Daily Bee named top chamber business
<p>Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce CEO Kate McAlister presents the business of the month award for January to Daily Bee publisher David Keyes and members of the staff. Pictured in the back row, from left, are Theresa Alderman, Sheri Jones, Renee Tibbetts, David Keyes, Amber Bangeman, Kate McAlister and Melanie Till. (Photo courtesy GREATER SANDPOINT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)</p>
SANDPOINT — The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize Bonner County Daily Bee as January’s Business of the Month.
As a community newspaper, the Daily Bee is dedicated to providing local news, from what happened at the Bonner County Commission meeting to how the Bulldogs and Wampus Cats did the night before, said publisher David Keyes.
“People want local news and crave to be active and in the know in their communities, this is where we come in,” Keyes said.
“The Daily Bee staff does an outstanding job of keeping the Bee relevant.”
The Bee and its staff works hard to give community residents the information they need — through stories and advertising — to be connected to each other and their community through a variety of means, from print to Facebook to online.
“We work to deliver a product that is uniquely important and intimately local,” Keyes said.
Being a community newspaper means getting involved in the community, both on an individual level by staff members and as a newspaper, Keyes said.
Among the biggest partnerships the paper is involved in is Toys For Tots, where the Bee works with the Sandpoint Lions to raise money to ensure every child in the community has a merry Christmas. Each year, the drive provides toys for 700-plus children as well as 150-plus gift certificates for teens and food boxes for about 500 families with money raised by the community.
The newspaper also works in partnership with the Bonner Community Food Center on its turkey drive, running a regular column in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Like Toys For Tots, the column tracks donations and helps the food bank give families in need a turkey for the holiday.
Each May, the newspaper’s staff hits the streets to raise money for a local charity. Last year, the staff gathered at North Boyer Avenue and Cedar Street during Lost in the ’50s seeking donations for Jacey’s Race.
In addition, the newspaper has published numerous books on the history of the community, both to celebrate its people and places and preserve its past; and works in partnership with local business and the school district to get newspapers into the schools as part of its Newspapers in Education program.
Information: www.bonnercountydailybee.com.