Interviews Begin for New PCDI Executive Director

The regular monthly meeting of the Prowers County Development Incorporated board of directors will focus on interviews with candidates for the executive director position.  The executive session meeting, set for Tuesday, August 27, will not have an agenda, as the directors will privately discuss the director position with four candidates, three of whom are from Lamar.  The fourth is from outside the region.  A hypothetical exam pertaining to industry development and business negotiations was taken by all the candidates and their responses are also expected to be discussed. 

These finalists have been pared from nine initial applications following meetings in July and earlier in August.  No specific date was set from the interview process, to hire a replacement for former executive director, Lisa Nolder, who resigned her position from PCDI after four years on May 31.

The PCDI directors have also been involved with a new facet for a fund-raising golf tournament, incorporating a business seminar into a two day event, set for Friday and Saturday, September 6 and 7 at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn and Spreading Antlers Golf Course.  The seminar is open to the public for a $25 fee and will highlight business ownership plans, hosted by Bill Dutro, Director of the Small Business Development Center for southeast Colorado.  Bryan Herrera, the new owner of The Home Store on East Olive Street in Lamar, will discuss the challenges of purchasing an existing business and Rick Robbins of Colorado Mills will outline the five personalities of a business and how they can be put to work to make a business successful.  Reservations are suggested, but walk-ins will be accepted for the seminar set for 2pm-4pm on Friday. 

Saturday will feature the four person scramble golf tournament at Spreading Antlers, beginning with a shotgun start at 8:30 that morning.  Each team will receive two free business seminar passes and a team lunch will be served at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn following the tournament.  Business seminar and team registration information is available at PCDI at 719-336-2384 or pcdi@procolorado.org.

By Russ Baldwin