Eric Knudtsen new PF chamber board chair
At the December Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, (from left:) incoming Board Chair Eric Knudtsen and CEO Christina Petit present Graydon Stanley, on behalf of North Idaho College a thirty-year award for participation in the chamber.
ELLI GOLDMAN HILBERT/Press
POST FALLS – The Post Falls Chamber of Commerce celebrated a successful year cultivating business and relationships and welcomed in a new board chair at the Connect 4 luncheon Tuesday.
Eric Knudtsen, executive/general manager of Knudtsen Chevrolet since 2005, is stepping up as board chair for 2022.
“We need great leadership now more than ever in our community," said Julia Holt, outgoing board chair.
Knudtsen reflected on growing up in Post Falls and the visions that have built the city and will build its future.
“I remember when the city of Post Falls was just a little tiny blip that you drove past on the way to Spokane,” Knudtsen said to about 90 people. “You had the Highway 41 exit and you had Seltice Way and eventually the State Line exit, but there wasn’t much else other than this little tiny town.”
Knudtsen remembers Walmart being built, the years of the now-closed Hot Rod Cafe and how Midway Nissan pioneered the auto sales hub that has developed in Post Falls.
“Midway Nissan started the whole I-90 Autoplex corridor before the rest of us got here,” Knudtsen said.
At that time Post Falls was about 19,000 in population, Knudtsen said.
Frederick Post had a vision in the 1800s when he purchased tribal land and built a logging mill, Knudtsen said.
Recent visionaries like C.J. Buck of Buck Knives saw a better life here, Knudtsen said. These “great visionaries” are why Post Falls has grown to what it is today, Knudtsen said.
Knudtsen has been married to his wife, Shari, since 2009. As a car guy, Knudtsen turned to a fitting metaphor to express his thoughts.
“The rear-view mirror, if you look out at where you’ve been, that (view is) small,” Knudtsen said. “But your windshield is much bigger so you can see where you’re going. The one big thing I want everyone to look at is where we’re going.”
Everyone, whether business owners, employees or someone moving to Post Falls, has a vision worth creating, Knudtsen said.
Moving into the new year, the Chamber will have five new board members: Roxanne Kusler with Idaho Central Credit Union, Brian Harrison with the Post Falls Police Department, Jarod Keyser with Kelley Connect, Kevin Schneidmiller with Greenstone Development and Sandy Raudebaugh from TDS.