Heber City, Utah—After eight years of service, Ryan Starks—the executive director of the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce, tourism, and economic development office—has accepted a new position as the managing director of operations in the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). Ryan will officially begin the next chapter of his career on November 4, 2019.
In his eight years working in the Heber Valley, Ryan has completed the successful merger of the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce with the tourism and economic development office. Approximately 450 businesses have joined the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce during Ryan’s tenure. Ryan participated in more than 100 ribbon cuttings and spent much of his time working to support local businesses through various community programs and initiatives. In conjunction with the Park City Chamber of Commerce, Ryan founded the Wasatch Back Economic Summit which brings together business and civic leaders from Wasatch and Summit counties.
Ryan oversaw a period of strong economic growth in which Wasatch County’s job growth rate grew by 37 percent while unemployment numbers hovered just below 3 percent. Ryan worked with city and county leaders to formulate a 10-point strategic economic development plan which focuses on business recruitment and expansion, open space preservation, tourism promotion, and workforce development. Ryan also worked with Heber City leaders to create a new industrial business park near the Heber City airport which has attracted multiple world-class companies. Tourism in the Heber Valley has also seen tremendous growth as transient room tax, restaurant tax, and sales tax revenues have more than doubled since 2011. During this same period, Ryan was able to secure more than $1 million in grant funds to support tourism promotion and outdoor recreation infrastructure. Ryan served on various community boards and committees, including the Wasatch Open Lands Board (WOLB), the Heber City Community Alliance for Main Street (CAMS), the Midway Business Alliance, the Soldier Hollow Advisory Board, the Wasatch Community Foundation, the Heber Valley Railroad Board, the Utah State Parks and Recreation Board, and the Utah Office of Tourism Board. Ryan also served for three years as the founding director of the Wasatch Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS).
According to Ryan, “The past eight years have been the most rewarding years of my life. I am grateful beyond measure to have worked with such an amazing staff and board, and I will cherish the many wonderful relationships I’ve formed with the Heber Valley community for the rest of my life.” The Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce, tourism, and economic development board will immediately begin the process of hiring a new executive director of the office.
