Sparks chamber makes move to provide space for growth

Growth in Sparks has driven membership with the Sparks Chamber of Commerce to record numbers. In the past four years membership has increased 65 percent to nearly 1,000 members, chamber director Len Stevens says.

All those new members forced the Sparks Chamber of Commerce to find new digs after 28 years at 831 Victorian Ave. The 850-square-foot structure replicates a railroad depot once located there.

"We don't have enough space to really serve our members anymore," Stevens says. "We have grown so rapidly, from 350 members to approaching 1,000. We need to hire more people, and to do that we have to have more space. We just can't fit anyone else in there."

The chamber's new 1,700-square-foot office is at 634 Pyramid Way on the east side of the street. The chamber will be closed through Wednesday for moving and is expected to be open on Thursday.

The new site offers eight parking spaces in the front, eight in back, as well as street parking. Located next to Interstate 80, the former chamber office was well situated for tourists seeking information. However, parking and access to the site became limited as B Street grew up and was renamed Victorian Avenue. Still, Stevens says the chamber, which is about to celebrate is 30th anniversary, served roughly 24,000 walk-in visitors just last year.

"In order for us to continue to serve our members, which is the reason for our growth, we have to be able to have the space and the personnel available to take care of their needs."

Stevens says four years ago, just 23 percent of the chamber's members were located in Reno. Today 50 percent of member businesses are in Reno. Much of that growth was fueled by the residential growth in Sparks. With the increase in new businesses, the chamber added Varney Padgett to sell memberships.

The new building also gives the chamber its own meeting space. Formerly chamber employees packed laptops and other materials to whatever meeting site was on the agenda; now they can host meetings in one location. "We will be able to be self-contained in our own office," Stevens says.