STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The leadership at the Steamboat Springs Chamber is hoping that a new name, a new logo and a new website will help better define the organization’s three main goals in the community while updating a brand that has been around for more than 100 years.

The Chamber, which removed Resort Association from its name, unveiled their new brand at Friday’s Navigator Awards celebration at the top of the gondola.

“I think the Chamber’s visibility is largely on the tourism side of the equation because so much effort and focus goes into that,” said Larry Mashaw, current Chamber president. “At the same time, there is this other side of the budget, which is the membership part that comes in from the membership dues. We’re representing all membership, across all business sectors, and not just the business side.

“So this whole idea of bringing it back to the Chamber and not a calling it the Chamber Resort Association any longer, is to kind of help balance that,” Mashaw explained. “Now people can see that the Chamber is really representing all business in all avenues for a nice well-rounded economy. We are not really changing the Chamber as much as we are the perception of the Chamber.”

Glen Traylor, current vice president who will step into the role of president next month, said the process of rebranding has already been a success, and he expects it to continue to pay off as the organization moves forward.

“The Chamber has really refined its focus through its three pillars of economic development, community development and destination marketing,” Traylor said. “This is allowing the Chamber team to stay on track with what the community wants out of this organization. We want economic vitality, and our new mission makes this clear.”

Traylor said the rebranding didn’t happen overnight.

“The process has been a year-long endeavor, and I couldn’t have been happier with the end result,” Traylor said. “We held community focus groups, we worked with branding experts, and most of all, we listened to our membership.”

Chamber Executive Director Kara Stoller said the new logo and branding are the visual elements of the repositioning.

“The purpose for embarking on this discovery and planning process stemmed from a need to align, clarify and convey our priorities to the Chamber membership as well as the community as a whole,” Stoller said. “We were aware in conversations throughout the community that there was a misunderstanding or lack of information on what the Chamber had been focused on.”

The Chamber interviewed 19 individual stakeholders, hosted focus groups that reached out to 60 people and surveyed its membership as part of the rebranding process.

“We really embrace (the tourism events) no question about it, and we want them,” Mashaw said. “But it’s important to understand there is a lot of economic development activity and business support and liaisoning between the different businesses that make up the Chamber, and our goal is to make them thrive.”

To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.