Hit hard by the recession, GSI’s member list is bouncing back, Hadley says
Tuesday's main business story in the SR was the announcement that Rich Hadley, CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated, was stepping down in April. That will mark a 20 year career at the helm of the region's largest chamber organization.
How large? Well, it was 1,400 business members before the recession, but then dipped notably in 2009 and 2010.
In recent years, according to an email from Hadley, the member list is back close to 1,300. Last year, for the first time in a decade, membership costs increased. The base price is now $425, up from $400. The upper membership tier is priced somewhere above $1,000. (Checking to find what it is.)
GSI board members are doing an annual retreat this week. Among the issues being discussed is whether or not the group wants to push forward with a long-running economic development idea -- trying to convince voters in Spokane County to create a port district.
It was tried once before and failed terribly. Our best guess is GSI will sponsor or pay for a public opinion poll and release the results. It will take a very positive poll result for GSI to take on the project of promoting a port district.