Matthew J. Hunter

President and CEO, Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce

IBR Staff//May 8, 2026//

President and CEO, Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce

IBR Staff//May 8, 2026//

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For the past two decades, Matthew Hunter has led the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce with a visionary, team-centered approach. He says he and his team are small but mighty and are working toward helping businesses across the area thrive through net-working, advocacy and education. The chamber, which has roots dating back to 1893, be-gan recruiting new companies to the community, which ultimately brought Kraft Cheese, Ralston Purina and the JR Simplot Don Plant to the Pocatello region.

Over the course of his tenure at the chamber, Hunter has been involved in a variety of things that have propelled the city ― and its businesses — forward. He shares that one of his big-gest innovations is a sponsorship program that began more than a decade ago.

“We meet with members once each year and discuss the programs that they want to be part of and build a custom package for them,” he explained. “This way we are not going back to members many times throughout the year trying to sell them sponsorships. This has brought in good revenue for the chamber and has allowed members to participate where they wish.”

Outside of his work at the chamber, Hunter serves on a number of community and state boards. He’s served on the Idaho State University College of Technology Technical Advisory Board and the Business Technology Program Advisory Board within the College of Technol-ogy. He also works as the chair of the Eastern Idaho Development Corporation board and is a board member for the Southeast Idaho Council of Governments and the Idaho Communi-ty Foundation. Further, Hunter was appointed in 2020 to serve on the 6th District Magistrate Commission by Gov. Brad Little.

As a proven leader who’s committed to improving the Gem State locally, regionally and statewide, Hunter says that his success is rooted in always seeking to learn from others around him.

He explained, “I attend many local leadership skills classes in our community and multiple other conferences annually. We have some great chamber leaders in Idaho and I always look forward to our Idaho Chamber Alliance meetings where we share ideas on how we can all help our Chambers improve. I also attend the Association of Chamber of Commerce Ex-ecutives annual conference where I look to bring new ideas to the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber.”

In a nomination letter, Bill Connors spoke of Hunter’s strong leadership in Pocatello saying, “He is an iconic and respected figure in his home city and across the nation as one of the best of the best in the chamber of commerce world.”