Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Denton To Head Economic Office

There's a new executive director at the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office.

When Chandler Russ left to return to Mississippi, a fellow Mississippian was soon hired to take his place. Walt Denton, who hales from Biloxi, assumed the duties Monday, Aug. 3.

Denton also attended the University of Southern Mississippi, and was there with Russ. In fact, the two got to know each other while working on committee projects as USM.

The working relationship developed into a friendship and the two kept in touch after college mainly over the Internet through E-mail.

When Russ tendered his resignation at the Prescott EDO, his first step afterwards was to E-mail Denton to see if he would be interested in the position. He was and submitted a resume to the Interlocal Economic Development Board of Directors.

At the time, Denton was working in Atlanta, GA. Several members of the board were in Atlanta on a business trip and met with him there.

They liked what they saw and invited Denton to come to Prescott for an interview. This eventually led to his being hired.

Denton spoke highly of Atlanta, calling it a young progressive city. He worked with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in the community development division as an assistant project manager.

He said the Atlanta Chamber was ran like a small corporation as it is the second largest Chamber in the nation.

However, leaving Atlanta and coming to Prescott was an easy decision for Denton. "It was an opportunity too good to pass up," he said.

Finding housing was also no problem for the young man as he was able to rent Russ's former abode.

Denton lauded his friend, saying Russ left the office in good shape and let him know what was going on before Denton came to Prescott. Now, it's a matter of getting up to speed on the projects in the works.

People in the community, he said, have been helpful in aiding him to find his way around. This has made the transition easier, Denton said.

While at USM, Denton majored in communications and later earned his masters in public relations. "It's important to be able to communicate with people," he said.

Turning to the job at hand, Denton said his goals are the same as the city's. "I have three main goals at this point."

The first of these goals is the industrial park near Interstate 30. He said this is a great location for the park, especially being located so close to the interstate. "Chandler and (Prescott Mayor) Howard Taylor did a good job in getting it established. It will be a continuing priority."

Next on the list is working to revitalize the downtown area. Denton said downtown is the heritage and history of the city and it needs to be vibrant and alive. He plans to look at the Main Street program and see if it would be a viable option for Prescott.

"Prescott has a `whatever it takes' mentality," he said. "The people want to get the job done and move forward."

The third goal is a long-term strategic plan for the city. Russ's 11 committees, he said, will go a long way in helping achieve this goal.

As these committees get established and working, they will give the residents a voice in helping shape the future of Prescott, he said. "It will tell us what the people of Prescott want and where they want to go for the next 25-30 years."

Currently, there are 34 different projects in the work at the EDO Denton is working to familiarize himself with and try and attract to the area.

In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing. In high school, Denton played football and baseball. He also wants the people of Prescott to know he does not play golf. This should make some of the area's golfers happy as they will now have a better chance at winning tournaments at the Prescott Country Club.

Denton also enjoys staying in touch with friends through E-mail. "It's a great networking tool," he said.

He likes to read as well, with Richard Ford, John Grisham, Michael Crighton and Willie Morris his favorite authors.

A reception to welcome Denton to Prescott will be held at the Bank of Prescott employee lounge Thursday, Aug. 27, from 9-11 a.m. This reception is being sponsored by the Nevada County Charitable Foundation.