Hello everyone, and happy March! Let’s hope this month brings us the warmth needed for some April showers and May flowers — and less snow!

My name is Amy Aiello, and I’m the intern here at the Boise Metro Chamber. The WorkU Program at Boise State brought me into this opportunity, and I feel lucky to have been placed into such an outstanding organization. Here, I am working underneath Bill Connors, the CEO and President of the Chamber, to assist him with some advocacy and public relations projects.

At Boise State, I am studying communication and public relations, and will be graduating in May! I am originally from Tri-Cities, Washington, and was drawn to the university because of the city surrounding it. The moment when downtown Boise sneaks up on you as I-184 takes a slight turn coming in from the west and all the buildings seem to sparkle against a backdrop of the Boise foothills, is the moment I fell in love with this city. This moment happened four years ago when I made my first drive into Boise, and it happens now whenever I make that drive. I love Boise, and I’m honored to work with an organization that is as passionate about it as I am.

We have a lot of exciting events coming up this month, including Mega Marketing and Business Education Series: How to Maximize Your Online Advertising. I highly recommend checking those out! In addition to our events, you can also look forward to Jimmy Buffet performing at the Taco Bell Arena, and Treefort Music Festival rolling into town later this month.

I look forward to an amazing semester here at the Chamber! You might see my name around the blog more in the months to come … as well as some others, too.

This month, we are thrilled to introduce Keith Donahue as our featured member. We asked Keith a few questions about himself and what it's like working at 1 of only 3 schools of its kind — Sage International. Here's what he had to say:

What is your favorite film?
“The Castle” (Australian Comedy)
 
What is the best book you've read recently?
“Educated”
 
What sport do you enjoy watching most?
Mountain Biking
 
Who is the most interesting historical figure?
Helen Keller
 
What is your favorite hobby or thing to do during the weekend?
Trail running and time with family
 
Favorite Idaho escape?
McCall
 
Favorite place in Boise to take a visitor?
Our beautiful foothills and Ridge to Rivers trail system
 
What is the most important trend in your business or industry?
Connecting K-12 education with our business community through career technical education opportunities (i.e. internships). Also, effectively integrating technology into education as a value-adding tool, not a crutch or distraction.
 
What is the best advice you've received?
Take care of your people. Listen to them and make sure they know they are valued.
 
Who is a local business or business person you admire?
Chris Marshall. Chris serves on our board and is the former CEO of ECCO Group, a global company located here in Boise. He graciously shares his time and expertise with our school and with me personally as I work to lead Sage.
 
What is the number one reason to do business with your company or organization?
As a K-12 free, public International Baccalaureate school, we are globally unique (1 of 3 in the world) and are making a difference in the lives of thousands of Idaho children.
 
What do you enjoy most about your company or organization?
I enjoy working with a group of passionate, dedicated educators working toward a shared mission of improving and expanding the educational opportunities available to students and families through Idaho's public education system. As an IB school, we teach our students to be risk-takers, thinkers, communicators, principled, caring, and reflective. We also teach them to be engaged local and global citizens that are of service to their communities. What I love about Sage International is that our board, teachers, and support staff also embrace and model these attributes that we instill in our students as they grow into young adults. We are constantly taking chances, learning and growing together — sometimes with bumps along the way — as we work to educate and care for our 1,000 students. This is very meaningful work, and I feel fortunate to be a part of our team and mission.
 
Tell us about a current or upcoming project or company-wide initiative.
It is an exciting time for us as we recently broke ground on a second school in Middleton — Forge International. Forge International will serve 250 students next year and will grow to serve 650 students over the next five years. With Forge, we are replicating the successful IB school model we offer on our Boise campus, and bringing this school choice to multiple communities in rural Idaho — Middleton, Emmet, Star, New Plymouth, and a portion of Caldwell. We designed Forge International to be accessible to all members of the communities we serve. We will offer free bussing beginning year 1, which we were not able to do until year 5 in Boise; Forge will offer a federally subsidized lunch program for our low-income families; Forge's language focus will be Spanish, rather than Boise's French focus; and we aim to hire bilingual teachers and staff at Forge to the maximum extent. Being able to open a second school specifically designed to serve typically underserved families (rural, low income, minority) is an exciting next step for our board and leadership team.
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This month, we are thrilled to introduce Patrick Rice as our featured member. We asked Pat a few questions about himself and what it's like working at Boise's premier event center — the Boise Centre. Here's what he had to say:

​What is your favorite film?
The Great Escape
 
What is the best book you've read recently?
Boys in the Boat
 
What sport do you enjoy watching most?
College football, especially Navy and Air Force
 
Who is the most interesting historical figure?
John Adams
 
What is your favorite hobby or thing to do during the weekend?
Shooting
 
Favorite Idaho escape?
Secesh River between McCall and Yellow Pine
 
Favorite place in Boise to take a visitor?
Basque Block
 
What is the most important trend in your business or industry?
Serving locally sourced food/beverage products; safety and security
 
What is the best advice you've received?
Don't make any changes to an organization until you fully realize and understand why something is done the way it is currently.
 
Who is a local business or business person you admire?
Dr. Stephenson Youngerman, retired educator, restaurant owner, and Board Chairman
 
What is the number one reason to do business with your company or organization?
The standards we try to set are very high, the condition of our facility is excellent, and continued investment in technology.
 
What do you enjoy most about your company or organization?
The TEAM. We invest heavily in human capital as it relates to training and culture. We set high standards for the quality of service provided to our guests, but also the team members. We want to be an employer of choice. We're also very proud of the economic impact made in the Treasure Valley by the conventions we host, as well as providing the space needed for successful local events. The District Board supports our efforts by allowing continued capital investments being made for the facilities and infrastructure. We want the community to be proud of our efforts and the role we play. We believe that everything we do should build strong relationships, and we appreciate the many industry partners that help support us. Certainly the expansion has been very rewarding.
 
Tell us about a current or upcoming project or company-wide initiative.
Our statutes provide for a broad range of opportunities to expand the district's economic impact. With the positive growth seen with the expansion of Boise Centre East, we're looking at all the options available to see what the next project can be and the partners needed to make that a reality. We also continue to support locally sourced food products and proudly serve several thousand glasses of Idaho wines and craft beers each year.