Hayden Chamber Marks 25 Years, Honors Best Western, Volunteer James Costello

Nearly 100 business leaders gathered for the Hayden Chamber of Commerce’s 25th anniversary Network and Business Connections membership luncheon, marking a milestone for the county’s business community and spotlighting firms and volunteers that anchor local commerce.

The chamber used the January 23 event to hand out awards for business excellence and community service. Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn was named Business of the Year for 2025, and James Costello received Volunteer of the Year recognition. Chamber President and CEO Andrea Fulks described the organization’s mission as building a family-like membership environment that promotes local commerce and keeps long-standing businesses engaged with newer enterprises.

Attendance at the luncheon, nearly 100 participants, signals robust engagement among Hayden-area firms and suggests the chamber remains a central platform for networking, referrals, and collaboration. For retail, services, and hospitality businesses in Kootenai County, that kind of concentrated networking can translate into measurable benefits: shared customer referrals, coordinated marketing, and opportunities to amplify workforce needs to local policymakers and training providers.

Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn’s recognition highlights the importance of the hospitality sector to the region. Hotels and lodging providers not only serve tourists drawn to nearby lakes and trails but also support jobs in housekeeping, food service, maintenance, and front-desk operations. Honoring a long-standing hospitality operator underscores the chamber’s role in sustaining businesses that generate both sales tax revenue and tourism-related economic activity for Hayden and greater Coeur d’Alene area.

James Costello’s Volunteer of the Year award reflects the chamber’s emphasis on civic engagement. Volunteer leadership helps chambers run community events, advocate for business-friendly policies, and connect employers with local education and workforce initiatives. That civic backbone can be particularly valuable in small and mid-sized markets where the capacity of local government and nonprofits is stretched.

The event also celebrated long-standing member businesses that have been part of the chamber since its founding 25 years ago. Retention of legacy members contributes to economic stability by preserving institutional knowledge, ongoing local investment, and steady employment across decades.

For local residents and business owners, the chamber’s anniversary is more than a ceremonial milestone. It represents ongoing efforts to foster business resiliency, support tourism-related employment, and maintain a network that translates into concrete opportunities for customers and workers. As the Hayden Chamber moves beyond its silver anniversary, residents can expect continued programming aimed at strengthening ties between Main Street businesses and the broader North Idaho economy.