SANDPOINT – In business since 1990, Keokee Media + Marketing as been an instrumental part of enhancing local businesses, including the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.

Not only do they provide support to the chamber staff with website development and maintenance, they also manage Visit Sandpoint. It’s no wonder than that the business was named the chamber’s Business of the Month for November.

When receiving the award at last week’s general membership luncheon, Keokee’s Chris Bessler gave those in attendance a history on the company’s humble beginning.

“I hung out the shingle for Keokee on May 1, 1990, and rented my first office space. I found a pretty darn good solid oak desk for $25, on which to put my Macintosh SE computer. This was right about the time Macs were radically changing the publishing business with more power in a 10-inch square box than the big old typesetting computers costing 10 times more.”

From there, Bessler had the idea to start up Sandpoint Magazine. With the support of Schweitzer Mountain, Keokee published the first winter issue in November 1990. At 32-pages, it was Sandpoint’s first color glossy magazine. After the world wide web went public in August 1991, Keokee published its first website in 1995.

Since the first magazine, Keokee has printed over 1.5 million copies, accounting for about 30 percent of their business, published more than 40 books, and provide marketing services, website development and digital marketing for companies and groups in North Idaho and around the western U.S.

Keokee also hosts more than 250 websites, many of which are non-profits. They are partners in the Sandpoint Reader, and launched SandpointOnline.com in December 1995.