Retiring Chamber Director Kevin Gartland ushered visitors, fought for locals

Kevin Gartland sees strength and a willingness to work together in the rising leaders of Whitefish as he retires as executive director of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce.  

Gartland handed over the reins to Katherine Archibald July 5 after 17 years of service.  

Working with the members of the Chamber has been the most fulfilling part of his job, he said. Observing people rise from hospitality gigs to upper management roles has been particularly rewarding. 

“Now they’re colleagues and board members and they’re taking leadership roles,” he said. “That makes me feel like we've accomplished something — to have played a role in helping people move along, and getting them involved in the community, with a sense of civic responsibility.” 

There are many younger residents that remind him of himself when he was their age, Gartland said.  

“They're very idealistic, very passionate. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes they're wrong. But you need to have them out there, beating the drum and trying to stick up for themselves,” he said.  

BORN IN Hollywood, Gartland was attending UCLA when he took a break for a winter of ski bumming in the late 1970s, giving him his first taste of Montana.  

He returned to school for a few journalism courses and then moved to Helena with his wife, Debbie, where they started a concert production business. 

“I like throwing a big party,” Gartland said. “My mom used to love throwing a big party, and she was really good at it. And music was my passion in my younger years, so it kind of morphed together.” 

While hosting music events, Gartland spent his early career working up the journalism ladder. He spent six months in Helena as a TV sports reporter and later hopped from a Jackson Hole newspaper to a couple of California newspapers before landing a job as a managing editor in Mammoth Lakes. He later took a public relations job before moving to Florida in 1996.  

In Florida, Gartland saw an easy transition of his skills as he took leadership roles with the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce.  

With kids in college, the recession hit hard in 2008. But the struggles also brought the opportunity for the Gartlands to come home.  

Gartland was hired as Whitefish Chamber of Commerce executive director in late 2009.  

“It took us 30 years to get back, but this is where we wanted to be,” Gartland said. 

WORKING for the people of Whitefish has been a challenging, often counterintuitive balancing act.  

“As the Chamber of Commerce we're supposed to be encouraging progress, encouraging change,” Gartland said. “Here in Whitefish, you have to balance that out with what the community wants, not just what is good for business.  

“It’s difficult because everybody’s favorite day in Whitefish is their first,” he added. “So it's been tough at times, but getting the housing effort off the ground has been satisfying.” 

Gartland co-founded the city’s first Housing Needs Assessment in 2016, oversaw the 2017 Workforce Housing Masterplan, and led the campaign to designate $22 million in future resort tax funding to community housing. 

During his tenure, Gartland also strengthened governmental advocacy for business priorities at local, state and federal levels.  

Gartland founded Glacier AERO, the nonprofit that has attracted more frequent and affordable air service to Glacier Park International Airport. 

“We tried to raise awareness of, ‘We’ve got something here. How come people aren’t flying here?’ And they discovered us,” Gartland said.  

Glacier AERO became a self-sustaining organization, Gartland’s “favorite type,” he said. 

“It's not the chamber's job to run air service. It's not the chamber's job to run affordable housing. But somebody has to be the impetus to get people working on it.  

“My philosophy is, put a strong board together and spawn them into their own organizations so they can pay full-time attention to what they do.”  

Gartland also leaves a legacy in establishing the Great Northwest Oktoberfest, a community favorite since 2010.  

“Everybody told me it wouldn’t happen,” he said. “I’ve been very happy to see it grow.”  

In his first year on the job, the Chamber also held an indoor golf tournament, relaunched a luncheon series, and invigorated the Christmas Stroll with the “World’s Shortest Christmas Parade,” frozen turkey bowling and a K-9 keg pull. 

Gartland would continue to pour energy into events that benefited locals throughout his career, including the Christmas Stroll, Fourth of July fireworks, Huckleberry Days, Small Business Saturday and FishFest.   

This fall Gartland will attend Oktoberfest perhaps for a day or two, not for six days into late hours of the night. In retirement Gartland will also play catch up and get the trailer out to go camping and visit family.  

“My wife has a ‘honey-do’ list. I gotta tell you, it’s long,” he said. “We’re going to travel... go see my dad, he’s 94. All our kids are in Florida and Alabama. 

“When I was a kid, my dad was a cop, and we went out camping. All my kids are campers... I will enjoy it until I can’t crank the damn thing.”  

Gartland will continue to appreciate skiing and Whitefish Mountain Resort’s authenticity as a staple of keeping Whitefish what it has been.  

“It’s because guys like Nick [Polumbus, resort CEO] and Dan [Graves] before him weren’t afraid to work the lines once in a while,” he said.  

“I appreciate everybody wanting to keep the Whitefish that they love intact. It's a tough battle to do, because we see it slipping away all the time.  

“But I think it's worth the fight. And it's the young folks who have to continue to fight that fight.”  

THE CHAMBER is in good hands after Gartland’s last day on July 5.  

Chamber staff Shannon Fremont-Smith, Debbie Webb and Dawn Jackson are the best at what they do, Gartland said.  

New Executive Director Katherine Archibald began earlier this summer. The Lethbridge, Alberta native and former Great Falls Chamber of Commerce employee was chosen among four finalists.  

“I told the board, find somebody who wants to be here, and build from that,” Gartland said of the search process.  

The Chamber’s board was impressed with Archibald because she “spoke the language,” Gartland said. “She talked like a chamber person.”  

Archibald was ultimately chosen for her chamber experience and credentials and for her fit with the community, he said.