John Darby

I grew up in a small town and have been away from a small town for a long time. What do I love? I guess it is more of a surprise that reminded me of how great it is to walk into a restaurant and know a bunch of people, say 'hi' and shake hands. It's not that I just walk in and walk straight back to my table; it is going to be a little bit of a trek because I've got to walk back and say hi to the mayor and shake hands with some guys from the school district and the economic development corporation and whatnot. It has been a great experience because the community knows one another, and we are able to see each other and interact.

What was your first order of business?

My first order of business was Olde Tyme Days; it is our biggest event of the year. I was hired two months before the event. This year it has been primarily volunteer-led, and they have done great work.

What major changes do you hope

to make?

I wouldn't call them changes as much as it is taking programs to the next level. The chamber is a great organization with a strong foundation with some really good programs that I think we can make even better. A great example of that is "Go Hutto." If you peel the onion and say, 'What exactly is this?' it is a shop local campaign. The idea behind "Go Hutto" is to educate [the community] and say, 'Hey, you know you could drop that off before you leave town and pick it up when you come back in.' The difference is that your sales tax dollar goes to fill a pothole here, it pays for teachers and emergency responders here. So it is an educational program much greater than just a typical shop local campaign. That is just one example of a number of different programs that have a really strong foundation and are going well, and I see my role as taking those to those next level.

Are there any major goals you have set out for yourself or things you want to see done during your time here?

I think that one of the things that we really want to do is to have a capital facilities plan. We've got a great little downtown here, and our facilities don't exactly match the look and the feel of the cityscape. I have a capital facilities plan where I would love to do some remodeling that makes it fit in with the cityscape. We have a great downtown. I think most people, when they think of a downtown, they don't think of this. But if you come down on a Tuesday night, you are going to be hard-pressed to find parking. If you come down on a weekend, you are going to find some great live bands here. So people do spend time here. It's our goal, while we are the front door of Hutto by default; I want to have a facility here that showcases that.