Message from our Director

June 2021

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Dear Chamber Members and Prospective Members,

 

2021 has brought big changes and new leadership to your local Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce. My name is Colton Black and I am the new Executive Director of the Cortez Area Chamber.

 

I come from a family that has called the Four Corners Region home for 6 generations. This area is my home, and I am very proud to have the opportunity to help contribute to its success and growth as the new Director for the local Chamber of Commerce. My background is in finance, investments, commercial lending, and business banking. Having spent over a decade working with small businesses I’m excited to leverage the knowledge and experience I’ve gained during that time to help and support the many great Chamber businesses here in Cortez!

 

This past year was one of the most challenging years on record. Navigating the constantly shifting information, predictions, and regulations took its toll on all of us. As we officially put 2020 behind us, the Chamber with new leadership and renewed energy is looking forward with optimism towards a bright future for our local business community. To help us start down that path some of my goals for the Chamber this year are:

 

Pivot the Chamber to be more Focused on Supporting Businesses and Economic Development:  With other organizations focused on promoting tourism and events in our area, the Chamber has the ability to focus more of its efforts on economic development and connecting businesses with resources they need to grow and thrive.

 

New Website (Already in Progress):  A complete redesign of the website is already underway with a cleaner more user-friendly platform. The new website will provide more options to help promote our many great Chamber members, and help customers more easily connect with them when they come to the chamber site looking for recommendations of reputable businesses in our area. There will also soon be a new online portal on the website for members with useful data and information on business resources in our area, as well as info on how to access exclusive member-to-member discounts.

 

More Active Civic Engagement and Business Advocacy:  One of the primary benefits of being a Chamber member is having an ally that will stay on top of the local, regional, and state issues which could impact your business, keep you informed, and advocate on your behalf when necessary. By taking a more active approach to surveying member businesses and meeting with stakeholders the Cortez Area Chamber can become the collective voice of business in Montezuma County that together has a greater ability to influence public policy and government affairs.

 

I would love the opportunity to meet with you in-person, learn more about your business needs, and discuss how I can help you leverage Chamber membership to help your business succeed! Please give me a call at 970-565-3414 or email me at colton@cortezchamber.com to set up a time that works good for you.

 

If you are already a Cortez Area Chamber Member THANK YOU! If you aren’t a member yet, please consider joining! Together we can build something GREAT for our local business community! I look forward to working with you all, and if there is anything the Chamber can support you or your business with, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

 

Thanks,

 

Colton Black

Executive Director - Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce