ROCK SPRINGS – Each year, an award is presented to a Wyoming Chamber of Commerce employee that excels and strives to make Wyoming better. This year, that award is in Rock Springs.

At the Wyoming State Chamber Spring Conference in Rawlins, Rock Springs Chamber Business Development Manager Kayla McDonald was named Wyoming Chamber Employee of the Year. McDonald has been with the Rock Springs Chamber almost three years and before that worked in the Green River Chamber offices.

“It really means a lot to me,” McDonald said. “It means a lot to be able to see the positives that come from our work and to have that work recognized.”

An office manager in Green River, not only did the switch mean a new community but also a new position. McDonald was put in charge of business development. The Business Alliance came about when the Rock Springs Chamber Board and city of Rock Springs decided to form a partnership to address economic development in the community.

The mission of the Alliance is to stimulate a diversified and strong economic climate in Sweetwater County, through recruitment of new business opportunities and assistance, and develop and actively pursue resources that support the sustainability of the economic environment of Sweetwater County.

Although nervous about the challenge at the start, she continues to excel in the position today. She said she owes a lot of her success to Rock Springs Chamber Chief Executive Officer Dave Hanks.

“He told me to make it my own,” McDonald said. “Without his support, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do on a daily basis.”

Hanks nominated McDonald for the award. In his letter, Hanks said McDonald is a dedicated leader and without her efforts, economic development in the community would not be at the level it is today.

“Kayla is a vital component of our organization as well as a team leader,” Hanks said. “She is 100 percent dedicated to the mission and goals of the Rock Springs Chamber and our Economic Development Alliance. She has shown an ability to move our organization forward and lead in a professional manner. She is willing to stretch her abilities along with a positive attitude to acquire new knowledge through training. It is my belief that our economic development efforts would not be at the level they are today without her drive and dedication to make this new role for our chamber a success.”

Hanks Nomination Letter

It is with a sense of pride and admiration that I submit Kayla McDonald for the best Chamber employee award. Kayla is a vital component of our organization as well as a team leader. She is 100% dedicated   to the mission and goals of the Rock Springs Chamber and our Economic Development Alliance. She has shown an ability to move our organization forward and lead in a professional manner. She is willing to stretch her abilities along with a positive attitude to acquire new knowledge through training. It is my belief that our Economic Development efforts would not be at the level they are today without her drive and dedication to make this new role for our chamber a success.

The Rock Springs Chamber board and City of Rock Springs decided two years ago to form a partnership to address a need in our community. That need was that there was no formal ED organization addressing inquiries from site selectors and Leads from the Wyoming Business Council. A past ED organization had gone defunct several years prior and had left a very negative impression with local government and state agencies along with our business community. It was our challenge to overcome that negative past history and form an alliance to move forward. I cannot overstate the enormous undertaking of this challenge from a political, financial, and public perception point of view. After a 25-year hiatus it was time for us to get back in the Economic Development arena.

Kayla was a key driver in making inroads with our city council and other elected officials. She was the face of the organization as we moved into discussions with private businesses and how we could address their needs along with securing resources to fund the efforts of the newly formed RS Business and Economic Development Alliance. Her first task was to develop a plan or contract for service to partner with the city of Rock Springs. She helped to shape the MOU with stated deliverables and reporting obligations. The MOU now had to be “sold” to our city council. Kayla set up individual presentations to city council members and a public presentation live at a regularly scheduled city council meeting. After several months of formulating a plan and building a committee from the ground up we were ready to begin the hard work of resurrecting a fully functioning ED organization.

The city agreed to support our plan in the amount of $35,000 annually. Kayla then went to our private investors and raised additional moneys to jump start the program. She brought together a diverse group of individuals and business interests to set goals and implement a plan of work for the first year of operation.

Additionally, Kayla has been the driving force behind our new effort to have a county-wide unified voice on all economic development issues. This will be realized through a central point of contact for business leads and inquires along with a clearing house to assist startups no matter where they are located in Sweetwater county.

Attached you will find two documents; the first is “actions taken to address 2015-2016 contract deliverables” to the city of Rock Springs, the second is a road map to the future plan to unify Rock Springs, Green River, and Sweetwater county in the area of economic development. In these times of scarce resources and declining revenues for our communities it is imperative that collaboration, cooperation communication, and consensus building become the model of how operate.

I believe Kayla is a model employee.  She is what chambers of the future need, a driven, passionate, and dedicated person who is inspired by what can be not limited by what has been in the past

I thank you for your consideration in her nomination.