Eau Claire Area Chamber Announces Ashley DeMuth As Next CEO
Menomonie Area Chamber begins looking for its own new CEO as DeMuth accepts E.C. position, will follow Dave Minor after his nine-year tenure
author & photos by McKenna Scherer |
After nearly a decade guided by the strong leadership of President & CEO Dave Minor, the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce has announced who will lead the business advocacy organization into its new chapter: Ashley DeMuth.
Inside the Eau Claire Chamber office downtown, where the announcement was formally made on Aug. 4, both Minor and DeMuth spoke, preceded by in-coming Executive Board Chairperson and Northwestern Bank CEO, Tracey Smiskey.
Smiskey expressed deep appreciation for Minor’s leadership – his nine-year Eau Claire tenure will be the end-cap to a 35-year long Chamber industry career, when he retires this fall – and noted the 80-plus applicants the Chamber’s executive committee considered for the CEO and president position.
Following the announcement, Smiskey told Volume One the Chamber understands the pivotal moment its wider community is in – and the organization’s need for strong leadership to meet that moment.
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PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, 'HOW DID I KNOW IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO RETIRE?'
My answer has always been simple. As a leader, you know when the next chapter needs to be written by someone else, and that time is now for this organization.
DAVE MINOR
OUTGOING CEO & PRESIDENT, EAU CLAIRE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
“Eau Claire is positioned to have tremendous growth, especially with some of the projects that are going on,” Smiskey said, pointing to The 900 District as one of those. “Honestly, we have one shot at all of this growth and potential and we need to ensure that we leadership in place to make the opportunity as beneficial as we can for the community.
“With everything Dave has done here and what Ashley’s capabilities are, we feel strongly that we can be a convener of many of these new entities.”
Minor, known for his off-the-cuff speeches and fondness of Disney, among other things, opted to read from a script at the event.
“I think most of you know, I don’t do well with scripts, but if I don’t read the script I’m never gonna get through this,” he said. Sure enough, a minute or so in, emotion could be heard in his voice and in the pauses between sentences.
Minor spoke of the leadership before him – Bob McCoy, who was present – and what were perhaps the most defining community-wide happenings of his time in Eau Claire: the COVID-19 pandemic and abrupt exit of HSHS hospitals and Prevea clinics.
“Ashley wasn’t selected because she was next in line,” Minor said. “As Tracey said, she was selected because she was the best of the best.”
“People have asked me over the past several months, ‘how did I know it was the right time to retire?’ My answer has always been simple. As a leader, you know when the next chapter needs to be written by someone else, and that time is now for this organization,” he said, noting the numerous recent changes in leadership across the Eau Claire area, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to the City and County.
DeMuth Will Exit Current CEO Position At Menomonie Area Chamber This Fall, Begin In E.C. Sept. 28
DeMuth is likely to a familiar face to those in the wider Chippewa Valley thanks to her years-long role as CEO of the Menomonie Area Chamber and Visitor Center. The Dunn County city is just a 30-minute drive from Eau Claire and is one DeMuth has been a leader in since 2020.
The Menomonie Chamber Board Chairperson, Travis Ida, said while it will be a bittersweet farewell, DeMuth is leaving their organization in a much stronger position.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand the passion, professionalism and care she has brought to his organization. While we’re certainly sad to see her go, we’re also incredibly proud of everything she has accomplished here,” Ida said in a media release.
“Those experiences (at the Menomonie Area Chamber & Visitor Center) have reinforced my belief that when our communities work together, the entire region can be stronger. I’m eager to continue building on that spirit of collaboration in my new role.”
ASHLEY DEMUTH
INCOMING CEO & PRESIDENT, EAU CLAIRE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
That said, DeMuth won't need to relocate – she and her husband live and farm between the two cities (beef and hog, if you’re curious), and her experience as a professional and resident in the Chippewa Valley was one of the qualities that landed her the Eau Claire Chamber position.
DeMuth was not looking to leave her role in Menomonie, she said, when Minor announced his retirement. She has known Minor for about seven years, the two cities’ chambers working alongside one another or together on a variety of community initiatives.
“Serving the Menomonie Area Chamber and Visitor Center has been one of the greatest privileges of my career thus far,” DeMuth told Volume One at the Aug. 4 event. “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve a community that has challenged me, supported me and demonstrated the value of strong regional partnerships.
“Those experiences have reinforced my belief that when our communities work together, the entire region can be stronger. I’m eager to continue building on that spirit of collaboration in my new role.”
DeMuth’s work at the Menomonie Area Chamber will conclude on Sept. 11. Two weeks later, on Sept. 28, she will officially take the reins from Minor at the Eau Claire Area Chamber – though he will stay aboard and work alongside DeMuth to see that transition through.
Applications are now open for the Menomonie Area Chamber & Visitor Center's CEO position.
The Menomonie Area Chamber & Visitor Center is now accepting applications to fill its CEO position (job description, application details available at www.menomoniechamber.org/jobs). Learn more about the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce online, at www.eauclairechamber.org.
