Our President Marlin Peck

I love this community and it’s why I’m proud to be a part of The Chamber.

II am truly a local. I was born in Hailey and raised in Blaine County. My father was born in the J.C. Fox Building in downtown Hailey, where the City now has its offices, and he and my mom raised our family in Carey. I’m now raising a family of my own in Hailey and I couldn’t think of a better place to grow up, play sports, and enjoy all the great outdoors has to offer.

The last two years were a challenge, to say the least. It finally feels like we are getting back to some sense of normalcy. Masks are coming off, activities and events are becoming abundant, and travel to our area is up considerably over last year.

We have seen a lot of change over the last couple of years. The number of new permanent residents making the Wood River Valley home has had a huge impact on housing affordability and availability. This has made it very hard for local workers to stay in the Valley. We have all felt the impact. Businesses are all understaffed or closed more often. Hopefully everyone, local or visitor, will be patient and understanding of the situation and appreciate those who are working and providing the services we have all come to depend on.

We have seen a lot of new businesses pop up and some of our favorites go. Some due to the hardships of COVID and others because of retirement.

Others are for sale and who knows what will become of them. We appreciate all of the fun and memories and wish all of them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Our lives were definitely disrupted because of COVID, but we’re still lucky to live in a place where we can continue to enjoy recreational activities like hiking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, skiing, snowmobiling—it’s endless. These same activities are what drive so many people to visit this beautiful place every year.

Change is inevitable, especially when you have a place as great as our Valley that so many want to be a part of. As much as we want to keep it all to ourselves, it is just too great not to share. We can’t stop the change; however, our mission at The Chamber is to help direct it to keep this place what it is and even improve on it, if that’s possible. We love to help the locals and the visitors alike. Whether they’re coming from Boise, Chicago or abroad, we want them to want to come back and to tell their friends and family what a great time they had here.

The great outdoors, art, culture, shopping, world-class restaurants, spas and theatre, and lots of great libations, we’re living the good life here. Thanks for helping us keep it that way.