Fast 5 — Linda Coppess

Linda Coppess is president and CEO of the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber. She recently sat down to field Fast 5 questions from The Press.

What is it like leading the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber? What are some highlights of your job?

It’s truly one of the greatest privileges of my career. I was born and raised here in Coeur d’Alene, so getting to lead an organization that has been part of this community for over a century is incredibly meaningful to me.

I think one of the things I enjoy most is the breadth of what I get to be part of. I may be sitting with a business owner talking about a challenge they’re facing, meeting with community leaders about education, workforce or economic development, or welcoming hundreds of people to a Chamber event. I’m constantly learning, meeting interesting people and finding opportunities to connect people and ideas in ways that can help our businesses and community succeed.

Some of my favorite moments are when those connections turn into something we can actually see — like watching our scholarship program grow to support 200 local students each year through the leadership and generosity of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, seeing a relationship made through the Chamber lead to a new business partnership, or watching an emerging leader gain confidence through one of our leadership programs.

And none of it happens without people. I’m incredibly grateful for our Board of Directors, staff, committee members, volunteers and the businesses that so generously give their Wisdom, connections and financial support. In many ways, what we can accomplish is limited only by the time, talent and generosity of this thriving business community — and they continue to amaze me with how willing they are to show up.

That’s one of the greatest highlights of my job: seeing firsthand how much people care and what’s possible when we bring them together.

What are your hopes and goals for the Chamber in the coming year? For yourself and your staff?

We’ve experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, and I don’t think getting bigger needs to be our primary goal. I want us to focus on creating greater value for the businesses and people we already serve and making sure our work is relevant to where our community and economy are headed.

There are three areas I’m especially excited about. First, continuing to cultivate leaders at every stage of their careers. We have some incredible leadership programs, and I believe developing people who are prepared to lead our businesses and our community is one of the most important things we can do.

Second, I want to build a stronger bridge between our traditional business community and the people right here in North Idaho who are working in technology, AI, entrepreneurship and incubation. There is an incredible amount of knowledge and innovation here. I’d love to create opportunities for those worlds to come together, share ideas and help one another navigate how quickly business is changing and ways to maximize our impact as a community.

And third, I want us to continue finding meaningful ways to support our small businesses and nonprofit organizations. They are such an important part of the character and vitality of our community, and I want the Chamber to be a place where they can find relationships, resources and people who genuinely want to help them succeed.

For our staff and for me, the goal is pretty simple: stay curious and keep listening. I never want us to become so busy delivering programs and events that we stop asking our members what they need from us. If we continue listening well and are willing to evolve based on what we hear, I am confident the value we provide will continue to grow.

Why do you love what you do?

The people. Without question.

I spent 24 years at Microsoft and had an incredible career, but coming home to Coeur d’Alene gave me an opportunity to use everything I learned in a completely different way.

I love connecting people. I love hearing someone’s idea and thinking, “I know exactly who you need to meet.” I love learning about our members’ businesses and discovering the stories behind them. And I love that our work allows us to bring people with different experiences and perspectives together around something we all share—a desire to see this community thrive.

This is home for me. There’s something pretty special about getting to spend this chapter of my life and career serving a place and people I care so deeply about.

Where is your favorite place in the world to visit, and why?

That’s a tough one! I’ve been fortunate to travel to more than 40 countries, and my answer definitely changes depending what makes a place special to me.

Some of my most meaningful travel experiences were in developing countries like Uganda, Ethiopia and India. I was struck by the incredible kindness, joy, and zest for life of the people I met, often despite having so few of the comforts and conveniences we take for granted in the U.S. Those experiences changed my perspective in ways I still carry with me today.

Then there are places in Europe like Italy, France, England, Greece, where I could spend forever exploring the history, architecture, beautiful scenery and communities that have existed for centuries.

But if you asked me where I would choose to be right now, my answer is actually right here. Coeur d’Alene is beautiful, but what makes it home is being surrounded by family, lifelong friends and a community I genuinely love. Some days I feel like I am a character in my very own, real-life Hallmark movie — and I’m incredibly grateful for the life I get to live here.

Could you share a few things about yourself people might be surprised to know?

I’ve never been married or had children of my own, but this year I unexpectedly got the opportunity to experience a little bit of parenthood! Through the Rotary Club of Coeur d’Alene, I am very blessed to host an international exchange student, Martina Chandia, from Argentina.

Martina is a fantastic young woman with an adventurous spirit and eagerness to experience everything. Her goal while she’s here is to say YES to every opportunity, and it has been so much fun experiencing Coeur d’Alene and life in the United States through her eyes. It’s amazing how experiencing familiar places and traditions through her eyes has made them feel new to me again, too. Watching her embrace all of it has been such a gift.

People may also be surprised that as social as my job is, I really treasure my quieter “recharging” time at home. I love being with Walter, my black lab puppy, my two kitties, Gouda and Bleu (the cheese bros), and quality time with my family and friends. I love all things design, crafting, puzzles, going on long walks or hikes with Walter, being outdoors and spending time with family at my dad’s house on Hayden Lake.

My time at Microsoft gave me wonderful opportunities to travel the world and work with some extraordinary people and companies. But there’s something especially meaningful about this time in my life, unfolding right where it all began — at home in Coeur d’Alene.

BONUS QUESTION: How in the world do you keep every Chamber member happy? How do you give them the attention they want to make their business thrive?

(Laughing) Well, I’m not sure it’s possible to keep nearly 1,000 Chamber members happy all the time — and believe me, we try!!

What we can do is listen. That’s probably the most important thing our team does. Every business is different. What a small five-person company needs from the Chamber may be completely different from what one of our largest employer's needs.

Our job is to understand what success looks like for each member and then help connect them to the people, resources, information and opportunities that can help them get there.

Sometimes that’s an introduction. Sometimes it’s advocacy, visibility, leadership development. Sometimes it’s simply helping them make a connection they might not have made on their own.

Our team knows that relationships are at the heart of what we do. We may not always have the answer, but we can listen, respond and do our best to help. We want every member — whether they employ two people or 2,000 — to know that they matter to us.

    Linda Coppess in northern Uganda at an IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camp with local children.

    Linda Coppess hiking with her puppy Walter and brother Mark Coppess.
  

  

    Linda Coppess in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia with local youth.
  

    Linda Coppess serving the community together with my family and friends at the CDA Regional Chamber annual awards celebration
  

    Linda Coppess in Greece with her niece Sarah Wilkey, center, and sister-in-law, Kara Coppess.