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Chamber, CVB: new year, new home

By Sue Sitter - | Jan 8, 2022

Sue Sitter/PCT Laurie Odden, director of the Rugby Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, unlocks the door of the chamber and CVB’s new office next to the Coffee Cottage.

The Rugby Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau have started the new year in a new home.

Chamber and CVB Director Laurie Odden said she has been busy moving her office to its new location adjacent to the Coffee Cottage on U.S. Highway 2.

Odden said chamber and CVB board members decided to make the move to increase their visibility to Rugby residents and visitors.

“It’s going to be a whole lot closer to the Geographical Center Monument,” Odden said. “I think Bruce Allen of the radio station, who serves on our board, said, ‘You’ll be right in the middle of the two monuments. You’ll have the Northern Lights Tower on one side and the Geographical Center Monument on the other side.'”

“You’ll see the red shutters,” Odden added. “We’ll have that space from the doorway going all the way back.” Odden noted the building has been a familiar sight for Rugby residents and visitors for years.

“The museum has been great. They’re not booting us out of here, Odden said with a laugh. “We’re going to try to get moving next week.”

Odden said the chamber and CVB boards also looked forward to having a place of their own for meetings rather than using the small office space at the Prairie Village Museum and holding meetings at banks or other sites.

“One of my board members said it best: ‘Now, we feel like we have our own space,'” Odden said. “Ever since our building that was located near The Hub (now First International Bank and Trust) came down, we’ve felt misplaced, like we never truly had a home. So, I think we’re excited to have a space to call our own. We can do things in it when we have board meetings. That’s one of the most exciting things – we’re feeling like we have a home.”

“We’ve looked at many options in the last few years,” Odden said of the board’s search for a space. “Honestly, when that side of the building became empty years ago, we looked at it. Then, the Coffee Cottage took over that side of the building. But, when the opportunity came back, (the building’s owners) reached out to us to ask if we would consider coming over there now.”

Odden said she looks forward to “keeping an eye on both the Geographical Center Monument and the Northern Lights Tower. It truly is interesting to see how many people stop by there every day and we’ll be so much closer. And we’ll be a little bit closer to the highway. This is a great location we’re at right now, but since the restaurant is in the Coffee Cottage building, people will just stop in and see what we have to offer.”

Odden added the board would meet with Daunne Heilman of IDesign for signage ideas to draw attention to the new chamber location. Signs advertising the Cottage Gift Store would come down.

“That’s the next step – to make sure people know where we are,” Odden said.

“Stop by and see me in the new location,” Odden added. “For now, there will be just me, so I won’t be there eight hours a day because my job is to be out and about in the community as well. But I will leave information on how people can get ahold of me.”

Odden said the chamber and CVB boards planned to hold events at the new location soon. “We’re hoping to do a chamber after-hours open house maybe in February or March, after we get settled and see where we’re at. We’re going to keep looking for information on things we’re going to do.”

“We’re going to have meeting space in the building, so we’re possibly going to rent it out,” Odden said of other ideas for the chamber’s new site. “We’d just like to maximize the chamber and convention and visitors bureau and see what we can really do in that space. It will be exciting to see where we can go from here.”