Grimes named chamber of commerce director

Eric Grimes has been named the new executive director at the Fallon Chamber of Commerce.

Grimes began work at the chamber Monday and is spending his first week "straightening out" past problems and looking to the future.

"We need to run the chamber as a business," Grimes said. "We're going to refocus on the core business of the chamber, which is to support and promote business in Fallon."

Grimes, 40, grew up in Fulton, Ind. He joined the U.S. Navy and while stationed in California traveled through Fallon and remembered the town fondly. He moved to Fallon in 1992 and worked for various NAS Fallon contractors as an avionics technician for nearly 10 years.

Grimes is married to Heidi Hockenberry Grimes and has two daughters, Iliana, 5, and Gabriella, 3. He returned to school at Texas Southern University in Houston, family in tow, and earned a law degree. He was working for a law firm in Reno until earlier this year when he decided to look for work in Fallon in order to spend more time with his family.

"Family comes first," he said.

Grimes is energized about reinstating the chamber's newsletter on a quarterly basis. He said he'll be filling the pages with articles that can directly benefit Fallon businesses.

"We'll give them articles they can use," he said. "More meat and potatoes." He also plans to retain the Experts Corner segment written by chamber members offering specialized advice.

Mark Feest, chamber board president, said he would like to see the newsletter offered as a newspaper insert and mailed to members. He said weekly chamber reports will be e-mailed to members.

Grimes said chamber events will be reevaluated to make sure they fit with the chamber's mission.

Feest said four core events will continue - Hometown Christmas, scheduled for Saturday, the chamber awards dinner, the Cantaloupe Festival and Taste of Fallon.

"The primary consideration will be how much time will it take to produce the event as opposed to things that more directly benefit membership," Feest said. "Beyond those four, we'll have to evaluate."

Grimes said the chamber is also considering hiring a part-time receptionist to answer phones and greet customers 20 hours a week in the mornings while he is out visiting members and soliciting new businesses.

"I'm out beatin' feet on the street," he laughed.

A pool of nine applicants applied for the executive director's position and interviews were held at the end of October and the first part of November.

"It was a combination of both his administrative ability and personality that seemed to be a good fit for what we were looking for," Feest said. "We're happy to have him aboard."