Branson chamber leader projects big year for tourism

With one month of tourism tax receipts yet to be tabulated for 2023, Pamela Yancey, the new leader at the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau, expects record revenues in the Taney County town for a third consecutive year.

The city’s tourism tax has generated over $16.5 million in revenue through the first 11 months of the year. That’s roughly $1 million under the $17.65 million record total reached in 2022. Last December produced nearly $1.8 million.

Yancey, who began Dec. 4 in her role as the chamber’s president and CEO, said not only does she believe Branson will finish with a solid December, but she has high hopes for another strong year of tourism in 2024.

“We are optimistic. The U.S. Travel Association is predicting an uptick of 2% in leisure travel for 2024,” she said. “We are drivable. We are a very affordable destination and still that place where families can come as a group. We believe if we can get someone here for the first time, they are going to fall in love with Branson and they’re going to come back again.”

Yancey’s love of Branson and desire to see it thrive were part of her motivation to switch career paths after nearly 35 years in the banking industry. Yancey came to the chamber after 11 years as community bank president for Arvest Bank in the tri-lakes area. She’s leading an organization that employs 32 and has roughly 100 volunteers and over 860 members, according to Springfield Business Journal list research. She estimates a $14 million budget for 2024.

“I’ve been in Branson for a long time, and I love who we are,” she said, adding she moved to the city in 1989. “Over the years with community service and working at the bank, I’ve made a lot of really great friends and built a lot of really strong relationships.”

Yancey succeeded two-year chamber leader Jason Outman, who exited in March and is now working as CEO of Greater Tampa Realtors, a professional association of real estate brokers and agents in Tampa, Florida, according to its website. Jonas Arjes, executive director of the Taney County Partnership and executive vice president and chief economic development officer for the Branson chamber, led the organization in the interim.

“I felt I could take my knowledge of Branson, my love for Branson, and my willingness to work collaboratively across all lines. I felt I could make an impact here,” Yancey said, adding she previously served for four years on the chamber’s board of directors before being hired for the position. “I could help to hopefully elevate our community to the next level.”

Taking the lead
Cynthia Carson, Branson chamber board chair, said the organization contracted with Branson-based Blue Water HR Consulting LLC to conduct a national search. That led to around 250 applicants and four finalists.

“We felt like a lot of what we were needing for this role was somebody who was an active listener. The work that we all experienced with her on the board as well as the work we did in the community, she definitely was a listener and would seek to understand versus always being understood,” Carson said. “We felt like that was one of the big keys that we needed here, as well as collaboration. She’s highly collaborative, and she kept standing out.”

Carson said she worked on the board with Yancey for nearly four years and was impressed by her passion for Branson. That led her to encourage Yancey to throw her hat in the ring.

“In the beginning, I didn’t even think about that,” Yancey said of the chamber job. “With 35 years in banking, that was kind of what I thought I was going to continue to do. There was a lot of soul searching, a lot of prayer. I decided that it might be something I could do to make a positive difference in our community.”

Still, she said exiting Arvest was “like leaving family.”

“It was emotional to leave,” she said. “It was great to have their support and well wishes.”

Jason England, president of Arvest Bank Springfield, said via email the company was fortunate to have had Yancey on its team for the past 11 years.

“Her passion for her community and unique ability to connect with others has been a big part of our success and the success of so many others,” he said. “We are excited for Branson and the region’s business community to have Pam leading the chamber.”

Like Yancey, Arjes is another longtime Branson resident. His interim stint as the chamber’s president and CEO this year was the second time he has taken on the role in the past three years. He filled in temporarily prior to Outman’s arrival when previous chamber leader Jeff Seifried resigned.

In both instances, Arjes said he was among candidates seeking to permanently fill the top role. Still, as he was with Outman, Arjes said he is supportive of Yancey, who he believes is a great hire for the chamber.

“I love my job in economic development, and I work as hard as I can all the time to make sure that we serve Taney County and all of the communities within … the best way we can. That won’t change,” he said, adding Branson is his hometown and that he’s been a county resident since 1974.

Taney County Partnership has a full-time employee who focuses on workforce development, Arjes said, noting employment has bounced back from the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The county’s unemployment rate in October was 3.6%, compared with 24.5% in April 2020, according to the latest data from the Missouri Department of Labor.

The organization has its seventh-annual Taney County Workforce Summit scheduled in late January, and it will cover local, state and regional workforce updates. That will be followed in March by Taney County Days, a three-day event in partnership with school districts to have businesses expose high school and junior high students to career opportunities.

Additionally, Arjes said affordable workforce housing remains a concern, but he saluted DHTC Development LLC as a Springfield-area company looking to help. DHTC Development co-owner Debbie Shantz Hart recently told SBJ her company is nearing completion of Bluff View Apartments, a 54-unit, two-building complex in Branson. It is expected to be completed in the next couple of months.

“We’re appreciative of her efforts, and the ability to secure one of those (Missouri Housing Development Commission) projects is great for the community,” Arjes said.

On the horizon
While Arjes has been a chamber employee since 2012, Yancey has worked on the job for less than three weeks.

Noting it’s been extremely busy with lots of meetings in and out of the office, Yancey said she’s not as focused on goal planning for the organization at this point, instead working on her personal goals for the position. She said her top priority is getting to know staff and their respective roles before begining a strategic planning process in early 2024.

Carson said Yancey also will be tasked with hiring a new chief marketing officer, as Rachel Wood vacated the position in October.

With the city’s tourism tax revenue continuing to thrive, Yancey said she’s uncertain if visitation is on the verge of hitting a ceiling. Branson had a record 10.2 million visitors in 2022, according to past SBJ reporting. She said the visitor count this year is looking comparable to 2022.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll see an increase in 2024,” she said. “Worrying about hitting a ceiling is a good problem to have. We’ve got plenty of room to continue to grow. With some foresight, we can continue to improve and grow our infrastructure to accommodate increased visitors.”