The Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce is losing its president and CEO, Lana Tolleson.
In charge of the organization during one of the city’s greatest periods of economic growth — what some might even call a cultural revitalization, due in no small part to the ascendancy of the wine industry — Tolleson has labored for the past seven-and-a-half years to place Cottonwood on the map.
“At the beginning, we had to push really hard to get the media interested,” Tolleson said as she flipped through clippings from state and national media outlets. One in particular, from The Arizona Republic, featured Cottonwood among the state’s best cities. The accompanying image of the Verde River occupied nearly half of the center spread.
Tolleson didn’t even know the feature was occurring until it showed up on her desk — a fact she views as a sign of success.
“You know you have arrived when things happen that you had nothing to do with,” Tolleson said.
The profile of Cottonwood is on the rise nationally, in no small part because of Tolleson and her team’s efforts to promote the wine industry and keep business going. In 2013, she received a media-embargoed email from travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, letting her know that the Verde Valley would be appearing in its top 10 U.S. travel destinations for 2013.
“Cottonwood is ready for its close-up, or should we say its selfie?” reads Lonely Planet’s entry for the city. “For decades the city was one of the less interesting communities in central Arizona — simply a good place to find budget lodging near Sedona. But today? Cottonwood, particularly its walkable Old Town district, is buzzing with new restaurants, stylish wine-tasting rooms and an eclectic array of indie shops.”
Tolleson admitted that her initial reactions to the city, eight years ago, were less impressed than hopeful. Driving through Old Town for the first time, she thought, “Wow, this place has got a lot of potential.”
Soon after having this impression, Tolleson began her tenure with the chamber, helping to establish a grant to get the Verde Valley Wine Trail established and a marketing plan for it established. According to Tolleson, the awareness of the Verde Valley as a wine destination opened the door to so much more.
“Wine is a great hook,” she said, adding that the wine industry is not only an economic driver for its own growth but a way to promote other businesses. “During the recession, we were able to work with the wine industry to help keep businesses open …. And all the wine brought a lot of chefs in, to establish chef-owned restaurants. We have used wine to let people know about everything else we do.”
Of all the accomplishments the chamber can boast about over the course of the last seven and a half years, Tolleson said she is proudest of the growth and retention of businesses — including an absolutely packed Old Town, where not a single store-front is vacant.
As to her feelings about following her husband back to Texas for his job opportunity at Texas A&M University, Tolleson said, “It’s tough to leave. This is a great community. There’s a great partnership between people.”
The current director of operations, Christian Oliva del Rio, will be taking over as the new president and CEO beginning Friday, July 1.
