Lola Johnson of Burns was hired as the new executive director of the Harney County Chamber of Commerce. Johnson was hired on May 14 and officially began her new duties at the chamber a week later.

Johnson had to hit the ground running in her new post, as the Skull 120/60/30 Gravel Grinder bike race is coming up on June 16. Fortunately, Johnson worked as an administrative assistant at the chamber last year so she was familiar with the event.

“I worked here for nine months last year and was involved with both the Skull 120 and the Bike and Brew, so I knew beforehand what to expect,” Johnson said. “That experience has helped tremendously. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but I thrive in those stressful situations.”

Rural background

Johnson spent her younger years growing up in a rural part of northern California, so she is no stranger to living in a small town.

“We lived in Loch Lomand, a town of 99 people, but it would grow to about 1,000 people in the summer,” she said.

Her family moved to Elko, Nev. when she was a freshman in high school, and after graduating, Johnson moved to Boise, Idaho. In 2003, she met Kyle Johnson, and the two were married the following year. Then in 2005, the couple made the move to Harney County and have been a part of the community since then.

Johnson was a stay-at-home mom for the first several years in Burns, and then worked as a bartender at Morgan’s and assistant manager at King’s. Kyle works as a custom hay farmer for Jack Bauer.

The couple has three children, Kaden,14, Hazen, 11, and Dallen, 8.

Goals and challenges

When asked about her goals as executive director, Johnson smiled and answered, “To have every business be a member of the chamber.”

She said she would like to see the community host more big events like the Skull 120 and expand to hosting winter events.

“If we get snow, it would be fun to have snowmobile races and cross country ski races,” she said. Johnson added that it would be exciting to hold an event at the Alvord Desert, like wind racers, hot air balloons, or motor sports, in August.

“I’m stepping into some big shoes to fill, and I’d like to make these shoes bigger,” Johnson said. “Chelsea Harrison, the former director, did amazing things for the chamber.”

Johnson said that, although Harney County is remote, it’s her job to let people know what is here.

“We’re more than just a high desert. There’s Steens Mountain, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the Alvord Desert, forests, and a lot more. It’s just getting people to realize that,” she said.

Johnson is also working on having more events for the community, such as a family movie night at Hines Park. The youngsters and parents could arrive early to decorate cardboard boxes as vehicles, and the kids could sit in their “cars” for the show.

“The kids would get to take their cars home too,” she said with a laugh.

Johnson is also unfazed with the challenge of bringing more people to Harney County.

“You have to start somewhere,” she said. “We tripled the number of participants in the Skull 120 in just one year, and it’s only going to get bigger. We can have more events, and the economy will grow.

“I love this community and the people, This is home now, and we’re here to stay.”

The chamber office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and hopes to expand its hours to include Saturdays in the near future.