, the second one as president and the third one as past president.

During the past two years, the chamber saw the birth of the Greater Othello Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, with which Krebs' chamber has had a sometimes up-and-down relationship.

"We had a rough start," she said. "But it's improving,"

Krebs discarded the idea of bringing the two chambers into one, saying that that idea had been considered when the Hispanic chamber first began and it did not seem viable.

"Now we have our own little mix as far as what we do for the community," she said. "It serves it well. Our combined power is going to serve Othello much better."