3 minute read
Chamber of Commerce Welcomes New Staff
The St. George Area Chamber of Commerce team is growing! They recently welcomed two new impressive leaders to their staff. We caught up with them for a quick Q&A. Introducing Brad Buhanan and Colette Cox.
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Brad Buhanan
Chief operating officer (COO)
Q: Where did you get your degree?
A: I earned a degree in business management from Dixie State University and Southern
Utah University.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do in
Washington County?
A: Snow Canyon State Park has become my playground. I have hiked every trail, have seen nearly every inch of the park, and have come to love it for all of its complexities. It never looks the same in different light. It’s an incredible place.
Q: Who is a leader you admire?
A: SImon Sinek as an author and leader. I use the principles taught in his book Start
With Why in nearly every aspect of my life.
When trying to solve problems, understand difficult situations, or simply understand interpersonal relationships, getting back to the “why” is crucial.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies” (Alfred Lord Tennyson). Q: What do you consider the top benefit of the chamber?
A: The chamber is a central place where many different needs can be met. In my previous job, I loved being the person to whom a business could come for all their financial needs. Now, as a member of the chamber staff, I can be the person that provides connections for chamber members.
Q: What do you think are the top issues facing our community?
A: In my mind, the top issues are managing water resources, managing growth, solving the affordable and attainable housing crisis, and having a unified vision.
Q: What is your advice to others on being successful in the workplace?
A: The success I’ve had is largely due to my desire to serve.
Q: What do you want your legacy at the chamber to be?
A: I want to be known as the guy that was absolutely focused on improving the chamber by making it more streamlined and giving it clearer purpose. I also want to be a unifying factor in the community, working towards a shared and concentrated vision.
Q: Where did you get your degree?
A: I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Utah State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Alabama.
Q: What are your favorite things to do in Washington County?
A: I love to soak up the beauty in Snow
Canyon, visit the Pine Valley Reservoir, and explore the Red Hills Desert Garden during different seasons of the year.
Q: Who is a leader you admire?
A: A local leader that I admire is St. George
Mayor Michele Randall. She is a trailblazer in many ways including being the first woman mayor of St. George. She has taken on this distinction with pride and is working hard to balance the old and the new and to take on challenges with optimism.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, and how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark” (Jay Danzie). Q: What do you consider the top benefit of the chamber?
A: The business associations and friendships that are forged while participating in
Chamber activities turn into productive business contacts and lifelong friendships.
Q: What do you think are the top issues facing our community?
A: Aside from the growth challenges that we face, dovetailing the old and the new is extremely difficult when it comes to infrastructure, the business community, government leadership, community traditions, and local residents.
Q: What’s your advice to others on being successful in the workplace?
A: My advice to others is to hire for and embrace diversity on your team. When you have team members of different ages, belief systems, cultural backgrounds, abilities, and life experiences who are managed well and have the ability to contribute equally, your organization will be poised to go far.
Q: What do you want your legacy at the chamber to be?
A: I would like to help our area businesses embrace change and connect with the people and tools that will lead to their personal and organizational success.
Colette Cox
Director of member services
