Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Loberg.
Hi Shelly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have a degree in Communications from UMD and started my career in advertising as a media buyer. After 11 years at home with my boys I got involved in the chamber/non-profit world with the French American Chamber due to my love and fluency of the French language (sidebar I studied abroad in France when I was 21). I then moved on to a Marketing Director role at the Shakopee Chamber and Visitor Bureau (for the CVB) which exposed me to tourism marketing. I spent four years there and then had the opportunity to come t0 Edina (almost 12 years ago) to start up Explore Edina, which was a chance I could not pass up. In 2019 I was elevated to a VP role in the org and started also overseeing day to day Chamber activities and staff. In 2023 I was promoted to President and have loved the challenges of leadership in a community that truly values partnerships.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No. There have been ups and downs, the pandemic being one of them. My biggest challenge has been navigating some new fiscal policies and negotiating valuable partnerships with our city municipality and other stakeholders here in Edina. Administration is also challenging for me but I’ve loved learning more about HR and operations and it has made me a more astute business person. Working with boards is always challenging, but I enjoy the challenge of earning trust and gaining concensus on projects and issues. It’s never a dull moment!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Edina Chamber of Commerce and Explore Edina?
The Edina Chamber of Commerce exists to promote and connect member businesses and advocate for projects that create economic vitality in Edina. We create small networking and educational events to connect people who want to create meaningful connections and we also produce signature events like our annual social and the Edina Fall into the Arts Festival in September which is an annual, beloved art event which raises funds for our first responders (fire and police), art education, Centennial Lakes Park and the Chamber. We also annually partner with Edina Public Schools on Edina Shark Tank, inspiring students to imagine what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, with lives pitches judged by fellow Chamber members from the community.
Explore Edina, created in 2014, serves as the Visitor Bureau for the community of Edina and promotes Edina’s tourism assets including its hotels through marketing campaigns targeted in outer markets. In addition, Explore Edina has been producing Style Edina, a fashion event celebrating Edina as a shopping destination for nearly 10 years. This collaborative show is a partnership with Galleria, Southdale Center, 50th & France, and Jodi Mayers & Style Partners.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
At the Edina Chamber of Commerce, we are reimagining what a chamber means to and does for a community. Post pandemic all member association have had challenges attracting and retaining members with traditional events and “chamber meetings”
We shifted our operations with the meaningful mix of small and signature events to have a diverse but engaging offering for our members. Additionally, we have a dynamic space which we are hosting two other community non-profits in (The Edina Community Foundation and the Edina First Responders Fund).
Our newest partnership with the Edina First Responders Fund involves the Chamber administering and hosting an employee on behalf of the fund and engages our organization in an exciting rebrand that will highly engage residents and businesses in supporting fundraising for our First Responders. Formerly the Edina Crime Prevention Fund, this non-profit hatched in the 70’s as a reward fund and morphed into the PD’s 501C(3), doing grassroots fundraising for special equipment and community engagement not covered by the general city budget.
We are super excited to see where this new partnership takes us and hope it continues to elevate our reputation in the city with residents, businesses and the local government.
Pricing:
- Base membership for a small business starts at $415 annually
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.edinachamber.com/
- Instagram: @exploreedina
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdinaChamber
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-loberg-3a094547/
- Other: https://exploreedina.com/
