The Prineville — Crook County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center are in the process of restructuring staffing to meet the needs of members, businesses and community. Kim Molnar, the current executive director of the Chamber, will be taking on the newly formed position of the director of tourism.
Chamber Board President Jeff Fox stated, “Growing our reach to share our heritage, cultural events, natural recreational areas, and activity opportunities with visitors to Central Oregon is exciting for us.
Having Kim continuing her work in this arena full time is an added bonus!” The plan is for the organization to be more aligned to the mission and goals within the community and county. Most specific is the need to focus on visitor/tourism initiatives that support the local, regional, and state tourism services and Destination Management Organizations (DMO).
In addition, an operations manager will replace the role of executive director of the organization. It is anticipated that this position will be recruited and hired by November 1, 2023. “Prineville
— Crook County serves as a gateway to the colorful Ochoco’s,” Fox shared. “We experience a lot of travelers passing through year-round. Our focus is to have them stay just a little bit longer so that our community and member businesses are showcased.”
The Chamber, while serving as a business member community-based organization is also recognized as a DMO — Visitor Information Center. The direction in restructuring is to build an extended branch within the organization to broaden its’ reach in attracting tourism and visitation to the area. To achieve this, the Chamber will be separating the operations with personnel that are directly responsible for carrying out the initiatives of both operational components.
The Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce is the oldest Chamber in Central Oregon. The mission of the organization is to positively affect regional and community prosperity by fostering and supporting business development and success, community enhancement, and economic development.
prinevillechamber.com • 541-447-6304 • info@prinevillechamber.com
