Preparing to celebrate community

A new face will be representing the Creston Chamber of Commerce at area events, and she’s thrilled to get started.

Olivia Cheers was announced as the new executive director of the chamber in August, replacing longtime director Ellen Gerharz. The two will be working together as Cheers trains for her new position, with Gerharz officially retiring in October.

Cheers is a Union County local, graduating from East Union High School in 2020. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Iowa State University in 2024.

For the last year, Cheers has been the client services and marketing coordinator for the Union County Development Association. She said it’s the community connections she made through UCDA that made her think she might be able to serve as chamber director.

“Of the position itself, I was really focused on the heavy involvement of the community,” Cheers said. “One thing I like about my job right now is the fact that I have gotten to know so many people in the community that I would not have known had I not had this job, so just to deepen that and build my leadership role and continue to have those relationships, that’s really what I was looking for.”

Cheers officially began training as the new director Tuesday, Sept. 2. However, she’s spending time at both the chamber and UCDA as a replacement is found for her coordinator position.

The slow start is something Cheers is thankful for, since the number of events and responsibilities at the chamber is immense.

“There’s so much going on all the time that you can’t cover everything in one day, so just learning the ins and outs and how to unlock the door, all the first things first,” Cheers said. “Then you get into the nitty gritty as the days go on. I’m excited to kind of sink my teeth into it and see what’s next.”

The first major event Cheers will experience with the chamber is Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days. Less than two weeks away, this event brings balloonists from all over the country to Creston for a weekend of fun in the sky. With Gerharz still leading the charge, Cheers will have the chance to see what her new job entails.

“We will be at the Balloon Days on Saturday together, and I’ll just kind of watch what she does, get to know kind of how she goes about doing the things, contacting the people, getting everything done that needs to get done,” Cheers said. “Kind of shadowing her but also stepping more into the position and learning and paying attention to the stuff that I’m going to need to know for next year.”

Other events and programs Cheers will be running in the future include the Lighted Christmas Parade, Fourth of July celebrations, yards of the month and new business ribbon cuttings. While planning these can be a lot of work, Cheers said she’s excited to work with the chamber’s business partners and community members.

“I am looking forward to getting to know the people and the business partners that are on those committees and kind of getting to know how those all work and then we can start maybe coming up with new ideas, new things to do,” Cheers said. “I think that’s probably what I’m most excited for, getting out there and getting involved and seeing what people like and people say and how it all is ran.”

As she works to find her place with the chamber, Cheers said she appreciates the community support she’s already experienced.

“I’m really excited and I’m very thankful and grateful for all the support that I’ve gotten from community members, business partners, in general,” Cheers said. “It’s just been really nice to know that there are arms welcoming me.”