A touch of hospitality

"I want to see continued growth in the Valley which, obviously, will lead to enhancement of quality of life for businesses, locals and visitors. If you bring in more business and you help that business that's here, it's only going to help the locals and then it's going to bring in visitors and then they're going to have a blast."

With the departure of Stacy Crimmins as CEO of the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce (S/PVCC), the Chamber is welcoming Valley newcomer Leanna Jones to the position. Jones, who previously worked for Brush Creek Ranch as Director of Operations, comes to the position with a decade of experience in the luxury hotel industry.

The new Chamber CEO was born and raised in Americus, Georgia where her family roots go deep on her mother's side. For generations, her family has owned and operated cotton farms as well as soybean and peanut farms. 

While her mother's side has deep roots, her father's side can likely be the contributing factor to the wanderlust that lead her from Georgia to Wyoming. Her father, who is a colonel in the United States Air Force, boasts military service on his side of the family as far back as can be traced.

It was while attending college in Valdosta, Georgia that Jones made the decision to see what the wider world held for her, though those travels began in familiar territory. Her venture in the world of luxury hotels didn't begin with a luxury hotel.

"The first one that I started with, it wasn't luxury. It was a brand new Best Western Plus, so your run-of-the-mill, average roadside. After that, when I moved to Savannah (Georgia), it was luxury," said Jones.

That career eventually brought Jones to Saratoga to work for Brush Creek Ranch. Through that path, however, she spent a number of years in Jekyll Island just off the coast of Georgia. A part of the Golden Isles of Georgia barrier islands, it was a vacation spot for families such as the Rockefellers and was used as the location to plan the Federal Reserve System.

The island was eventually evacuated during World War II and, in the 1970s and 1980s, residential development was allowed on the island.

"When I lived there the median age was 60-70. They loved that place about as much as people here love Saratoga. It was home. It was in their blood," Jones said. "The small businesses there, they had pride for their area. For every little item that they'd sell."

Though she didn't know it at the time, it was this experience in Jekyll Island that would eventually lead her to taking the position at the S/PVCC. It would take several more years and a conversation with a guest at Brush Creek Ranch before Jones realized what she wanted to do.

"I had a conversation with a guest this summer and he was talking about ... when he was a teenager he knew exactly what he wanted to do and he did it and he was happy. He was glowing when he was talking about his life," said Jones.

The guest then asked her if she was happy with what she was doing. While Jones told the guest that she was, the question began to hold some weight.

"On the drive home, the question just came back, 'Am I happy with what I'm doing?' and it was just a resounding no," Jones said.

As Jones thought back to what she really wanted to do, which was help people, she also thought of the small business owners on Jekyll Island.

"Being a part of that, being able to help that and help that continue and help that grow as a community, that's kind of what led me here. The idea of that, that literally sparks joy and that's something I haven't felt in my career since the beginning of my career," Jones said. "My heart was leaning mainly towards helping people rather than just help people plan a vacation and Saratoga and the Valley just has this distinct charm that just draws people to the area. Myself included."

Like many people who have found their way to the Valley, one can see the adoration that Jones has found for the area. That ineffable feeling that the area sparks in people has attached itself to Jones' mother, who visited over the summer and is hoping to retire to Saratoga.

Jones doesn't plan on making drastic changes to the Chamber in her first few months. Rather, her plan is to listen to the businesses who are members of the S/PVCC to hear their needs.

"Just gather input from the community stakeholders. Hear what their challenges are, what their goals are. Not necessarily their goals for the town, but their goals for their own business," said Jones.

She adds that these goals are needed to develop a clear strategy for the Chamber as she works to show the importance of, and membership with, the Chamber. This strategy could include collaborative partnerships between businesses, business mentoring programs and more emphasis on tourism in the area.

"There are a bunch of new things I want to try. New training programs for companies, new initiatives, new fundraising opportunities. Something fun. Gets the community involved, gets the people in from Colorado and all around the state. But also keep what's worked," Jones said. "I'm not going to come in and change a bunch of stuff. I'm going to do a lot of observing what has worked and keep it. Maybe tweak it, make it a little bit better." 

One thing that Jones says has already endeared the Valley to her is the hospitality. 

"In the South, you hear that phrase 'Southern Hospitality.' After being here, that's completely false. There's Southern Hospitality here. You can't drive 20 feet down the road without every single car that passes you waving," said Jones. "The people are amazing and they care about each other. I have yet to see people here that are selfish. Everybody's pretty selfless. They just want to help people."

With a dash of her own southern hospitality mixed with the Valley's western hospitality, Jones hopes to help the businesses and the community continue growing for years to come.

An after hours chamber social will be held on March 4 to welcome Jones at the Platte Valley Community Center.