The first Start-Ups and Suds event of 2023 was a great success with over 50 people in attendance! Start-Ups and Suds gives local startup companies exposure and the ability to promote their company with the help of our sponsors and a host brewery.

At the March 6th event, Boise Metro Chamber member Karmik Outdoors was the featured startup and Woodland Empire Brewery hosted the event (and bought everyone in attendance their first beer!).

Owner Dave Krick spoke about the event host, Chamber member Woodland Empire Brewery. Krick holds a brewing science degree and has been working on brewing for several years. He said it took a while to find a location for a brewery. The solution they found is where Start-Ups and Suds was hosted: at the Woodland Empire location at 1114 W Front Street. This facility is a co-production facility with Lost Grove Brewing. The facility plans to expand production in the next few weeks and expects to produce about 5,000 of beer this year.

Karmik Outdoors is a “lost and found” service for outdoor gear founded by Robert Gillingham. Its name is an adaptation of the word “karma,” signaling that good karma will come to those who return others’ lost outdoor gear. Karmik Outdoors’ staple product is a durable QR code sticker, which can be applied to any outdoor gear (or any product, for that matter). If the item is lost, it is typically returned to the owner with a 78-90% return rate. The owner’s information remains confidential. Contact information of the person who found the item is sent to the item’s owner to initiate contact. Through Karmik Outdoors’ website, the owner can then send the finder a “reward,” (available rewards are new gear items donated by outdoor companies). However, of all their cases so far, not one person has taken the reward. Since founding the company, Gillingham’s belief in the goodness of the community has only grown.

This successful event would not be possible without the support of Boise Metro Chamber’s sponsors. The presenting sponsor of Start-Ups and Suds is Perkins Coie. Michael Carr, an attorney at the firm, spoke at the event about how Perkins Coie opened their first location in Boise in 1997 and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary in the Treasure Valley. Perkins Coie offers an array of legal services, including mergers & acquisitions, real estate, and general business needs.

The event co-sponsor is Zion’s Bank and the exclusive airline sponsor of this event series is Delta Airlines. This event series occurs once per quarter. Keep an eye on the Boise Metro Chamber events calendar so you don’t miss the next one!

Have you contacted your legislators yet? Check out the Idaho Business Review's article featuring our very own Tori Thomas to learn why you should speak up.

“The Chamber’s ultimate goal with our advocacy efforts is to make sure businesses can continue to do business how they see fit. We’re out there and we’re trying to make sure businesses stay strong,” Tori Thomas, community and government affairs manager, said. “We would love for more people to learn who their legislators are and try to make those conversations happen.”

Read the entire article to learn how House Bill 170 could impact your business and what you can do here.