Mayors discuss continuous growth, business at State of the City address luncheon in Hurricane

It was a packed house at the Sand Hollow Clubhouse Grille when the Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted its State of the City luncheon March 18, 2021. Photo by E. George Goold St. George News

HURRICANE — The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the City address and luncheon on Thursday at the Sand Hollow Clubhouse Grille in Hurricane.

The event drew a packed house as community and business leaders gathered to network, socialize and eat a nice lunch.

DeWynn Nelson, past president of the chamber and a current board member, said he was not surprised to see every table full for the event.

“This is usually our best attended luncheon of the year … when the mayors come to speak to us,” Nelson said.

LaVerkin Mayor Richard Hirschi, Toquerville Mayor Lynn Chamberlain and Hurricane Mayor John Bramall each gave an eight-minute speech about what’s going on in each of their cities, emphasizing on the continued growth redefining life in the area. 

While Hirschi entertained the audience with stories of people he’s known over the years who were present at the luncheon, Chamberlain talked about the growth in Toquerville as a matter of worry.

“(It) concerns me,” he said of the growth. “It really concerns me.”

Kathy Tolleson, center with envelope, was recognized as an outstanding community member at the Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce State of the City luncheon, Hurricane, Utah, March 18, 2021 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

One of the many events promoted at the luncheon was mentioned by Mayor Bramall. Copper Rock Golf Club is hosting the LPGA Symetra Tour in the inaugural Copper Rock Championship April 19-24. Some of the best women golfers in the world will compete there, he said.

“We have three great golf courses here in town,” Bramall said. “They’re known around the world.”

Bramall also talked about Balance of Nature, the St. George-based health products company that recently purchased 162 acres in the old Bench Lake area for its new campus. He mentioned the Orgill’s expansion, previously reported on by St. George News, which will add over a hundred employees to bring its total to 400.

“There were two, three, four other locations in the world they could have located it,” Bramall said. “They said they love Hurricane because they never have to shut down for snow or if it’s too cold.”

The mayors fielded a couple of questions from the crowd before the luncheon ended.

Nelson said he enjoys these luncheons, as they keep him up to date about what their concerns are with growth. 

“And also some of the exciting things that are coming up in their cities,” he added. “It’s good to learn some of the things you don’t know about if you’re not part of the city officials – that’s why there’s always such a big crowd.”

The Sand Hollow Clubhouse Grille provided much of the appeal for the business and community members, some of whom were awarded a variety of prizes and gifts just for showing up. 

“It’s great to have Sand Hollow as a venue where we can come and host events when we have more people like this,” Nelson said. “The chamber has really seen a lot of growth these past few years. There’s a lot of excitement here.”

The Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce is the largest business group serving the Hurricane Valley. They host regular luncheons on the third Thursday of each month featuring informative speakers, current event announcements, Hurricane valley updates and a delicious lunch for a minimal fee. Information about these events is available online or at 435-635-3402.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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