MARK WAITE / PVT Pahrump Valley Chamber CEO Kari Frilot poses at the 10th Annual BizExpo held earlier this month. Advertisement

Kari Frilot, chief executive officer of the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, is moving up in the world.

Frilot's last day as Pahrump chamber CEO is May 30.

She'll begin work June 19 for the Nevada Commission on Tourism, where she will be in charge of grant programs.

Frilot took over the job as chamber director in December 2002, at a time marked by division among some chamber board members. At that time, her title was executive director. Frilot said many chambers have changed the title of their most important paid staff member to CEO.

Frilot retired to Pahrump in 1999 with her husband from Pleasanton, Calif., after working for AT&T for 32 years. Her last job was operations manager for undersea cable stations in Hawaii, California and Oregon.

During her term, Frilot said chamber membership doubled from 300 to 600 members. A health care plan was instituted for businesses with at least two employees.

"The chamber really gets involved in all kinds of things, there's economic development, membership development, tourism, because we act as the visitor's center also. Because of the focus on those three areas, I just became involved with a number of organizations and committees," Frilot said.

"I chaired the Pioneer Territory, which was a territory designated by the Nevada Commission on Tourism. I was on the Pahrump Tourism Advisory Board and acted as secretary and developed a grant request program for that board with guidelines," she said.

Frilot said she worked with Victoria Balint to put together the proposal for the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board to get a $100,000 grant setting up the Nevada JobConnect offices in the Calvada Eye.

"I've had great boards since I came on," Frilot said. "People really understand what their roles are a lot better than they did."

When it comes to economic development, Frilot said business prospects are referred to "the experts" such as EDEN Inc., PAVED, the Small Business Association and SCORE, which are also located on the second floor of the Nevada State Bank building. She said the chamber can provide them with data, referring them to a Web site with local demographics.

Then there are all the chamber events that grew up over the last six years. Frilot set up a volunteer committee with chairpersons who recruit volunteers to help at the various events.

Frilot even developed a formal process for recruiting her successor.

The chamber board will advertise the position through the Western Association of Chamber Executives, reaching 800 chambers around the Western U.S. The job will also be advertised locally, she said.

"I think she's done a fabulous job and I think she's moving up to a better position and I think it's going to be tough to fill her shoes but we'll find somebody who's qualified that's in this community," said chamber secretary Mike Selbach, at a ribbon-cutting event last week.

Chamber board executive Keith Froehling said they don't want to rush the process. Frilot said it could take two months to finish the recruiting process.

"Even though she's leaving May 30th, if we have to step up as a board to take on some of the responsibilities until we find a qualified person that's what we'll do," Selbach said.