Dedicated volunteer, chamber employee to begin new chapter

A longtime volunteer and former Woodbury citizen of the year said goodbye to the Chamber of Commerce last week and moved on to a new venture.

Kim Snyder, one of the lead organizers and creators of the Woodbury Community Expo, will no longer serve as membership director for the chamber.

“It’s been a good ride,” she said. “It’s been a really good run.”

After 10 years of serving as a volunteer on the Woodbury Chamber Board of Directors and Executive Board, Snyder was hired as a part-time employee to run the membership program and organize various events.

One of her biggest accomplishments, she said, was expanding the Country Mile to include more races and age groups.

The humble, but proud and dedicated Woodbury resident, said it has been rewarding to see the Country Mile and Expo become what they are today.

“I’m very proud of the Expo,” Snyder said. “Pretty much we started that from scratch and it became a successful event.”

Over the years, Snyder has been seen volunteering at many different events around Woodbury – from the Spooktacular Soiree and fashion show fundraisers, to ribbon cuttings and Woodbury Days.

Her connections with the many members of the organization have been one of her favorite parts about working for the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce, she said.

“The interfacing with all the businesses and community leaders,” she said, along with being “in the know about the new businesses … what changes are coming to the city.”

But it’s time for her to move on to an opportunity she said she couldn’t pass up.

“It’s a real break from what I’ve been doing the last few years,” Snyder said. “It’s a really good time for me to leave. The events are in a good place.”

And now that her children are a little older too, she said it’s a good time to get back to corporate America.

Woodbury Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Travis Martinson said Snyder has been a good teammate who was able to contribute to the organization’s growth and development as well as work on building the Community Expo from the ground up.

Lisa Crain, marketing director for Woodbury Lakes and member of the Chamber Board of Directors, said Snyder has always put the chamber’s mission and vision in the forefront of whatever she did.

“She’ll be greatly missed,” Crain said. “She’s contributed a lot of time and effort.”

Crain, who also worked with Snyder on the Expo, said it’s her enthusiasm and ability to follow through on events that make them successful and enjoyable.

Snyder plans to continue volunteering in Woodbury. She currently serves on the Bielenberg Sports Center Task Force, and will continue to seek volunteer opportunities whenever possible, she said.

“It’s been a great experience, a very fulfilling opportunity you don’t get in an average job,” she said of her Chamber job.

Snyder was winner of the Chamber’s 2010 Citizen of the Year Award, she served on the Woodbury Planning Commission for three years through December 2010, and was also a member of the Comprehensive Plan Task Force.

Tags: area news, news, woodbury