Chamber ready for winter season following busy summer

New software, awaiting its 501(c)(3) status

By Kendra Walker

During their December 2 meeting, the Mt. Crested Butte town council heard an update from the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce and approved a professional services agreement for 2026.

Chamber executive director Heather Leonard reported another lively and eventful summer for the Chamber and visitors centers at the Four-Way Stop in Crested Butte and at the transit center in Mt. Crested Butte. Both visitor’s centers helped a total of 22,921 visitors between May 1 and November 1, a 4% increase from 2024. Leonard noted daily walk-in numbers at the Four-Way in July regularly exceeded 200 visitors.

The largest demographic of visitors came in between 55 and 64 years old. “Overall visitation by geographic location continues to see Colorado as the number one geographic demographic, followed by the Midwest and Texas,” said Leonard. The most common reasons for visiting included summer vacation, weddings, wildflowers and hiking.

Leonard noted that while the Mt. CB Visitors Center location experienced lighter visitation over the summer, as expected, it allowed the Chamber to continue to work on upgrades for winter. “The major takeaway is that the Four-Way is busy in the summer, and the location on the mountain is busy in the winter,” said Leonard. “But we use Crested Butte as a gateway to answer questions that impact the entire valley and send visitors up to Mt. Crested Butte. We continue to strive to find better ways to connect with businesses and visitors when traffic to the base area is slower than in winter.”

The Chamber also expanded retail at the Four-Way location, including beverages and snacks, stickers, magnets, postcards and its new “I Heart CB” merchandise line. “Retail expansion remains a promising revenue stream and an enhancement to the visitor experience,” she said.

The Chamber’s summer porta potty program, which Leonard noted was more important than ever due to reduced federal funding, removed 1,456 gallons of human waste from the backcountry. “It remains one of the most significant stewardship contributions we provide to the community and public lands,” she said.

The Chamber hosted the Fourth of July Parade, which had an estimated 11,800 people in attendance according to placer.ai tracking using cell phone data and geo-fencing.

Looking ahead into the winter season, the Chamber plans to staff an extra person at the Mt. CB visitors center to ensure strong coverage during morning bus arrivals and après-ski peaks.

The Chamber has also launched a new website and is working on rolling out a new customer relationship management (CRM) software that will streamline membership management, communication and billing. “As we prepare to roll this system out to our membership and the broader community, we’re excited about the increased efficiency, clarity and impact it will bring to both our visitors centers and Chamber operations,” she said.

Leonard told the council that with the new system, they will also be able to get the new information kiosk at the Mt. CB Visitors Center up and rolling. “We anticipate finalizing the data migration in early December so we’re functional by the December holidays,” said Leonard.

​​Council member Steve Morris noted that the Mt. CB Visitors Center feels dated and wondered about allocating funds toward some updates or a remodel. “The experience just seems very dated. It’s not very exciting, it’s just bland,” he said. “It seems like there’s a way we could convey a lot more information with visuals and make it a little more interactive.”

Leonard said she was open to any suggestions.

Additionally, the Chamber has established the Chamber Foundation and is awaiting its 501(c)(3) status, anticipated in early 2026. “The Foundation will expand our grant eligibility, support leadership development, provide scholarships and strengthen stewardship funding,” explained Leonard. She is also looking at hosting more webinars and virtual meetings during the winter months, when the Chamber sees less participation in its Business After Hours events.

Leonard said the Chamber also continues to collaborate with its partners down-valley at the Gunnison Chamber and the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership (TAPP). We have better alignment on the role of each organization in our community and how we can work together to support the visitor experience and our business communities,” she said.

The Chamber currently has 296 members and added nine new members just this month. “We anticipate continued growth as members see the benefits of the new systems and improved services,” said Leonard.

“As we move into 2026, we’re looking to continue to implement changes to improve the visitor experience and our support of the business community. We’ve considered that the term ‘welcome center’ or ‘community experience hub’ may better describe the role that our visitor’s centers and Chamber play in the community,” she said. “We want to continue to lean into this as we continue to improve our operations.

The council approved a 2026 service agreement with the Chamber, and will provide $75,000 for visitor’s center operations. The town of Crested Butte approved a similar services agreement with the Chamber for the Four-Way facility at its December 1 meeting. The Chamber will get the revenues from business license fees estimated to come in at $94,500.