New Tourism Director Takes the Reigns

He doesn't manage the office with a coat and tie. He has the relaxed look of someone who is more comfortable walking, or riding, the prairie than to spend too much time behind a desk. He has the appearance of a man who is most relaxed sharing stories and fireside coffee almost as strong as the characters in the stories, building relationships with dramatized stories of the West.

There are those people in the world who don't slow down. They have an energy in everything they do that is almost contagious. When that energy is applied to inviting visitors to an event or community, be sure they will feel welcome. That is the goal of Cheyenne County's new Tourism director, Kevin Howard.

"My hope is I can make a difference," Howard said Friday. "If I can't make a difference, I don't need to be here."

Howard replaces Heather Hausmann who resigned to move to Colorado. He was the tourism director in Alliance from July 2011 to June 2018, and tourism director for the Scotts Bluff County Tourism prior to that. He and his family owned and operated the Orgon Trail Wagon Train - a chuck wagon cookout, wagon train vacation, canoe rental and RV park organization - near Chimney Rock in Bayard.

He said he is looking forward to working with the Office of Economic Development and the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce.

"The Chamber is the front door of the community," he said.

He added the the best way for the community to move forward is to have a shared vision.

"We need to have everyone working in the same direction," he said.

Howard has been on the job only a few days, arriving at the new environment June 14. He refers to the recent days as "drinking from a firehose" for all of the details he has to learn, people to meet and plans for promoting Cheyenne County.

Howard said the goal is to give travelers a reason to stop, then a reason to return.

"The name of the game in tourism is stay longer," he said. "Let's slow them down, get them to enjoy the people."

He said Sidney and Cheyenne County have a draw, a uniqueness people are seeking.

"We have something those people (visitors) want - a peaceful community," he said.

The challenge is how to draw people from the locations near Interstate 80 to downtown and experience more of the Sidney community. He said the key is often in the frontline workers, the first people a tourist meets when visiting a community. It is about having a welcoming attitude and promoting the community.

"It is attitude. It is signage. It is the people they meet," he said.

The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday formally introduced Howard as the new tourism director. Howard said he sees one of his roles as liaison between the tourism committee and the commissioners.