Chamber of Commerce sets ambitious course.

Byline: Tom Howard

Oct. 24--Roger Huebner ended his term as board chairman of the Billings Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau with an equestrian flourish Tuesday.

He entered the Holiday Inn Grand Billings Convention Center on horseback, carrying a branding iron as part of a skit about one of the chamber's priorities for 2008. The chamber is at the forefront of an effort to help Billings develop a communitywide brand.

After riding around the room, dismounting and hoisting the branding iron onto the stage, Huebner praised the chamber for its 2007 accomplishments.

The chamber's priority issues for 2008 are tax reform, work force development, growth in tourism visits and branding Billings.

Reflecting on the organization's priorities for 2007, Huebner said the chamber was a big supporter of a the voter-approved downtown baseball stadium that is under construction and should be completed by the time the Billings Mustangs open their season next summer.

Last spring, voters approved a mill levy for School District 2 for the first time since 2002, thanks in part to the chamber-supported Yes For Kids campaign. Since then, the school district has kept its promise by providing detailed information so that the community can understand that the money is being spent in the way that it was intended.