麻豆传媒映画

Julie Pastrick is all about teamwork and finding balance, because those are the key components to leadership.

Pastrick is president and CEO of the Greater Flagstaff 麻豆传媒映画 of Commerce, which serves more than 1,000 member businesses in the second-largest county in the United States.

鈥淚 think being the leader of a chamber that has been known as the largest rural chamber has been quite an honor,鈥� Pastrick said. 鈥淐ollaboration, reaching out, partnerships, doing things together with other entities so your outcomes are greater has always been my philosophy.

鈥淚 call it collective governance, meaning: Alone, the chamber can do so much, but if you partner with another nonprofit, with the university, with the city, with the county鈥� or an industry partner, you can drive outcomes that you couldn鈥檛 do alone, because there鈥檚 shared resources, there鈥檚 shared thought leadership,鈥� Pastrick said.

Pastrick said she loves thought leadership that comes from various perspectives because when the makes a business advocacy decision, 鈥渋t鈥檚 been researched, it鈥檚 been distilled.鈥�

鈥淟eadership is such a unique term, because I know that certain people are called leaders or viewed as leaders, but for me鈥� it鈥檚 about mirroring what your customers鈥� needs are and what your businesses want you to do and surrounding yourself with people that you think are just way more awesome than you are and can get things done with you,鈥� Pastrick said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very team-oriented leader.鈥�

Flagstaff is a diverse and unique community of about 72,000 residents nestled at 7,000 feet above sea level in the largest stand of Ponderosa pine trees in the world. The city has a 鈥渨onderful, world-class university鈥� and businesses both small and large from a , including a booming , Pastrick said.

鈥淎 lot of people really want to live in the mountains, but you also have to be gainfully employed and respect the fact that business is what drives a local economy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Flagstaff 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 mission is to drive a very healthy business climate, because we truly believe that a healthy business climate and a vibrant community are inseparable.鈥�

Flagstaff has received 鈥渘umerous accolades鈥� for its quality of life, Pastrick said. It has been listed as one of the and one of the in the U.S.

鈥淚 think any time you live in a very desirable community 鈥� like Flagstaff really is 鈥� you face a dichotomy of emotions and thinking,鈥� Pastrick said. 鈥淧eople come to Flagstaff because they want to live in the mountains, and they want to be the last person who ever came here. Business knows that that鈥檚 not how it goes. We have to support the economy and grow the economy and work together.鈥�

In small mountain towns across the Intermountain West, the 鈥渘o-growth versus growth鈥� battle is front and center, she said.

Issues that might not even feel like growth issues get 鈥減ut in that box,鈥� Pastrick said, creating a struggle in the community to find middle ground: How can you keep the small-town community atmosphere while continuing to grow economically?

Pastrick is originally from South Bend, Indiana, and migrated to Arizona as an educator. She taught on the Navajo Nation reservation in the northeast part of the state, which made her 鈥渄eeply connected to the culture and the ways of the Navajo tribe,鈥� she said.

Flagstaff, the closest bedroom community to the Navajo Nation, was her next stop.

鈥淚 just think that sometimes you go someplace and you wonder why you didn鈥檛 leave, and you鈥檙e glad that you stayed,鈥� Pastrick said. Most of her family is still in Indiana and the Midwest, she said.

Coconino National Forest and its Ponderosa pines surround Flagstaff, making urban sprawl nearly impossible, but that is part of what makes the outdoor recreation-focused community so attractive, Pastrick said.

Flagstaff is the seat of Coconino County, and the Flagstaff 麻豆传媒映画 serves a broad region of Northern Arizona, allowing for a variety of productive partnerships, she said.

The Williams 麻豆传媒映画 of Commerce closed in 2016, and the Flagstaff 麻豆传媒映画 picked up the slack by forming the about 18 months ago, she said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 been a wonderful blend of two I-40 communities working together, going back and forth, businesses sharing their ideas and their growth concepts and keeping that I-40 corridor really vital and growing,鈥� Pastrick said.

Leadership is also about accepting criticism and , Pastrick said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like the buck stops with you, and if you鈥檙e able to take the buck, fine,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes it gets kind of murky, and sometimes you have to make that tough decision that isn鈥檛 really popular.鈥�

For the most part, however, being a chamber CEO is 鈥渧ery gratifying鈥� and can play an important role in determining the quality of the community, Pastrick said.

鈥淢y father was my role model,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y father always told me I could do anything I wanted to, I could be who I wanted to be, and he was always there for me; he was always willing to help.鈥�

Pastrick said she admires leaders of all kinds, and she believes reading is crucial to aspiring leaders who want to keep learning.

鈥淚f you get two or three ideas from each book, you鈥檙e a better person for it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t either lets you know you鈥檙e doing things right or tells you, 鈥楬ey, maybe you鈥檝e got to go the other fork in the road; try this for a change.鈥欌��

Pastrick said her favorite hobby, however, is fitness. She said she tries to keep her health, career, family and faith all balanced.

鈥淚 just feel like cycling and spending time at the beach and going to the gym really help me to unwind, and I do it all the time, and I鈥檓 so happy that I have time for it most of the time, but it鈥檚 very important,鈥� she said. 鈥淧roper nutrition and proper exercise and a passion for what you do 鈥� it鈥檚 a great equation for success.鈥�

Finding that balance makes it easier to lead and easier to earn support, Pastrick said.

鈥淭he better you feel as a leader, the better you will be attracting those around you to go with what your concepts are or what your ideas are,鈥� she said.