Rachelle Baughman named chamber "Achiever of the Year"

Former chamber executive director Rachelle Baughman was named the organization's "Achiever of the Year" for 2022 last week after deciding to leave that job last winter and start her own business.

Baughman's move set in motion a series of changes at the chamber, including rethinking about what it needs in a new era from a person in Baughman's former position.

In announcing the choice at the annual awards dinner Wednesday, board member Nic Alexander said Baughman fits the word "achiever," which is a "somebody that makes a series of decisions, that puts them in a position for success."

"Rachelle took on a chamber job that - she was given some instructions, but not a whole lot," said Alexander, principal at Coulee Construction and a partner in Centerline Development. "And she found a direction; she made decisions that were maybe risky, and maybe not all of them were right. But guess what, surprise, surprise, when you make wrong decisions, you'll learn something."

That propensity is something society is lacking some of today, Alexander said, but Baughman takes risks, learns from them, and gets things done.

Baughman started Coulee Creative to help local business with their marketing needs and now contracts with the chamber in that capacity. She reported on those efforts and presented a video the chamber had commissioned from an outside firm while she was still an employee that was recently finished.

"As I mentioned earlier, I'm passionate about this community, passionate about the area, and I'm doing it for the kids," she said. "I want my kids to have a great place to live."