T.A. and L.M.D. agree to restructure board

Loughman done at end of month.
Interim director expected next week

The Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association (TA) and the Board of County Commissioners, acting as the Local Marketing District (LMD) board, agreed Tuesday on the restructuring of the county’s marketing board. The TA has rewritten its bylaws in an effort to downsize its board, eliminate the requirement that TA members be members of the local Chambers of Commerce, and form a seven-person board made up of those with extensive marketing or business experience specifically related to marketing.

The goal put forward by the LMD is to create a more efficient and strategic TA and make even better decisions with the county’s money.
In order to maintain a balance between northern and southern ends of the valley and be certain there is marketing expertise on the soon-to-be-formed committee, the LMD will appoint the committee’s seven board members. But at the request of the TA, the appointments will be made by a seven-member Selection Committee that includes the LMD comprised of the county commissioners, a representative of each municipality in the county and an at-large member of the public recommended by the current TA board. The at-large selection committee member may be a member of the TA’s newly-formed Marketing Board of Directors. The selection committee will appoint the first board and reconvene to select candidates when a board seat becomes vacant.
All involved have essentially concurred that the 11-person board was too large and a seven-member board with more business prowess would be the best bet going forward. Automatic appointments will go to the marketing executive from both Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Western State Colorado University.
“A lot of the GCBTA board’s time and energy went into drafting and debating the new bylaws that will govern this new tourism marketing group,” TA board secretary Scott Clarkson said. “There will be a particular focus on maintaining balanced north-and-south-valley representation while allowing marketing expertise to prevail. The current TA board is pleased that the LMD agreed with these recommendations.”
BOCC Chairperson Paula Swenson said, “We will not tell municipalities who to appoint. That will be up to them.”
The hope is to appoint the new streamlined board so it is ready to begin its new work in early 2015.

Tourism Association to hire new executive director
Last week, the TA executive director Pamela Loughman submitted a letter of resignation, which the board officially accepted on Tuesday. The T.A. plans to hire an interim executive director for the first quarter of 2015, then move to permanently fill the position with someone with extensive marketing experience. TA Board President Jim McDonald reported to the LMD that the TA intends to “create a field of candidates this week and will pull the trigger on a decision Monday of next week” to fill the interim position.