Todd Christensen: Chamber Leader

It was considered a leader in its field, had a veteran staff and a strong working relationship with the community and business leaders. The city, too, was considered a great place to live, beautiful scenery, continued growth.

After some checking, Christensen had this to say:

"The reputation and brand are factual," he said.

The 38-year-old took over the top spot with the chamber in early January. Since, he's been out meeting people, learning more about his new home and preparing to bring his wife Pamela and their four children down from Western Washington.

Christensen was tapped for the slot following a nationwide search that turned up more than 50 applicants to take over for Jonathan Coe, who left for a similar post in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Being in the Lake City, he says, is simply wonderful.

"I've been looking for opportunities to come back home to Idaho," the Rupert native said. "Coeur d'Alene has always been an area I personally and we as a family have wanted to live."

Christensen, a Minico High School graduate, earned a degree in political science from Boise State University in 1995.

"Hopefully, nobody holds that against me," he said with a laugh.

Christensen previously led the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, and most recently served as vice president and marketing director for Bank of the Pacific, a commercial bank operating in Washington and Oregon. He also spent time in Australia and worked for the Australian Securities Commission for a year.

His role in banking, with a focus on community, make for a smooth transition back into to chamber work, which is also "highly community. It's the pinnacle of community involvement," Christensen said.

His hobby is woodworking, something he said is relaxing and where you see the result of your work - good or bad.

"I like to relax in the shop and work with my hands," he said.

Todd, the youngest of four boys, credits his dad with setting him on the right path.

"He started his own business when I was a youth," Todd Christensen said. "Seeing his dedication to his company, the sacrifices he made to ensure we were taken care of and his commitment to helping others is a great example to me as a father, husband and employee."

He recalls going with his father, Chris Christensen, at a young age and taking a meal to a person who was shut-in, or helping put in a railing for an individual who had fallen.

"My dad instilled in me work ethic, compassion and service for others," Todd said.

No wonder, then, the Coeur d'Alene chamber wanted him.

How are things going for you as the chamber's new president and CEO?

Excellent. It's a great chamber. The community is meeting those expectations we had when we relocated as a family.

What brought you to Coeur d'Alene?

Coeur d'Alene, to summarize it in those two words. You add to that North Idaho, the beautiful Panhandle, all the recreation that is available here, the dynamic and diversified business community. We're facing challenges now, but as we come through those challenges, we'll continue to be a strong community.

Did you have to think about it long when you were offered the job?

No. It was something I wanted. It was too great of an opportunity to pass this up. And, they don't come along very often.

Did you know much about the chamber and Coeur d'Alene before this job became available?

The Coeur d'Alene chamber has an excellent reputation, a great legacy of success and is a great opportunity for me professionally and us as a family. All of the partnerships working together is an extremely attractive opportunity. In many communities you see too much fragmentation, fracturing, in-fighting. Though we have differences of opinion (and we value differences of opinion) we work together. That's a hallmark of the Coeur d'Alene chamber. It is a well-founded, solid chamber.

What do you see as your main role here?

My role is to be here and work in partnerships, identify opportunities for the business community and pursue those that benefit our members and community.

Are there some key challenges you see ahead?

The economy. We need to make sure we're providing services and resources to our members so they can be successful. Working together our 1,200 plus memberships can help each other through tough times. We have many networking and referral opportunities and we are in a great place to come and market your company. The chamber provides valuable face-to-face and person-to-person interaction. The available trainings, from Leadership Coeur d'Alene to business webinars, are to help business succeed. We work to be the place people can get great information and implement it into their businesses.

Is this an easy area to market?

Yes. When you say Coeur d'Alene people already have a strong vision of mountains, the lake and outdoor recreation. Our community's world-class facilities attract both leisure and business travelers.

Did you get much of a chance to talk to your predecessor, Jonathan Coe?

Jonathan and I have shared e-mails and spoken over the phone once or twice. He's an individual who has done a phenomenal job. He brought partnerships together to benefit members and the community. He built on the successes of Pat McGaughey, Sandy Emerson and the other chamber leaders. There is great legacy of leadership within the Coeur d'Alene chamber.

Are you feeling any pressure?

Yes. People have asked me, ‘So what's your first objective?' I tell them, "Don't screw anything up.' I just want to build on the chamber's legacy of success and strengthen our community. I think there are opportunities for us to look at our programs, our services, membership benefits and continue to make those relevant to today's challenges that businesses face. The business community does change. We're fortunate the services we have provided and will continue to provide are very important to the businesses.

You've got the nice corner office with a view of the lake. How do you like your home for work?

The building, in my mind's eye, is a great symbol to the success of the chamber and its supporters.

How would you assess your staff?

Excellent and dedicated. The tenure of staff is a strong representation of the strength of the chamber. Their tenure brings a wealth of knowledge and strength to our membership services.

Our success is not possible without the time that our many, many volunteers give to the chamber! From our Board of Directors to the active committee members our success is built on dedicated staff and volunteers.

What else would you want people to know about you and the chamber?

Yes, I'm the new executive, but I'm the new executive of a great organization. It's not just me that is leading the chamber. We have a great board of directors, dedicated volunteers serving on many committees. All of the committees of the chamber have great individuals serving on them, and dedicated staff. The long-term tenure of the staff indicates the commitment and the success of the operation.