The North Tahoe Community Alliance hosted the sold-out 66th annual Community Awards Dinner on June 1 to honor local businesses, employees, and community members for their accomplishments and positive impacts in the region. The event celebrated community vitality in North Lake Tahoe, with special recognition given to those who work tirelessly to make the region an amazing place to live, work and play. 

Watch the recap below. 

This year’s community awards recipients included:

• Best Place to Work: Tahoe City Public Utility District
• Commitment to Sustainability: UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
• Business of the Year: Tahoe Dave’s Skis & Boards
• New Business of the Year: Tahoe Wine Collective
• Nonprofit Organization of the Year: Sierra Community House
• North Lake Tahoe Lifetime Achievement: Roger Kahn
• People’s Choice: Northstar California Resort

In addition, each of the event’s sponsors was asked to nominate their “Brightest Star” for recognition. Valued for their contributions to their employers and the positive impact they’ve made and continue to make in our community, the honorees included:

• Keith Masuda, Auerbach Engineering 20 years of service
• Becca Lefanowicz, High Fives Foundation
• Doug Fagel, Homewood Mountain Resort
• Grace Hubrig, Incline Village Crystal Bay Community & Business Association
• Michelle Garcia, Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort
• Kristen Parr, Northstar California Resort
• Anna Atwood, North Tahoe Community Alliance 30 years of service
• Kym Fabel, North Tahoe Community Alliance 25 years of service
• Sara Coustette-Spencer, Palisades Tahoe
• Gabe Armstrong, Placer County
• Mike Mennick, Placer County
• Doug Hartline, SnowFest
• Katie Biggers, Tahoe City Downtown Association
• Dustin Phelan, Tahoe City Marina
• Amy Wood, Tahoe Dave’s
• Manuel Laguna, Tonopalo 20 years of service
• Kelsey Wood, Tonopalo
• Bart Peterson, Travel North Tahoe Nevada
• David Van Quest, Truckee Tahoe Airport

Thank you to our 2023 Sponsors:

The North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA) has launched the first phase of its new Community Vitality and Economic Health Investment Program with a call for Letters of Interest (LOI) for sponsorship requiring multi-year investment. The Sponsorship and Multi-Year Investment Program will provide up to $7.2 million in funding for priority projects, programs, and services that require ongoing financial support over the coming three years. Funds will come from Transient Occupancy Tax generated in Eastern Placer County and assessments from the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District (NLT-TBID).

Created to reinvest funds generated locally in support of economic health, community vitality, and environmental stewardship that benefits residents, businesses, and visitors, the NTCA’s Community Vitality and Economic Health Investment Program will consist of four program elements:  Sponsorship and Multi-Year Investment Program, Annual Grant Program, Out of Cycle Investments and a Reserve Fund. The Sponsorship and Multi-Year Program application process is open and will accept submissions until June 15. The Annual Grant Program cycle will open for applications in the fall, and the Out of Cycle Investment process will be offered on an as-needed basis with program details to come for both.

Eligible submissions must fit within one of several categories, including:

• Workforce housing
• Economic development 
• Transportation
• Sustainability
• Mitigation of tourism impacts
• Trails

“The launch of the Community Vitality and Economic Health Investment Program is exciting for a number of reasons. It provides a framework to evaluate projects, programs, and services that TBID and TOT funds generated in our community will be used to support, and it officially kicks off the process by which businesses, nonprofits, regional agencies and others can request funding,” said Tony Karwowski, NTCA president and CEO. “The program also serves as a way to support the destination stewardship responsibilities the NTCA has taken on. We are excited to start receiving submissions and to support investment opportunities that benefit our residents, businesses and visitors.”

Committees convened by the NTCA including the TBID Advisory, TBID Zone 1, TOT committee, and the CAP committee, which is jointly convened by Placer County, will review the LOIs and determine which investment opportunities to consider for sponsorship. The NTCA Board of Directors will consider committee recommendations before taking final action on TBID-funded investment opportunities. They will also recommend TOT-funded investment opportunities to the Placer County Board of Supervisors for their consideration and approval.

“The NTCA’s new Community Vitality and Economic Health Investment Program will help streamline the process by which funding requests are evaluated against our region’s strategic initiatives,” said Cindy Gustafson, Placer County District 5 Supervisor. “I’m pleased that the NTCA has reached this milestone and excited to see the quality of life-enhancing projects, programs and services that will come from this in support of what our residents, businesses and visitors in Eastern Placer County need.”

All proposals must meet minimum program criteria with specific qualifications that include community vitality, economic health, environmental stewardship, budget, organizational capacity, investment readiness and match requirements.

Applicants have until June 15, 2023 to complete the LOI, including a summary, budget, matching funds, schedule, and measures of success as defined by the NTCA and implementing agency.

A hybrid workshop will be held on Friday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach, and online via Zoom for interested applicants to ask questions and learn more about the process and timeline of the grant cycle. Business owners, nonprofits, agencies, and the general public are encouraged to attend and learn more about qualification and applying for sponsorship.

Learn more about the Sponsorship and Multi-Year Investment Program or submit an application for funding consideration here.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

As TBID and Chamber members, NTCA is offering you a photography opportunity to promote your business and to further the economic health of our business community.

This program offers the following:

• At least 3 images of your business shot by a professional photographer
• 1-hour timeslot, scheduled and confirmed in advance
• Full rights in perpetuity to the images, shared with the NTCA and Go Tahoe North

We recommend an exterior shot, an interior shot, and a shot of employees and customers interacting. You can use employees, friends, family, etc. as models. However, if your needs are different, we will accommodate you.

To set up your appointment, please contact kirstin@northtahoecommunityalliance.com.

View as pdf: North Lake Tahoe Chamber Photography Program

 

North Tahoe Community Alliance Launches With New Purpose

Formerly known as the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, the organization’s name change reflects its commitment to destination stewardship and community advocacy

The North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA) has officially launched as the destination stewardship and management organization for North Lake Tahoe. Formerly known as the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, our organization is changing its name to align with our mission to positively impact the economic health of the region, contribute to community vitality and promote environmental stewardship.

“The organizational shift we made over the last year presented an opportunity to align our name more directly with our revised purpose,” said Tony Karwowski, NTCA president and CEO. “Instead of purely marketing the region and encouraging visitation as the NLTRA did for 65 years, the NTCA’s efforts are now focused on promoting responsible travel during off-peak seasons, stewardship education, and collaborating with regional stakeholders to identify and implement solutions to issues that impact our residents, businesses and visitors.”

In addition to supporting the North Lake Tahoe business community by contributing to the maintenance of a vibrant, sustainable year-round economy, the NTCA’s role is to address key issues that impact the community. Through this lens, the NTCA will continue to seek out and advocate for local transportation and workforce housing solutions, visitor services, and tourism mitigation projects that can be funded by and leveraged with Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) and North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) assessment dollars.

The stewardship principles the organization is aligned around include:

• Elevating the experience of Lake Tahoe for all
• Honoring the region’s culture and history
• Ensuring that natural resources are cared for by visitors and residents
• Creating opportunities that support a balance for business owners, employees and residents
• Engaging partners in collaborations toward common outcomes

GoTahoeNorth will remain intact as the brand used by the North Lake Tahoe Marketing Cooperative, the collaborative effort facilitated by the NTCA and Travel North Tahoe Nevada. It will continue to be used for consumer-facing outreach related to visiting North Lake Tahoe and the promotion of responsible travel.

The work of the NTCA staff is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors and committees comprised of local business owners and their representatives.

About the North Tahoe Community Alliance
The North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA) collaborates with regional stakeholders to support a vibrant, year-round economy that benefits residents, businesses and visitors of North Lake Tahoe. The organization also advocates for and funds local transportation and workforce housing solutions, visitor services, and promotes responsible and off-peak season travel with a focus on stewardship education. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and committees comprised of local business owners and their representatives, the NTCA is funded by a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) in contract with Placer County. Formerly known as the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, the organization was renamed the NTCA in 2023 to align with its new mission.