The Haines Chamber of Commerce has a new assistant director who will eventually lead the organization: Lee Zion. In June Andrew Letchworth, the current director, announced that he was stepping down from his position. Chamber of Commerce Board President Criag Franke said Letchworth is leaving to pursue his doctorate in the financial sector at the end of August.
On Aug. 22 Tracey Harmon will start working as the interim director until Zion is able to step into the position. Harmon had previously served as executive director of the chamber, and Franke said she “developed a good network in the state, and would be really valuable in getting Lee up to speed.”
Zion had responded to an ad that the chamber put out for a new director, and while Franke said they didn’t get any other applicants for the position, the chamber had interacted with Zion and strongly encouraged him to apply before the ad was published.
“Lee has a wealth of experience that would really be beneficial to the chamber,” said Franke. Zion owned the Lafayette Nicollet Ledger, a Minnesota paper, from 2018 to 2022. Zion originally came to Haines to work for the CVN, but “that didn’t work out”, said Zion.
In the past couple years, the chamber has undergone a lot of transition. There was a near-complete board turnover last year, with a few positions still needing to be filled. The chamber’s membership is around 90 people. “We would love to double that,” said Franke, “normally we operate with around 115 to 120 members.”
Franke said he is excited to work with the new board, who are very engaged and dynamic. While the interim goal of the chamber is to get back on its feet, more long term goals include continuing to advocate for the business community in Haines and working with other sectors to increase tourism.
Zion already has some ideas of his own. “I would like to increase the presence of arts in the community. It’s an investment. Any investment in the arts is paid off thousand-fold.” In his bio in the chamber newsletter he also mentions his priority of meeting the unmet needs of the community, which includes addressing internet connectivity issues.
In September, Zion will attend the Southeast Conference in Sitka, an annual meeting promoting economic and community development. He will meet with business leaders from other parts of the state and advocate for Haines businesses. Zion encouraged anyone with business-related concerns or issues to bring them up to him, and he would do his best to address them.