Homer Alaska - Letters

On Monday morning, Sept. 26, I was in my office at the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center when at a little past 8 a.m., I had a knock on my window. Phil Morris of Alaska Ferry Adventures and Tours asked me if I had a minute to talk and of course I let him in.

He came right to the point saying that he had just heard I was not going to go to the ATIA (Alaska Travel Industry Association) convention in Juneau because the chamber could not afford to send me.

For those of you who don't know, the main server at the chamber crashed in late December last year and so far it has cost us right at $16,000. For a non-profit of our size that's a pretty good chunk of money and we have been penny pinching our way through the year.

I explained all of this to Phil and he responded by saying that if I could still go, Alaska Ferry Adventures and Tours (he) would pay all of my expenses. He made it very clear he did not expect me to go as an ambassador for his company as he was sending my wife JoJo for that purpose (she has worked for them since June). He felt very strongly that Homer should be represented at the convention and so made the offer.

I was able to go and renew friendships, make new ones, talk a lot of business that hopefully we will all see benefits from down the road. The prizes I was able to secure for the halibut derby alone made the trip worthwhile.

If you get the chance to thank Phil or any of the folks at Alaska Ferry Adventures & Tours please do so. It was an incredibly generous offer that will show immediate benefits to our community.

Monte Davis, executive director

Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center