McLean named new chamber director

Bethany Lange, Herald Reporter
Posted 7/18/17

Evanston Chamber of Commerce welcomes new director

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McLean named new chamber director

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EVANSTON — Lifelong Evanston resident Marian McLean took up the reins at the Evanston Chamber of Commerce on June 21 and is already hard at work doing what she loves. 

McLean has been unknowingly preparing for this job for years with her rich history volunteering in Evanston, dating back to high school. 

“It seems like I’m on one committee or another all the time. I like to be busy, and ... my forte is organizing and planning events, and that’s what I love to do,” she said. “That’s why I thought this was a really, really good fit.”

She has done volunteer work for many organizations and events, including organizing last year’s Cowboy Days Princess Tea Party for the 80th anniversary and several veterans programs. She has also written grants and raised money for various causes over the years. 

McLean said she grew up on a ranch just south of Evanston and has lived in Evanston ever since she was married.

“I love Evanston,” she said. “I think we have a really good community. I think that it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.”

She added that the community has excellent mentors and strong values and pride. With that love of home, she and her husband, Bruce, raised three children in Evanston. After those children grew up and left to pursue their dreams, she and Bruce have been delightedly following the adventures of their children and five grandsons from afar. 

McLean’s oldest son is an international attorney in New York who travels the world and gives seminars. Her other two children are a little closer to home, but not by much: her middle son lives in Laramie with his family, and her daughter lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

“And I miss them. It’s terrible to have them so far away,” McLean said. “So this way I can throw myself into my job and I don’t get bored or homesick for my kids.”

And there are plenty of things for her to do. For one, she is working on updating the Uinta County part of the Wyoming Tourism Travel Journal to make sure local businesses are well represented.

“We want to make sure that they’re front and center in this journal,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of information in here about Uinta County.”

Another thing consuming McLean’s attention is the upcoming eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. The Chamber has planned events for the entire day and is trying to mobilize volunteers who know a lot about astronomy for a stargazing event the night before. The Chamber is currently inviting people to apply to help with the event. 

She said rooms have been running at least $1,000 per night in Wyoming communities that are directly in the path of the eclipse, and although she was incredulous at first, she has since realized this could be a golden opportunity to show Evanston’s strengths to the tourists passing through. 

“Little Uinta County might not be in the path of the total eclipse, but all of these people are going to have to go through Uinta County to get there — or most of these people,” McLean said. “So we wanted to capitalize on that.”

Some of the planned events include a variety of events for kids, including a sand truck (a semi-truck with a bed full of sand for kids to play in), educational opportunities, an obstacle course, a scavenger hunt, eclipse glasses donated by Evanston Regional Hospital, music, vendors and more. 

McLean is especially hoping for tourism industries to participate. 

“Our objective is to show them everything that we have to offer and to invite them to come back time and time again,” she said. 

Overall, she hopes to revitalize Evanston’s business and economy, especially with the economic downturn. In her written introduction, she credited local organizations and businesses with giving Evanston its strength. In return, she hopes to help give those same businesses a return on their investment by giving the chamber strong leadership.