Brad Anderson, president and CEO of Greater Vail Chamber of Commerce, is stepping down. He took on the position four years ago at the start of the pandemic, and while it’s been a good run, he has his reasons for moving on.
“First off, I’m 70 years old and I’m just going to slow down a little bit,” he said. “I want to keep my (Farmers Insurance) agency and focus more on this business.”
Anderson has an office in Tucson.
However, he knows the Greater Vail Chamber needs someone new to keep growing.
“It’s time that the chamber had a dedicated full time president/CEO,” he said. “There are some great things happening in Vail and there are so many opportunities for that chamber to really take off and fly. I’m doing split duty, I can’t give it the attention that it needs to take it to that level… I have a passion for Vail and that chamber. I want to see it take off and go and I think it’s ready to go. I’m just not the one to take it there.”
“(The chamber) will have a lot more challenges and opportunities to help the community,” he clarified.
A recent effort to incorporate Vail failed, so the needs of the community have to be met in some manner.
“There needs to be a strong advocate for that community, for the infrastructure or economic development that isn’t supported by a town,” Anderson said. “So it really falls to the chamber. If there is going to be an entity that takes it to that level, that does those activities, it’s going to have to be the Vail Chamber and that will provide opportunity. That will provide incentives for businesses to belong that will support the organization.”
With Anderson leaving, there is now an opening for someone to take on the leadership role. Their first task: grow membership. Anderson said there are about 600 businesses in Vail’s two zip codes but only about 180 belong to the chamber.
“We just really have the beginnings of a good, strong chamber,” he said. “I think as that chamber becomes more and more active and really takes on the advocacy role the members are going to join.”
It will take a certain type of person to become the president/CEO of Vail’s chamber, which is a full time, paid position. The search is on and the chamber is accepting applications. Anderson will be on the review committee.
“If you could design this person, (they would be) a dynamic individual, that can present themselves well and can present the activities of the chamber well and is likable, but also has that ability to be a servant leader,” he said. “So, someone who, because they report to a volunteer board, they need to be able to listen to the board and listen to the community and be able to interpret that into action. It takes that unique individual, I believe, that has the leadership and the drive but also has the patience and understanding to listen and to take guidance.”
Above all, the new president/CEO will have a passion for Vail and its community members. Anderson added that the successful candidate does not have to have experience to get the position “because it’s more the person than it is the background that will be able to gain that support.”
The job pays between $80,000 to $100,000, plus incentives.
However, the Greater Vail Chamber board of directors realizes that as an entity, they also need to pass muster with potential candidates. Anderson believes they are ready.
“The chamber has a great board right now,” he said. “That’s one of the things we have done the past four years. “We’ve restructured the board. It’s much more business-oriented than what it was prior and so it has the right people that are in leadership roles. It has the right location in Vail and we have … the support of the community that creates the potential for success.”
Anderson is also looking forward to spending more time with his family.
“I’m in a position where I can enjoy life right now,” he said. “Life just doesn’t have an unending future so we need to enjoy what we have.”
To apply for the position of president/CEO of the Vail Chamber of Commerce, send your resume to info@greatervailchamber.com or brad@greatervailchamber.com.
INFO: Call the chamber office, 520-261-8245 or call Brad Anderson, 520-909-4729, or visit greatervailchamber.com
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2024.
