It Stays Here

#3: Brandon Tarpley on Community, Networking & What It Means to Belong in Boise

• Katiuscia Maria • Episode 3

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Some people just make a place feel like home. Brandon Tarpley is one of them.

In this episode, Katiuscia sits down with her longtime friend Brandon Tarpley — Account Manager at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce — for a conversation that goes far deeper than networking tips or business cards.

Brandon and his team at the Chamber have spent years helping nearly 2,000 member businesses find their people, their programs, and their place in the Treasure Valley. But what drives Brandon isn’t the metrics. It’s the moment someone calls to say: my business changed because of what we built together here.

In this episode, you’ll hear Brandon talk about:

Why in-person connection still outperforms every digital shortcut — even AI
-How the Chamber team guides new members without overwhelming them
-The Leadership Boise program: 50 years, 1,500 graduates, including mayors and CEOs
-Treefort Music Fest and its $10–15M economic impact on local business
-His networking rule: two or three genuine connections beats a room full of business cards
-Why “Boise Nice” is real — and why it changes how business actually works here

This is a conversation about what it means to truly root into a place — and what opens up when you do.

00:00:00 Why Human Connection Still Beats AI
00:01:01 Meet Brandon Tarpley — Boise Metro Chamber
00:02:39 A Day in the Life of the Chamber Team
00:04:48 Connecting the Dots for Local Businesses
00:13:06 Events, Ribbon Cuttings & Building Community
00:17:24 Leadership Boise: 50 Years, 1,500 Graduates
00:26:35 How to Network Without Being That Person
00:30:17 Boise: A Vast Small Town Where Everyone's Connected
00:35:49 Brandon's Boise: Greenbelt, Treefort & Local Life
00:52:00 Growth, Belonging & Reaching Out to Brandon

Connect with Brandon Tarpley on LinkedIn.
or via email at btarpley@Boisechamber.org.
Learn more at https://www.boisechamber.org/

If this conversation stayed with you — follow It Stays Here on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, and leave a review. It helps more people find their way to conversations worth having.

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Brandon:

as technology gets more and more advanced with AI there's still a need for people to meet and talk in person. And, myself and some of the other people at the Chamber, we're out there selling that, that, hey, business does happen from being in person and going to events and investing in that business community that we all work in, live in, play in,

Katiuscia:

I am so excited about this conversation today. Because when I moved here over five years ago, I always knew that I wanted to really integrate in community. It's something I've always been used to doing from where I was, and I know the importance of it and how special it is to really feel like you belong somewhere. One of the first people that I met at that time who really kind of guided me into this whole world that now I'm so involved with is my good friend Brandon Tarpley. He is an account manager with the Boise Metro Chamber, and he has like, he's the epitome I think, of what it means to live, work, and play in the city that you love. So welcome Brandon.

Brandon:

Thank you.

Katiuscia:

Thanks- Thank you for being here.

Brandon:

Thanks for, having me.

Katiuscia:

Of course. So I would love to know a little bit about what brought you to the position that you're at with the Chamber.

Brandon:

So I moved down here in 2011 my parents had an associate's degree. I moved here from Northern Idaho, a little town called Post Falls, Idaho, just outside of Coeur d'Alene. Uh, moved here in 2011. Uh, needed to go back to school. Got my undergrad in marketing, and then I graduated and started working for a little paint company called Sherwin-Williams, and they moved me away. And I moved to Tri-Cities, Washington for two years, did their manager program, and then moved to Pendleton, Oregon, where I ran about a $1.2 million paint store. learned about the and how to paint, though I wasn't a painter, learned how to run a business and realized management wasn't for me. Um, ended up getting the opportunity to move back to Boise to be a sales rep for a moving company. And when I came back, this was 2019 pre-pandemic, and didn't know anybody professionally and um, tried to guide myself into, okay, what things do I need to be a part of to meet people, you know, referral partners and somebody that might help me along the way. And I got really involved in the Chamber of Commerce and an organization called BOMA, which is the Building Owners and Management Association, and just went to pretty much every networking thing, every leads group that I possibly could and really grew my network out. And then. The opportunity came to go to work for the Chamber in a very weird time of pandemic. We're an events-driven organization and it's interesting to sell sponsorships when you can't have an in-person event and, uh, you know. At least got that opportunity and started at the Chamber in 2021 in February. And it's been quite the journey over the last five years of being at the Chamber. And I get to meet people every single day almost. And, as a marketing major and as a, I would say a business professional, learning about different businesses that are coming in and how they do what they do and being able to utilize. The and things that we do at the Chamber to hopefully end goal, grow their business, meet some people to help them because in this world of technology, I still think that nothing beats that person-to-person, communication. And as technology gets more and more advanced with AI and all these things that we have. There's still a need for people to meet in person and people to talk in person and we're out there, myself and some of the other people, at the chamber we're out there selling that, that hey, business does happen from being in person and going to events and really investing in that business community that we all work in, live in, play in all, all those different things. So.

Katiuscia:

I love it. I think I always give credit to you because that first meeting that you and I had at Dawson Taylor when you were telling me how cool it was to be an ambassador and just kind of giving me information on that, and when I joined that program through the Chamber, that was like a game-changing thing for me because it put me around so many people that I normally wouldn't have the chance to meet on a daily basis, which I was very grateful for. It was very highly involved, and I didn't really probably understand that at first, but then I just became, it's almost like you become addicted to it. Oh, well I have to do this and I've gotta go to this, and there's a ribbon cutting for this new company. And it's exciting because you get to be kind of, especially as an ambassador on the forefront of all these cool businesses and seeing them come into the valley and with you and your job, I can't even imagine how cool it is when you get to approach a big company that's not in Boise already and be that contact person and kind of share all the benefits of being, of doing business in our city, of putting boots on ground, so to say, of really rooting in. Because it's just, you're seeing the other side of it and you're able to sell that from experience and you're probably one of, one of the like handful of people that I know that actually lives and breathes and does everything that is offered to us by living here with like outdoors and everything as well. So I love that. What is your favorite part? Of your current job in bringing people here, what is, what gives you the most joy? what's the best thing that ha that has happened to you, like a cool experience of business?

Brandon:

I would say that for me, you know, I love connecting people and some companies are so niche that it's a little more difficult to do. But when somebody comes to me and they say, Hey, you've done so much for me and the fact of connecting me with these different business owners, or in the ideas that you've given me that I've now utilized in my day-to-day business, that is such a cool thing for me. And I get paid to do that. Right? and that brings me a lot of joy, that's such a cool thing to hear. Like my business has changed because of you solely. And not every person can say that, right? And that, that's just a very cool kind of full circle moment where like, okay, I'm doing something bigger than myself and, and our organization is doing something bigger than ourselves. Right. And, you know, we still have the day-to-day grind, if you will, but i, I do think that it's, showing up and doing what we're supposed to do. And, it's more than people realize. I mean, in my friend group, I'm the guy that they're like, oh, you get to go golfing during the day. Like, oh, you must work really hard. Well. Every time I do that, it's with a potential client, it's with a referral partner that he's introducing me to people, and there's enough people in the valley where, you know, I get asked if, Hey, is there gonna, is it just this, is it all the same people every time?" And I'm like, no, it's probably half and half. You get the people that are really engaged and go to everything. and Then the other half is new people that it might be their first event, it might be their second event. It's just a very interesting, business in the sense that there's always new people coming. And the amount of people that I talk to on a day-to-day basis, I like to gauge by, okay, how long have you been in Boise for? And I get the, the normal answer of like, oh, a couple years. And then I'll go on this stretch of meetings of I've been here two months. I've been here a month and I'm like, whoa. So you're like brand new. You don't know anything. Right. And it's just, it's still so diverse, you know? And it's just a very interesting type of work, I guess you could say. I feel very lucky to be in the position that I am.

Katiuscia:

You also, I think, from, from the average person outside looking into your job with like your friend group saying you just go golfing every day. Like, how does that even work? I don't understand. But Your job is a lot, a heavy part of it is social because it's relationship building and nurturing and curating and all of those things. And then you've got the admin, the normal side, the metric side that you probably have to hit as any normal job would. But I think the fact that you are so social and it does seem to come very naturally for you. I know you,

Brandon:

I try.

Katiuscia:

…so I know that it's definitely naturally like natural for you, but that's, it's just really cool to see you in your element also. And sometimes when you have a new account or a new business that came and you're like, "That's my account. And I'm like, how'd you find that? You have a knack for being able to get an ear or eye on something and find out the source and find the person you need to talk to. And in doing that, you make that person feel important that you're actually spending the time to kind of find them, even if maybe it's not. Even if they're not boots on the ground yet. Like if it's a company from another state that you hear is coming here, you have somehow found the way to get in touch with that company and make sure that they already know. It's like that warm referral, right? But you let them know that they have a place and it's like a safety thing with you. But like you're here to help and you're here to like guide the way. And I think that that's really cool 'cause you do have a very special knack for that, where it's not pushy and it's not salesy. It's legitimately hey. I'm here to help. I'm gonna answer any questions you have. What can I do to make this easier for you?

Brandon:

Yeah. And in, in my quote unquote sales pitch, if you will, you know, I always refer like, Hey, I'm not a used sales guy. I'm gonna give you everything that the Chamber has and everything that we do, and the opportunities that exist for you and I'm not gonna bug you and keep pestering you. I'll lay it out on the table and if you're interested, great. If not, that's, that's okay too. for me, I like to think that I try and connect the dots for people, right? Like, oh, I don't know. Here's, here's my situation, here's what I do. who would be a good match for me? And I'm like, have you thought about this? Have you thought about this? You know, when I first started, I had a, a company that they used to do. Residential drone photography. Right. And it was a franchise. And one of the things I started asking is, have you hit up the golf courses? because some of the nicer golf courses have drone footage of the holes or things like that that, people don't, maybe they didn't think about. Right. And trying to connect those dots for people. And you know, maybe like myself, I feel like I'm kind of a business consultant without saying I'm a business consultant because we only have so many programs and things that we do. But kind of being the, person on the outside looking into their business and trying to help them and guide them into something that they didn't realize one either existed, two, they just didn't know. Because at the end of the day, there's an organization for everything. If you're in HR, if you're an engineer, if you are, I mean, there's something for everybody and there's tons of nonprofits and there's so many different things that you can be a part of. And I think because the Chamber does so many things and we have so many opportunities that it's great to be a part of, right? And I feel that I'm the person that people are like, Hey, what's going here? oh, it's this company, or it's this, or Have you heard about this? I'm like, yeah, it's this company, right? And I'm kinda taking it back to my friend group. I'm the guy that knows what's going on here, and it's because of my day-to-day job. I mean, I do, we'll do in a single year, we'll do like. 80-plus ribbon cuttings in a year. From your small insurance company with one person to a giant company like the AZEK company. That's a big, giant manufacturer here that's been here for a couple years, I mean, it's so diverse and if people are like, Hey, I wanna get involved. I don't wanna join. What can I do? I'm like, look at our website. Look at the different ribbon cuttings. 'cause guess what? If you're a business owner and you get all these people to show up because they saw you on our website, great. It's good for everybody. It's good for the community. gets you involved in what's going on here and seeing the diversity of the businesses that are here or opening, and it's just very interesting.

Katiuscia:

I think that's a really good point also because even for anyone who has a business that maybe isn't a member, if you wanna be involved or you're considering becoming a member, or you're new in business here, whatever the case may be. If you wanna get involved with something and you wanna root in into your community, if you look at the website, if you sign up for the newsletter, right, the chamber sends out emails with, Hey, these are all of our new members. But if you go to the website and you look at the calendar of events, you also see what ribbon cuttings are going on and sometimes, it might be a small company that the average person doesn't know about, right? The small business owner might not know about this tiny other company like company to company, but if it's a big company that sounds cool, go to that ribbon cutting Go support because it's also going to allow you to meet people, and you're doing it in a way where you're supporting another business and celebrating their opening and they're rooting into the community and everything that kind of drives business. It's just this wheel that you have to keep turning it and everyone has to work together for that because it's the support, small business owner to business owner, everyone needs to support each other. And then you're really building a community. And when you get that community involvement, I think it's a really cool thing to feel like you have some, like you've got some stake in it. You have some kind of not ownership, but you have, like, I went there, oh, I saw them when they opened. that's a very cool thing for me as an ambassador when I was to have been involved in so many of those ribbon cuttings, and especially as an ambassador, when you're taking on that new member and kind of guiding them through and making sure they stay involved and that they know what's going on in, the month and all the events. It's a cool thing. 'cause then you watch them succeed and you're like, oh, I had some that I'm still friends with today. And I love that like personal friends, because you just have that connection of I'm supporting you. I'm so excited. What can I do to make it easier for you? And I'm on such a small, right? me just helping be that voice that they could call if there was a question. And then I could always refer them well you gotta call Brandon for that. But Brandon can get you, you know, when there's a. An after hour or a, Yeah, an after hours that's a, what are they called? The trade shows? Mm-hmm… oh, you wanna have a talk to Brandon because that's a really cool thing. I love those trade shows. Those are fun. and It's just business to business like.

Brandon:

Yeah. And it, at the end of the day, you know, there's two other quote unquote account manager salespeople at the chamber, and we're all pretty good about this person reached out and saying, Hey, I'm not your account manager, but here's the person that is. It's pretty easy to look up. and you know what? some of us have better relationships with certain people and some people just click really well, but at the end of the day, we're there to help. We're there to guide businesses and people into things that are gonna make sense for them. You know, one of the things I always tell people is, Hey, I don't want you to spend four hours a week of your time if it's not gonna make sense for you. and everybody's got a certain thing that they're trying to do. It's my job to find out, okay, what are you trying to do? Who are you trying to meet? What are your relevant industries that make sense for you? And the more that I know about the company, the easier it is for me. Right. And there's some people that are really, really easy. 'cause everybody can be a. A quote unquote member, and some people are a little more difficult, but I've been around long enough to know that we pretty much something for everybody. Are you a young professional that's trying to meet more like-minded younger individuals? 21 to 40. If you're in that category, we have a program for that. Are you in your. Mid-level career, just trying to meet some other of those types of people. We have a Leadership Program. It's been around for 50 years. It's graduated 1500 people. Those people now that have graduated are mayors. They are executives and CEOs, and it's, it's very interesting to, to me to see those different types of people that are out there. You know, are you trying to meet CEOs? Well, we have a couple different options for that, right? And it just, everybody's different and everybody has a different want or a need and it's kinda my job to figure that out. At the end of the day, I'm a resource for you, right? I'm not getting paid just to sit on my butt, you know, and going back to what fulfills me and what things are exciting for me, it's when somebody said, Hey. You connected me with this person. this is all because of you, and that is just such a cool feeling, because me being the outside consultant, if you will, I see things that some people don't. And I think that, you know, coming from the marketing business school at BSU that I went to, I never really thought that I would be where I'm at. And I think, a lot of people go to school and they don't, they don't necessarily use their degree. Right. And I think for me, for a while I didn't think that I did. like, why'd you go to school? Oh, well I needed a degree. Okay. Well, but being in the role that I'm in now. I look back to my degree and it has given me the ability to see things from that different perspective. And at Sherwin they would say, oh, you're, are you the person that goes into a. an Office building and looks at the paint on the wall and you're like, oh, this is the sheen of the paint. You know, you get that mind of looking at paint. and Weird thing like, I bet this is this product. Well, now in the chamber and in the role that I'm in, I look at things like sponsorships at a Steelheads game or a Boise State football game and you see a sign and my thought is like, man, I bet that was an expensive sign to have out here during this game. I look at the world a little bit different and you know, really, I feel like I use my degree a lot because of that and, and really ask the right questions and try and figure out the best opportunities that exist for a company even though I'm not on their payroll, So,

Katiuscia:

but you're there to, I like that you said you're there to kind of guide in terms of what would benefit them. Because for any company that joins something like a chamber, like the large chamber that the Boise Metro one is, it can be overwhelming when you start looking at the website and ways you can get involved or when you just briefly touch the surface with all the paperwork of, hey, you can do this, this, and that, to really understand what would benefit that member the most in terms of exactly the points you said, your business, who you're trying to reach, what you're trying to do, like all of these elements, that's total marketing 101, You know that, and I, I love that you're able to do that because it takes the pressure and the stress off of people when they're trying to figure out, yeah, I don't have my whole life to devote though, right? Like, I need to actually run my business, but what can I do to maximize the connections that I make. What is that? If I had to pick one thing, if I could spend two hours a week, what is it that I need to get involved with? They can come to you and ask that, and that is a really cool thing to be able to have that knowledge and that background that you do have to share that and guide them, and you're steering them in the direction they need to go. Because believe me, as someone who got way overly involved with everything. And it wasn't just ambassadors I was involved with, you know this. It was everything. I just put myself on every volunteer committee, every organization, like committees for real estate, whatever it was to the point that then I needed to taper back and shout out to leadership Boise, 'cause you and I are graduating. in it.

Brandon:

Yes we are.

Katiuscia:

Um, and that's been a lot of fun, but. I, I just think that what a cool job you have to have. Also, the access to so many rad people who have been, I mean from the new, the new person in town to like the big-time CEO/government official/people running the state. I mean, that is a really cool position to be in.

Brandon:

Yeah, and and we just. Shout out to my whole team for, for leadership conference. We just had it, It's a big event that we have in Sun Valley. Uh, Katiuscia was actually there with us.

Katiuscia:

I was there.

Brandon:

She's been there the last couple years and I can look back and remember the very first one that I went to and being this new guy at the chamber and, you know, sitting at this table and they're like, let's go around and just tell everybody what you do. And it's like. The CEO of St. Al's and the CEO of this and the managing partner to this. And I'm like, holy cow, this is wild to me that really I'm nobody important. And here I am sitting in this group of people that have been around for many years and. Are very established individuals, and I'm like, I'm a nobody. and then you kinda take it back and you realize they're all just people too, and I think. This event that we do, because it's in Sun Valley, it's in the va- in the Treasure Valley. I think some of those walls kinda come down and you get to see people for who they really are and actually make these connections with these people that you wouldn't probably normally get to. Um, it is a very interesting, you know, I've met people that are here f- Have been here for a month and they're like, I don't know what to do. I don't know. And I'm like, "Have you been here yet? Have you been here yet? Have you, you know, here's this company that you're with. And I think a lot of people underestimate the power of that. And, I look back and I feel like I've, I've been on both sides of the equation. I've been the person that. wasn't necessarily new here, but starting in a role where I hadn't actually been in a career-type role and didn't know what to do and how to do it, and I kinda figured it out on my own and I wish I had somebody to come sit down with me and say, Hey, you remember, here's all the things that are available to you. Because I look back now, and I'm like, man, I could've really utilized my time a lot better. especially in the moving industry. At that time, I was the only one that I felt like was doing what I was doing and really I kinda took it back to, earlier years when, hey, your, your worth is how big your network is. And for me, in the moving industry and the role that I was in, I could go into a company and. They're expanding and they're moving to a bigger building. And there's things that a moving company doesn't do. They don't do TVs, they don't do glass whiteboards, things like that. And I could go in and say, Hey, what are you gonna do with this stuff? What are you gonna do with this? We won't touch it because there's too much, um,

Katiuscia:

liability.

Brandon:

Liability in it. And say, Hey, I know somebody for this. I know somebody that can do all this for you. And so then I kinda was the project manager if you will, and like, Hey, let me take something off of your off your shoulders and you just pay the moving company that I work for and I will establish everybody else almost like a general contractor would. And that's really in that role that I was in, that was really how I show- showed my value. Because I could go in and they're like, yeah, we need somebody to take apart computers and to, unplug them, and we need people to take down all the paintings and all this different things. I'm like, do you know somebody for that? And really. I knew people in from going to the chamber events. Right. And I just, the more people I knew the better and I could utilize those people. And it amazes me. I talk to even some of the older generation and they'll be like, I, I don't know. it's a little overwhelming. you could walk into a chamber event and there's 100 people there and you're like, who am I supposed to talk to? I'm like. Don't look at the room and say, I need to talk to 100 people. I don't even talk to 100 people. I have my certain people that I talk to and I try and meet as many new people as I can, but really just having a goal of I need to meet two or three people. Right. And then, and don't be the guy that's, Hey, I have this pen. Do you wanna buy this pen? This is a really great pen. Don't be that guy. Don't be that girl. Don't be that person, Yeah. Say what you do and be like, are you new to Boise? Have you been here a while? And actually make this genuine connection with people and the business side of that will follow. Because at the end of the day, if you're top of mind and all of a sudden you've ran into the same person and you've had coffee with them, and all of a sudden you're talking with somebody else. and you can then be like, oh, I know this person that I've met a few times and they're pretty awesome. You should talk to them." And really, it's that snowball effect and it takes a little while. It's not just an overnight thing. You can't go to an event and be like, I met these four people. Okay, great. Never gonna go to an event again. Right. You gotta, follow up, get three good business cards and then ask them to coffee. 'Cause if you're involved in the chamber, you're probably trying to do the same thing as they are just trying to get their name out there, grow their network. It's, it's pretty basic.

Katiuscia:

I love that you're giving such sound advice and tips for, even for me, for being in the same relationship-type business. Right. We we're, we're, in the business of people like we, our relationships are everything to Us, our referrals are everything to us, and this is stuff that we do. We have to remember to make it personal, not make it so business, not just fling your card to everybody. You want that genuine connection. I don't even have the mental capacity to be able to talk to that many people. I like the smaller networking events. Even in my own business, some of those chamber things were overwhelming because they're, they are big, but I go into it with the same mentality I go into like a real estate networking thing. I need to focus on meeting. A handful of people having good conversations where they remember my name and I remember their name, and I can follow up with them. And you build that genuine connection because no one wants to feel like they're being sold at an event. you're going there. Probably everyone kind of, especially if they're new with the same, I don't know, the same mentality, the same feeling of, okay, it's a little overwhelming. There's too many people. So if you just take it a step back and you go and you're like, I'm just gonna build some gen, like give me a friend. Right? And it is being top of mind. And at the end of the day, what do people do business with? They do business with people they know, like, and trust. And that goes, I think, for every relationship/sales role is those are the people you wanna do business with.

Brandon:

Yeah. And I I don't think it matters what industry you're in,

Katiuscia:

right.

Brandon:

At all. I don't. And, and even at the end of the day, some of my good friends. That, I met them at a chamber event, or I met them at a networking group. And they're some of my, from like a business perspective, they're some of my best business friends that I go to lunch with every four to five weeks. And it's people that I met before I even worked at the chamber, and now they're Good friends of mine and we'll share leads who do you, who are you working on? here's, I got a couple of these companies that just joined that I feel like you might be a good fit for them. And it's all about building those relationships right at, at the end of the day, don't look at it as work, just meet people. Right.

Katiuscia:

Yeah.

Brandon:

And, and especially, we're a pretty small, I always tell people that Boise's a pretty small town. Right, and people may disagree with me, but really it is, and I notice it all the time, especially on LinkedIn, right? I would guess that most people are probably one degree away from everybody else in the grand scheme of things. Even newer people, right? I see pictures all the time that I'm like, I didn't know that person knew that That's, I've never seen them at an event together or something like that. But all of a sudden there's pictures. and I'm like, oh, okay. so that one degree, it's a lot, and it's kinda wild to see the things that have formed and the bonds from people that just from. being nice, right?

Katiuscia:

Yeah.

Brandon:

That Boise Nice. It's a thing.

Katiuscia:

It's a total thing. I, I love it. Um, I will say, I always refer to Boise and just the Valley in general as a vast small town, because it is vast. but At the end of the day, everyone, majority of everyone is connected in some kind of way. So, and not just my industry, 'cause my industry is a big industry as well, but with everything I've been getting involved with over the past five years that I've been here, you start to notice the connections industry to industry. But really they're all circulating community as the main core. like the foundational element is community and everyone wants to pour into their community, and I feel when you're talking to new businesses and you're guiding them on how to get involved and how to do this. The overall premise is people also wanna do business with, they wanna support a business who's doing for the community, who's good to the community, who stays involved. So that's a big element as well. 'cause it's, this is the first time that I've moved somewhere. I mean, coming from San Diego, which is bigger, I was still very involved. But this gives me an opportunity to have, I guess, to leave more of a footprint because it is so focused on. We do everything. It is Boise Nice. but everything is for the betterment of Boise in general.

Brandon:

Yeah. And I think that there's also, almost little, I would say pocket communities in the sense of like different organizations that are out there. I have a, a story of a lady that I met that's been here for 30 years she's a realtor and. She joined the chamber and, about a year into it, she goes, I've been here for a very long time and I had no idea that all these things existed. And I kick myself now for not being involved 20 years ago because the amount of people that I've met, the amount of friends that I've met in just a couple years, we're like our own little ecosystem, if you will. And it's. hearing things like that is, kinda goes back to that. The things that we do at the chamber and the things that we do in our day-to-day, it's bigger than all of us, right? It's bigger than our team. And we're a big chamber of commerce from the sense of how many members that we have, how many staff members that we have. we are almost 2000 members. We are. 10, 11 employees. That's good size for a chamber of commerce. But the amount of things that we do with the staff, that we have 25 large scale events that are 150 plus people a year, 80-plus ribbon cuttings. we have our after hours once a month. We have, all these different things and we're pretty small staff for, all the things that we do. And people are like, oh, why don't you just add this to the chamber stuff? And we're like, yeah, I don't, I don't think we're gonna be able to do that. We're,

Katiuscia:

we're a little tapped.

Brandon:

right now. We're a little, t- you know, I'm looking at the schedule and there's like 25 ribbon cuttings. There's some, some days where we have three plus. Three or four large scale events plus our networking event that happens every month and you're like, okay, pony up. It's, it's game time.

Katiuscia:

What's the biggest event of the year? Is it the gala or is it the golf Like what's the actual biggest chamber event in the valley?

Brandon:

I would say the, the biggest chamber event is our annual gala.

Katiuscia:

Okay.

Brandon:

And it, it supports our programming that we do. we pretty much max out Boise Center. So we have about 900 business people. it's, a big event. It's fun. We have a live auction. Um, word on the street is we're trying to get a puppy.

Katiuscia:

Oh, really?

Brandon:

Yeah.

Katiuscia:

Oh my gosh.

Brandon:

We get donations from people. If you wanna donate, message me. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, it's, a, I mean, it's a big event. Our, Our, top two I would say is our annual gala and our. Small Business and Chamber Excellence awards.

Katiuscia:

Mm-hmm.

Brandon:

On June 23rd, that is usually about 500 plus at Boise Center, where we highlight local, small businesses and we have all these different categories and it's award ceremony for those, member businesses. so yeah, I mean there's, there's a lot of things that we do and we're kind of. It, always goes in waves, you know, wintertime, not a ton going on May, June, will be busy and then dead of summer it slows down a little bit and then we're back up. rip-roaring in August and September.

Katiuscia:

Oh my gosh. So tell me, aside from business, that's your work, what is your live and play like? What are the things you love about living here?

Brandon:

So being from Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Northern Idaho area, everything was a lot more spread apart. And obviously the lakes are a little more prettier than the reservoirs. And yeah, you see mountains all the way around us, up there and here. I think in town you don't, you don't think, Hey, we're in a desert, even though we are. And it makes me laugh 'cause people will be like, oh. See all the snow in the mountains. I'm like, those aren't mountains, those are hills. Those are the foothills. Like big difference in mountains. But one of the cool thing that I found very early on in Boise is that, you know, things like the Greenbelt, things like the river, I loved in college being able to. ride my bike around. Nine months out of the year. I rode my bicycle to work. I rode my bicycle to school. I still currently live only a couple miles from downtown. Don't really like the hill on the bench, so my wife and I got e-bikes, so it's pretty easy to get up and down and just being able to, you know, I, I get this itch for-- I'm a big outdoorsman guy, so I love to fish, so I'll Get this itch and I'm like, okay, let's go fishing." So I'll jump on my e-bike and ride down on the Greenbelt and go find spots along the Greenbelt that I can fish that maybe not everybody else does. Um, I'm a big patio-hopping brewery guy, so middle of summer, jumping on the bicycles and going to hang out on patios and drink craft beer. those things really I think are what really makes Boise cool. I think for me for a very long time when I was a server, 'cause I was a server all the way through college and people would be like, why would you ever move? Leave from Coeur d'Alene? It's beautiful. I'm Like, when did you go? most of these people have been there a couple times. Like, when did you go? They're like, yeah, in July. And in the summer." I'm like, "Well, yeah, that's the best time to be there. It's the other nine months. It's The other nine months because the, seasons are a little more harsh, a lot more snow, a lot colder, a lot more rainy. And because everything's so spread apart up north, it's pretty calm. There's not a lot going on. And here in Boise, I can do all the things that I did in that area. But a thousand times more. There's always something to do. There's always something going on. Whether that's going to Botanical Gardens for a, a concert

Katiuscia:

Outlaw Fields.

Brandon:

At Outlaw Field-

Katiuscia:

It's coming up. I know.

Brandon:

Or even their smaller, like great garden escape ones. I mean, there's always the farmers market downtown. there's something all the time going on. And that's really truly what makes Boise, I think awesome, is that there's just, there's always something to do. I can go snowboarding in the winter, 45 minutes from here. Maybe not this year, last year, but you know, um, but for those outdoors things like I'm a hunter, I can drive an hour away and get into the woods and get into national forest where I can still hopefully find an animal, right? And there's those, all those things really, make this place amazing. and When I first moved down here and finally found a group of friends because when I first moved down here, I'm like, "God, I don't, I don't know if I wanna stay. I don't know if I wanna live here forever. And then I got some friends, and then I realized how amazing this place was because you don't know what you don't know,

Katiuscia:

right?

Brandon:

Being able to jump on a bicycle and I'm gonna ride to Revolution and go to a concert, or I'm gonna go to a Boise Music Festival. And I can ride my bike there 'cause of the Greenbelt, right? And you don't know what you don't know. And then all of a sudden I learned all those things and then it was, I'm never going back to Coeur d'Alene, I'm gonna be here forever. And I had to move away for a few years just to build a, build a resume. But I always knew I was gonna end up here. And I moved back here and bought a house and I've now been here. The second time around six years, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.

Katiuscia:

And you love to… You're a big Treefort-er.

Brandon:

Big Treefort-er

Katiuscia:

You love that.

Brandon:

big Treefort-er. Mm-hmm.

Katiuscia:

I still haven't done it. I think one of these years I will. but I think I, I get a little overwhelmed with, is it so many people? Am I gonna be able to park? Am I gonna be able to do it? But then I see some of the, the bands and the artists, and I'm like, I wanna be there. I wanna go. It just seems like a, a whole vibe.

Brandon:

And I'm not a huge like, indie-type music person. I mean, I'm like, I'm a '90s baby, like early 2000s, that's my jam. All those people are old now and not quite doing what they used to. But you know, I, I walk away from Treefort every year and I have five or six new bands that I really, really liked that are more my style and because of that I continue to go. Right. And I think that, it's one of those things that Treefort is growing every, every year and it, it'll be exciting to see what happens. Because it's so busy nowadays that, things might have to change a little bit. You know, when you can't go into a single venue because they're all lines for days. So like, okay, this isn't no little music festival anymore. we're on the ma- It's a big deal.

Katiuscia:

Are people coming from other states to get to Treefort? depending, I guess, on who the, who the lineup is, right?

Brandon:

Yeah, absolutely. I think that people are like, I've never. Been here. Um, I seen a, post from Treefort on Instagram and it was asking people like, how many Treeforts have you been? And hearing the answers of everybody, and like, oh, I've, It's my first, oh, this is my third. I'm like, this is my sixth. As of this year in March was my sixth and, uh. I'm like, okay, I've been around. I know what's up over here. Um, but there is, it, you know, and, for me, I look at Treefort kind of in a different, I guess, view of it. being in the line of work that, that I'm in, Treefort and the economic impact and the things that it does is just amazing. you think in five days. Economic impact somewhere between 10 to $15 million that's being pumped into the downtown core and the local economy.

Katiuscia:

to That's so much.

Brandon:

Yes. It, and that and that. So it's one of those things that I look at now and I'm like, holy cow. That's one thing. That's one event. 10 to $15 million of people going to dinner, people going to get drinks before a certain band, you know, the hotels, I mean, I bet almost every hotel is booked during that time and that economic impact. And as much as I, I, I had a LinkedIn post and I put, well, if you like Treefort or not, it's here. Happy Treeforting." because. Some people don't like it. It's hectic, it's chaotic. There's a lot of people out, there is a lot, traffic is terrible downtown because there's 15,000 people running around all day every day. I mean, it is, but people don't look at the, plus side of that. Look how much money is being pumped into our local economy that's helping these small mom-and-pop shops down on Main Street. You know, it's things like that that people, I don't think. They underestimate that and that there's a lot of money coming into here and there's a lot of good things that Treefort does and put some of that money back into the economy. And that's, that's one thing that, being in the role that I am, that I look at, like it's not just, oh, there's just a bunch of people dressed in outfits, running around. No, I mean, there's a lot of money being put back into the economy because there's 500 bands on top of the 500 bands, there's also an extra 10, 15,000 people here.

Katiuscia:

Good point. So you're, I was gonna ask how many people typically go to Treefort. You answered, but I Forgot

Brandon:

and don't quote me on that because

Katiuscia:

No, no, no, no …I don't

Brandon:

know the actual numbers.

Katiuscia:

No, No, no, But I forgot that you can buy the passes to Treefort, but then there's a lot of like venues and places that are free, or do you just pay a cover or something or whatever that venue may have. You're not, you don't actually

Brandon:

Some of them

Katiuscia:

…need the Treefort, the actual all-access pass. You can see there's still access to these other bands. So whether you got the pass or not, you can still see it. So you can still experience it. And yes, it makes sense. All the money being pumped in, I guess I never realized it was that big because I'm not here. I, I live a little further west, Like, I don't live downtown or near downtown. But to me, I'm just like, "I don't know. It sounds like a lot of people. Sounds like it's gonna be crazy. How am I gonna park? But that's when I'd probably just park at your house. and be like-

Brandon:

Oh yeah.

Katiuscia:

I don't know If I can e-bike.

Brandon:

take a scooter down,

Katiuscia:

Oh gosh. take a scooter down. I don't know if know if me on a scooter. I don't know if That's very smart. But um, no, that's awesome. So if you had to tell people. The best things to do if they were gonna, if they wanted to either start a business here or they just wanted to see what it was like before they decide if they wanna start a business, you know what I mean? Or just someone visiting Boise and the Valley. What are the absolute musts? like, "Hey, you should come during this time of year because this is what you can experience.

Brandon:

I wouldn't say during Treefort.

Katiuscia:

Okay. Okay.

Brandon:

I, I think I, I love Treefort. I don't think Treefort is a great example of what Boise is all the time. Right.

Katiuscia:

Sure.

Brandon:

I think, I think probably the best time to, to be in Boise is probably May or like September. Right? Because it gets real hot obviously in the summertime. so that may, when it's not 110 degrees out, go check out the farmers market, jump on the Visit Boise website and see what's going on. we have Shade City Brew Fest coming up at, Botanical Gardens. That's a really fun thing to do. Um, you know, I, I've learned to go to the city that you're going to and look up the Visit whatever city they all have one It's all a tourism division. Visit Boise. Visit Coeur d'Alene, Visit Austin. 'cause they'll show you what's going on and there's always a huge list. I mean, just I think seeing how clean the city is and walking around downtown and. there's always something to see and, and I take it for granted. you take somebody in freak alley and people are like, oh, this is so cool. And I'm like, I haven't been there in years walking through there. 'cause it's just, I'm like, oh yeah, it's freak Alley. Like, I just, go through it a couple times and you know about it and you probably don't usually go through it again.

Katiuscia:

I always send people to Freak Alley because. Coming from a place where there was graffiti everywhere downtown. And I will say, I mean props to our downtown because it is the cleanest, it is so nice. It's organized. It's a beautiful grid where you're not getting lost and it's just, it's a well-oiled machine, Freak alley is so cool 'cause it's purposeful graffiti. But it was just a really incredible concept that you're bringing all of these collaborative, like just collaboration among artists to do something so big and it's impactful because it's, everybody knows Freak Alley and you just look at it and you're like, wow. I mean this is, this is part of downtown and it's in a really cool part of downtown.

Brandon:

Yeah.

Katiuscia:

I mean, it's a great part of downtown where you got bars and restaurants, so I love Freak Alley. I also love Fall. Are you a big Float The River person? I forgot.

Brandon:

Not really.

Katiuscia:

Okay.

Brandon:

I, I do like to float the river, but my wife doesn't swim.

Katiuscia:

Okay.

Brandon:

So I think it's a little more stressful for her.

Katiuscia:

Okay.

Brandon:

So, and I'm cheap, so I'm not gonna like go re- $60, $80 raft. Um, but it is very fun. I think, I was always the person like, I'm gonna go get this tube and I'm gonna just sit my butt in a tube and I don't have to be attached to anybody. I can just let go and, get down the couple small rapids that they have. And, I think it's a great thing that we have. And another thing that I take for granted, right? Because not, not every city has that, and I think there's something for everybody. What is it that you like to do? Right? Do You like to golf, okay? In, in the valley we have. 15 golf courses, probably, maybe not quite that many, but close to, and they're not all right in town.

Katiuscia:

Sure.

Brandon:

But there's still a lot, you know, it's very diverse in that, I mean, do you, I'm not a big like fine art guy, but there's fine art downtown. Do you like cool little shops and funky shops? We have that downtown. I think that our restaurants here are awesome. I mean, you have some really cool places like Bitter Creek, that it's not a, it's not a corporate restaurant. You have, a lot of these, you have like Goldy's that's not a corporate restaurant, and those are some of the busiest restaurants. Here in the valley. I mean, of course you have like Barbacoa. you have Coa De Jima downtown. I mean there's a lot of these restaurants and stuff that I take for granted and don't even think about how cool they are. And when I have friends that visit, I have friends that visit from California and they're like, I could see myself living here. I'm Like, yeah, 'cause Boise's the best, it really truly is. And, and. I always have friends that are wanting to come and visit me because they're like, oh, I, I think Boise's pretty cool. Yeah, I'll come visit you. there's just, there's, so the, s- the list of things to do is endless and, and it's not just for one specific type of person. You can, if you like to fish, if you like to hunt, if you like the mountains, if you like to mountain bike, if you like to hike. I'm not a big hiker, but if you like to hike, we have,

Katiuscia:

we have that.

Brandon:

We have that, right? Mm-hmm. And very, very close to the urban areas, right? And so there's always something to do,

Katiuscia:

and the access is so easy to all of these places. When you talk about fishing. And you're able to snowboard 45 minutes away. All of these things are so close, and that's kind of the benefit of living that I've found here is, okay, I might not live right downtown, but I can get there quick And if I need to go up north, I've got the acc- it. It's just, you can get there wherever you need. So I love that because that a lot of cities aren't like that,

Brandon:

No.

Katiuscia:

you know?

Brandon:

not, not at all. And you know, being from Coeur d'Alene, it's it's beautiful in the summertime and Things are spaced out. You're not taking a bicycle, the three miles it takes to get to Coeur d'Alene from Post Falls. Realistically not, there's not an easy path for that, but I sure as hell can jump on my bicycle from living pretty close to downtown and ride my bike to Eagle, or I can ride to the golf course on Warm Springs. and it's not very difficult because of the greenbelt, And it's those things that make Boise one of the greatest places, I think, in my own opinion, to live. And I just, I hope that it stays like that with the growth that we're seeing. Right. And, and I know that people hate growth and, it's catch-22. There's a lot of things that we have because we grew, look, we have, we went from having no In-N-Outs to three in a matter of one year. Right.

Katiuscia:

That was wild.

Brandon:

And people complain about growth, but they love In-N-Out. Right. Or Topgolf,

Katiuscia:

Right.

Brandon:

If Topgolf being such a thing, you know, we wouldn't have a Topgolf if it wasn't for the growth that we're having. Right. And seeing these upcoming markets. And it's funny to me because I hear these people are like, oh, growth and I hate the and I'm like, "Yeah, but it comes with these upsides too. Right. And I have friends that are back home in northern Idaho and during that pandemic time when everybody was moving and, and the growth was off the charts, where were they going? They were going here and they were going up there. And the things that I experienced when I was a kid up there, it's not the same. it's taking 25, 30 minutes to go three miles. Depending on what time of day it is here, it could take you that,

Katiuscia:

sure.

Brandon:

But if it's middle of the day, it's not taking you that. Right. And so I always tell people that at least, because we were an urban area, we had a little better infrastructure to help accommodate that growth. You know, I, I find myself double-guessing that. Sometimes when I'm driving around, I'm like, it is middle 00 PM What are all these people doing? 00 AM in the morning and the freeway's backed up on Meridian. and I'm like, what is going on? But I also, am kind of the person that lives in my little bubble. I don't have to go more than about two miles to get to everything. that I-

Katiuscia:

you really don't that I need to do. You're very lucky. That's true. I would say, you know, growth like anything and. I remember having to, or I felt like I had to defend myself for a while when I first moved here, especially meeting, I don't know, neighbors or people. And then I had to do my car registration switch and it's from California to Idaho, and I heard all these horror stories about you better change your plates immediately or someone's gonna do damage to your car. N- no one ever even looked at my car twice. I think it was just that. Fear that a lot of people had of, well, we are coming from California and this is very opposite than California in many ways. Right? Especially politically, which is a lot of people were coming for political refugee. But I think when you go to a new place, you just, you're going there because you want that, right? You want that lifestyle. You want that Boise Nice. I wanted that. And when people come here and they. Don't kind of acclimate or assimilate to it, and they just live their own life or they try to change things. It's like, no, that's why people are gonna complain about the growth because we just wanna keep it. If you realize what a special place this is, and you do, and I do, and everybody really knows how special Boise and the Valley is. Why would you wanna change that? You can contribute positively to the growth and make it such a positive, good experience. Like, hey, I'm rooting in. and that's where community, it all stems back to community. I'm gonna pour into this community and give it the same love as like, the love that I feel that I move when I moved here of everyone waving at me and me not feeling like they're throwing up gang signs. You're just, they're, they're waving and they're being kind and this is a legitimate thing and I love it so much. So. It's easy to wanna do business in a, in a place and build those relationships with business owners because it's, they make you, it's like very reciprocated, you know? It's like that. It's just a generosity thing that comes right back to you, and it's just this circle that keeps going. And I love that feeling.

Brandon:

Yeah. And, and taking it back to like my work meetings and things that I tell people, I'm like, you know what, if you're coming to a chamber event. Guess what, everybody in the room is trying to do the same thing you are. They're gonna be very open to coffee meetings. They're gonna be very open to connecting on LinkedIn. Because they're all doing the same thing. That's what they're there for. And I think that that's just that reciprocating like, Hey, I'm gonna be nice to you and, and I'm gonna… let's go to coffee and let's do this. And, e-eventually the business will follow it. And, and some people just need a little guidance on like. What should I do? What things should I be involved in? You know? And, and every, there's something for everybody.

Katiuscia:

Yeah.

Brandon:

Right.

Katiuscia:

Yeah. I will say that with all of the networking opportunities through the Chamber, through just the Valley and all the other organizations. Maybe you're not going to do specific business with someone, right? Maybe they've got like whatever you're looking to do business for. Maybe they already have a person or maybe they're in the same business, but I've met some amazing friends. I've made so many friends through that, and that was another reason when I was sitting down with you originally years ago. was Like, I don't know anybody here. I'm in a place where I have to build a business, but I also just don't know anybody and I just wanna make friends. I want the cool people to just be around me so I can be in the same room as them and find my people. You have to find them in some way. So I think I just love it for that. And I love, I love being part of a community, and I do feel like Boise really does that, And the business community, and especially downtown, and just the collaboration among everyone. It's a beautiful thing to see. I see that you do a great job at your actual job of connecting people, of guiding them, of just really showing them the benefit of doing business in Boise. And I love that. And then you also get to live it where you're probably the most social person I know, and I'm like, oh. if Only I had, if I had the social s- calendar of Brandon, I don't know how I would do it, 'cause I am like, tired. But I love it because you're just like, let's go, let's go. And you're doing it for the betterment of this community, and you're meeting all these cool people and they know like you're their, if you're their person, you're their person. they just, they know and you are connected and I love it. And you do know what's going on all the time.

Brandon:

Yeah. And I mean, I'm just like anybody else. I have a, I have a, uh. What do they call it? A, uh, social meter. And like, I, I have days where, okay, I had a ribbon cutting and I had an event and I had this, and I get home and I'm like, I don't wanna talk to anybody. just wanna sit and, and kinda hang. But it takes a lot to get me to that point, right. And so I think that, you know, I, people tell me all the time, like, man, you're everywhere. I'm like, it's kinda my job. You know? But I enjoy that. I like, if I had to sit on my butt all day behind a computer, I would go absolutely crazy. There's no way I could do it. And I'm, just that much of a people person to, where I couldn't do it. even if I have two days in a row where I don't have meetings with people, I feel like that, like I'm gonna go stir crazy because I hate just, I f- Trying to find members or whatever I'm doing, in the office, sitting on the computer. I would much rather be out having meetings and you know, taking people to coffee and Hey, what do you do? How can I help? You know, have you ever thought about this? That is way more fun than sitting on a computer all day

Katiuscia:

For sure. For sure. I agree. I agree with that. Okay. So if people wanna do, if they need to start and you know they wanna do business, are we gonna, we're gonna put in the notes how they can reach out to you with, we'll put your LinkedIn in there.

Brandon:

Okay.

Katiuscia:

Your email.

Brandon:

Yeah,

Katiuscia:

put your email. Okay. You can find Brandon on LinkedIn and and I'll include that in the notes. And, um, thank you for coming on. Thank you for sharing what you love so much about this great community that I feel blessed to be a part of as well. And I'm super grateful to be friends with you. You were one of my first good friends and now to like be full circle with you and be friends with your wife, I just, I love it. So I'm grateful for you.

Brandon:

Of course.

Katiuscia:

and thank you for coming on today. This was a lot of fun.

Brandon:

Yeah. if anybody needs to reach out and ask me what the chamber's all about, i've been there long enough to where I feel like I'm a pretty good representation on, on what we do and how we can help. So. I'm i'm here to help you.

Katiuscia:

Awesome. Thank you, Brandon.

Brandon:

So thank you.

Katiuscia:

Okay. Bye everyone.

Brandon:

Bye.