It has been five months since I began my role as Executive Director for VVREO, and in that time I have had the opportunity to explore all of the Cities, Towns and unincorporated communities the Verde Valley, yet I feel like I am only scratching the surface. I have gotten to meet many local business owners, education and non-profit leaders and municipal government officials and I continue to be amazed at the incredible gifts we have here.
The beauty and diversity of our natural environment, from the ecological diversity of the Verde River Basin to the Red Rocks of Sedona and the historic monuments from Montezuma’s Well to the Petroglyphs are what draws many tourists and locals alike, but it’s the creative people that own and operate our local businesses and non-profits, and the committed professionals in our local governments that make this region special. It has been a great excuse to eat out and shop to support the local economy as I have discovered so many wonderful restaurants, bakers, bookstores, local makers, retail shops and service providers in the past months in all of the towns and cities that make up our region.
VVREO has a long history of supporting these businesses through our small business loan program, and for convening voices across our communities to advocate for policies and programs that both protect our rural identify and enable our residents to thrive. This includes improving access to Broadband Internet, advocating for improved transportation investments and supporting efforts to improve quality of life in the region.
This past year, 2024, was a time to reflect and evaluate what VVREO can do to provide the most benefit to the communities and businesses in our region. As we kickoff 2025 we are developing our strategic action plan. Our intention is to support sustainable economic prosperity in the region. To me this means providing resources to enable our local businesses and municipalities to grow and create stable jobs at a living wage for our residents, and to do this in a way that preserves the unique character and environment of our region. We will be convening conversations over the course of 2025 to gather input, so stay tuned for more information as we schedule specific discussions.
One of our top priorities is to communicate, and we have begun to do this with the soft launch of our new website. This is a work in progress as we learn what the needs of our stakeholders are, and we plan to add additional content including data tools and reports in the coming months. We have added a calendar section as a way for any of our local partners or stakeholders to share information about events that are relevant to the economic health of our businesses and communities, so please share your events with us so we can include them and help to get the word out.
VVREO is powered by our Board of Directors and Associates who help support our committees. We currently have a need for a part time paid person with loan administration experience, as well as volunteer opportunities to lead and serve on a committee. If you are interested in shaping the future success of our region let us know. To explore how we could work together please email me at administration@vvreo.com.
