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Chamber director to leave in June
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| Chamber Executive Director Kathy Smith |
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
After seven years of service to the community, Kathy Smith is retiring this summer as director of the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.
She announced her retirement to the Chamber Board of Directors on Thursday, Jan. 19.
"The board has asked that I stay through June to give them ample time to send out requests for resumes, and I agreed to do so," Smith said in her Jan. 19 letter to Chamber members.
"This was not an easy decision for me to make as I have truly enjoyed my seven years as the Executive Director of this organization," she said.
"I leave here with a better understanding of how to work together with the city, the community, and our neighbors."
Smith thanked the Chamber members for their support "through your membership investment and event sponsorships."
"Without the support of the businesses in this community, this Chamber would not exist," she said.
"I have enjoyed working with you to make Willcox a great place to live, work, and visit."
Smith said the Chamber Board would "be forming a search committee in the next few days to recruit a new Executive Director.
"The person who follows me will be inheriting a great organization with great people," she said.
Chamber President Wayne Crane said Monday, "We appreciate the fact that she has given us such an early announcement and agreed to stay on for a transition."
"If we had to pick a time to make a change, Kathy was very considerate about that," he added.
Asked what Smith believes to be her greatest accomplishment as director, she replied "It is really hard for me to take credit for all that has been done, but I can tell you what 'we' have accomplished since I have been here."
We remodeled the Visitor Center to include Wi-Fi for our travelers and put in new rest rooms which are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
We brought the Chamber from a deficit to having reserved funds.
We have increased membership.
We have increased participation in the Christmas Lighted Parade, the Christmas Apple Festival, and this year there were record numbers of birds in the area for Wings Over Willcox -- like we had anything to do with that.
We redesigned the gift shop to include items for the "impulse buyer."
We were one of only two communities in Arizona to become REDI-certified in 2009 - (Rural Economic Development Initiative through the Arizona Department of Commerce).
We created a new Visitor Guide for Willcox and sent them out to all Visitor Centers in Arizona and communities in New Mexico.
We worked with the City of Willcox to purchase two new billboards marketing Willcox.
We worked with the Cochise County Tourism to market our county.
"I would say one of our biggest 'accomplishments' was bringing the Chamber to that next level, creating an awareness of what Willcox has to offer to communities outside our area," said Smith, adding, "I only hope that the next Director will take Willcox to an even higher level."
"But believe me, I could not have done any of those projects listed above alone," she told the Range News.
"I had a lot of help from a lot of people. I always say to people when they ask why we need a Chamber of Commerce, 'As a Chamber we can accomplish together what no one person can do alone.' And I know this is true."
Contacted Wednesday, Willcox City Manager Pat McCourt said simply, "I will miss working with her. Kathy always looked out for the community."
As to her own retirement plans, Smith said, "Mick and I plan to spend considerable time getting to know our grandchildren, playing a lot of golf, and spending time on the lake with our poles in the water."
"But we do have plans to visit Willcox on a regular basis, since I have found winters in Arizona are much easier to take than winters in Iowa," she added.
She announced her retirement to the Chamber Board of Directors on Thursday, Jan. 19.
"The board has asked that I stay through June to give them ample time to send out requests for resumes, and I agreed to do so," Smith said in her Jan. 19 letter to Chamber members.
"This was not an easy decision for me to make as I have truly enjoyed my seven years as the Executive Director of this organization," she said.
"I leave here with a better understanding of how to work together with the city, the community, and our neighbors."
Smith thanked the Chamber members for their support "through your membership investment and event sponsorships."
"Without the support of the businesses in this community, this Chamber would not exist," she said.
"I have enjoyed working with you to make Willcox a great place to live, work, and visit."
Smith said the Chamber Board would "be forming a search committee in the next few days to recruit a new Executive Director.
"The person who follows me will be inheriting a great organization with great people," she said.
Chamber President Wayne Crane said Monday, "We appreciate the fact that she has given us such an early announcement and agreed to stay on for a transition."
"If we had to pick a time to make a change, Kathy was very considerate about that," he added.
Asked what Smith believes to be her greatest accomplishment as director, she replied "It is really hard for me to take credit for all that has been done, but I can tell you what 'we' have accomplished since I have been here."
"I would say one of our biggest 'accomplishments' was bringing the Chamber to that next level, creating an awareness of what Willcox has to offer to communities outside our area," said Smith, adding, "I only hope that the next Director will take Willcox to an even higher level."
"But believe me, I could not have done any of those projects listed above alone," she told the Range News.
"I had a lot of help from a lot of people. I always say to people when they ask why we need a Chamber of Commerce, 'As a Chamber we can accomplish together what no one person can do alone.' And I know this is true."
Contacted Wednesday, Willcox City Manager Pat McCourt said simply, "I will miss working with her. Kathy always looked out for the community."
As to her own retirement plans, Smith said, "Mick and I plan to spend considerable time getting to know our grandchildren, playing a lot of golf, and spending time on the lake with our poles in the water."
"But we do have plans to visit Willcox on a regular basis, since I have found winters in Arizona are much easier to take than winters in Iowa," she added.
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