McKay takes helm at chamber

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Although Andy McKay has only lived in Newcastle for a few short years, he and his wife, Hope, have embraced the community and become actively involved in community affairs. McKay is now taking that one step further by accepting the position of director for the Newcastle Area Chamber of Commerce. 
“I just got done with my first week. I am trying to get my feet under me and see exactly what the culture is, not just in the chamber but among local businesses,” McKay said. 
McKay, who admitted he never planned on intentionally seeking a chamber position, learned that the position was vacant and discovered that it “seemed to closely align” with his priorities and pursuits in the community. 
“My wife and I fell in love with this community when we moved here, and we tried our best to be connected with the community in different ways,” McKay said. “I feel like that goes hand in hand with the chamber of commerce.” 
Through his position, he hopes to promote a positive environment for businesses to thrive while promoting innovation and dedication to the community he has grown to love. 
“The best way to promote and encourage those things is to lead by example, so here I am,” McKay said. 
According to McKay, the role of a chamber director is not only to bring people and business into the community but also to improve the community for the people already here. 
“We can bring in new people but only as quick as others are leaving. There is still stagnation, and we don’t want that,” McKay said. “My big emphasis point is going to be not only trying to bring new business in and finding innovative ways to do that but also how to improve the community we already have so that people that live here not only want to keep living here but are passionate about our community.” 
McKay said that a big motivation to take this position was just that – how to keep people in the community and how to keep that community thriving and relevant.
Since taking on the role only a few short days ago, McKay has already established a few goals for himself, including getting out and meeting with current and past chamber members and promoting all there is to do here in Newcastle. 
“One thing I really want to do in the first three months on the job is I want to get out and get connected with members and all the businesses in the community,” McKay said. “Just because someone is not a member doesn’t mean they are not important. The chamber is meant to promote business in the whole community.”
McKay said that he hopes to make the chamber something all businesses are happy to be a part of, something that is worth the dues that businesses pay to be a part of. 
His next goal, he said, is to address what he has come to learn is a common complaint here in Newcastle, that there is nothing to do, that Newcastle will never be able to compete with the diversity and quantity of what takes place in big cities. 
“But we have good quality events in this community, and they happen in rapid succession as well,” McKay said. “Especially in the summer. There are so many events on my calendar, and some are happening at the same time. It is not that we lack stuff to do in this community.” 
McKay said that he believes people are quick to say there is nothing to do because they don’t have access to the knowledge. The chamber fulfills that with a newsletter, but it only goes to members, he said. 
“My goal is to expand beyond the membership and into the community. Individuals and organizations can be members, but it is not practical for everyone. I want to make sure to support the community by bringing community events and happenings into the public light,” McKay said. 
According to McKay, he plans to update the chamber website and use  a community calendar and the chamber’s Facebook page to accomplish that goal. 
“Hopefully, we can be the place to go for people who are looking for what is happening, not just next weekend but in a month and even further than that,” McKay said. “People aren’t going to attend things that they don’t know are happening, and I feel that is something the chamber can do, help promote and encourage community involvement.” 
McKay will take his shot at bringing the community together for the first time in his new role on June 6 at 8:30 a.m. in the Pinnacle Bank meeting room when the chamber hosts a free viewing of a webinar on the Shopko closure. 
According to a release on the webinar, “the public is invited to view and participate in a webinar that will provide insight and recommendations to Wyoming communities in the wake of 13 Shopko stores closing across the state.”
In April, the Wyoming Business Council partnered with local community leaders to host retail expert Matt Wagner from the National Main Street Center in the Big Horn Basin area. He was tasked with using the Big Horn Basin, where four stores closed, as a case study. 
He then developed recommendations on mitigating the economic impact of the closures statewide. The webinar will be his conclusion and recommendations after completing the project, with the goal of providing insight and tools to all the impacted communities in Wyoming.
“I feel like this community is losing a fair amount with the exodus of Shopko. I also feel it is an opportunity for established businesses and potentially new businesses to fill the void,” McKay said. “If it is not filled by Newcastle, it is going to be filled by other communities. I feel like this is a really decisive point for the future of this community.”