What's in a name? When the organization now known as the Edina Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in late 1971, it was called the “Greater Southdale” chamber.
The evolution of the chamber's name reflects the expansion of its scope and membership—and the steady growth of Edina—with the chamber celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Another reason this year is noteworthy: chamber President Arrie Larsen Manti plans to retire at the end of July, after a decade in the position. Larsen Manti, the chamber's sixth president, had been an investment adviser for the firm now known as RBC Capital Markets, and a chamber board member, when she succeeded Shelly Fischer in the position in 2002.
“Her tenure as president has put this community in good position for future opportunities,” says the chamber's current chairman of the board, John Bower, of Larsen Manti’s success in her role.
With more than 400 member businesses from around the Twin Cities, the chamber's basic mission hasn't changed much in those four decades, Larsen Manti notes. “The chamber is businesses in the area coming together to better the business environment here, and partnering with the city to promote economic development.”
The city's population has nearly doubled (to 47,941) in that time, and several other major commercial hubs have been developed, such as the Centennial Lakes and Edinborough Park complexes. “One thing that has always helped our business growth is location, location, location,” says Larsen Manti. “We're so well-positioned between Highways 100 and 169, and 494 and the Crosstown, and proximity to the airport.”
One of the chamber's most significant economic development initiatives was helping update the city's liquor laws, in the late '90s. The ordinance allowing restaurants to obtain liquor licenses helped spawn a subsequent “restaurant boom,” including the development of The District, the 86,000-square-foot retail and restaurant development at Southdale.
The school district has been another valuable partner, Larsen Manti notes. “What really helps Edina to be special community is that all entities work well together.”
One of the most successful aspects of the chamber's partnership with the school district has been the Connecting With Kids program, launched in 1998 to maximize the city's resources in providing a healthy place to grow up. Another popular initiative has been the chamber's annual “Teacher of the Year” award.
In 2011, Edina achieved national recognition as one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People for the second year in a row, for its initiatives to foster youth experiences.
The chamber's annual events include the Emerald Gala in February, Taste of Edina and the annual meeting in May and the Golf Tournament in September. The year's Taste event, which has grown along with the city's restaurant scene, will be held on Thursday, May 17, and the chamber year culminates with the annual meeting on Wednesday, May 23.
One topic that has been receiving more attention on the chamber's agenda lately is redevelopment; maintaining economic vitality through changing trends and times is a perennial issue for mature, well-developed suburbs such as Edina.
The chamber has established an informal group to focus on redevelopment and related issues—such as the aging of the population—through discussions with property owners and developers in and around Edina, “to see if there are ways we can assist them in supporting redevelopment,” Larsen Manti says.
“Edina has always been a cutting-edge community and we want it to remain that way.”
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The Edina Chamber’s annual Taste of Edina—a delicious celebration of Edina restaurants—will be held on Thursday, May 17th, 4:30–7:30 p.m. at Centennial Lakes’ Gordon Hughes Pavilion. For more information, visit edina.org.
