The Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce has parted ways with Chamber President and CEO Kasey Nispel, the organization announced to its members on Thursday.
“Kasey Nispel is no longer with us,” Chairman of the Board Rick Shaffer wrote in a letter to chamber members Thursday afternoon. “We would appreciate the time to celebrate her tenure with us in a positive light.”
In an interview with the Post Independent, Shaffer went on to say that Nispel did a wonderful job. However, membership is down and the chamber board felt it needed to go in a different direction for the future, he said.
Nispel had been the CEO and president for about two years, according to Shaffer.
“Right out the gate, we want to start increasing membership,” he added.
The Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce is an association of businesses, political entities, organizations and individuals “dedicated to strengthening the business environment of Western Garfield County,” according to its website.
Before her departure, one of Nispel’s goals was to make sure the chamber had more of a presence in Parachute, Battlement Mesa, Silt and New Castle, rather than being just the Rifle Chamber.
Shaffer said the chamber will continue the active campaign to attract members from all of the communities from New Castle to Parachute.
“Membership will be one of our main focuses,” he added. “We will be figuring out who is not [a member] and reaching out to those folks.”
Shaffer said the board intends to bring in an interim CEO and president before a final decision is made.
He said they will start locally to try to find Nispel’s replacement and broaden the search from there.
“We’re charging the board to become the face of the chamber,” he said about transitioning on from Nispel. “It should be the whole board’s responsibility.”
The chamber will host a meet-and-greet with the public on Jan. 31 for members of the public to come out and meet the board.
When looking ahead to the next year, Shaffer said he’s excited to work hand-in-hand with Silt to help market the town’s new federal opportunity zone program aimed at attracting commercial investors.