On a brisk April morning, community leaders and business owners gathered on South Main Avenue to cut a ribbon that symbolized far more than a fresh coat of paint.
The Aztec Chamber of Commerce officially celebrated its renovated headquarters at 123 S. Main Ave., marking a milestone in a yearslong effort to rebuild the organization from what members once described as “rock bottom.”
The chamber quietly moved into the space last summer, but Friday’s ceremony served as a public celebration of that progress. For longtime volunteers like Debbie Klein, it marked the culmination of a turnaround once hard to imagine.
Hannah Browning, Aztec Chamber of Commerce director, said the move took place last June, but the office did not fully open until late July or early August. Improvements have continued since then.
The new space includes a large meeting table, a conference room with a TV for Zoom meetings, new cabinets and a sink, and a lobby area that will also serve as an event space.
“This is something the Chamber has worked toward for many years and we are so excited to finally celebrate it with our community,” Browning said in a news release.
The upgrades took place over several months through the work of board members, including Klein and chamber President Lisa Marie Jacobs.
“We’re really proud of our logo, too,” Browning said.
The logo is meant to evoke the iconic Money Saver bridge. Browning said the orange represents residents who grew up and attended high school in Aztec, while blue and green reflect financial and business growth.
“The concept was a group thing that happened with all of our board members,” Browning said.
Before the ribbon cutting, Browning told the crowd the chamber worked hard to create a space business members can use and benefit from, and she hopes the wider community will use it as well.
Klein, the chamber’s secretary, joined the organization in 2019 after retiring from teaching. She recalled her first meeting on the patio of Tweedy Blancett’s Step Back Inn.
At the time, the chamber had no office and shared space at the business of Sandy Waybourne. “We had no director, and our phone was a Tracfone,” Klein said.
“I was asked to serve on the board. We had no elections … no annual meeting,” Klein said.
The chamber was not properly adhering to its bylaws, Klein said.
March 2023 marked the lowest point of her tenure.
“We were like at rock bottom … and we had no office, no building. That store was closed. We had a virtual office,” she said. “Whoever was carrying the phone was the office. So my bad pocket most of the time was the office.”
At that time, Klein and Greta Quintana were essentially the Aztec Chamber of Commerce. After serious discussions, they decided not to give up and began rebuilding the board.
They corrected the chamber’s official name and status with the Internal Revenue Service.
“And so in December of 2023 we received our designation letter as a 501(c)(6), and everything is up and running and everything is cool with the IRS,” Klein said. “So we are legitimate all the way around.”
In 2024, the chamber resumed following its bylaws, holding elections and an annual meeting for the first time in many years, as well as a gala, Klein said.
They rented an office and “started building a home,” she said. The next step was hiring Browning, which Klein called the “best thing we could have done.”
“What has happened in the last two or three years that I’ve just described wasn’t in my wildest dreams,” Klein said, her eyes tearing up. Her term ends in June.
She said she plans to remain involved as an ambassador and expressed pride in the new board and building.
Aztec City Commissioner Brett Lanier said it would be hard to follow Klein, noting she puts “her whole heart” into everything she does.
“I’m proud to be here with all you guys. This is quite the turnout,” Lanier said, acknowledging Jamie Church, Farmington Chamber of Commerce director and CEO, and Karina Camacho of the Bloomfield chamber.
Lanier said small businesses are the backbone of the community, and ribbon cuttings like this show residents coming together to support one another.
Browning said the chamber’s ambassador program is growing and that the organization is always looking for more participants.
Jacobs said chamber membership has increased 157% since last October.
Jay Armstrong, who has taken on a leadership role, said, “I think vitalizing a community helps families … and also is a great way to meet people.”