The Park County Travel Council could soon be looking for a new executive director. 

Leaders of the tourism and marketing arm of Fayetteville, Arkansas, have offered their CEO position to Park County Travel Council Executive Director Ryan Hauck.

On Monday, the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission unanimously picked Hauck over two other finalists for the role, the Fayetteville Flyer reported.

Hauck told the Tribune on Tuesday that he has not decided whether he’ll accept the offer to lead Experience Fayetteville.

“I’m 50-50, and I’m looking forward to moving forward with whatever is best for my family,” he said.

Hauck said the position was recommended to him by industry professionals and a recruiting firm, and he said it was a job he wanted to look into.

Hauck added that Park County is a “phenomenal place” and said the travel council “has been an amazing board to work for — and to continue working for, because I’ve not accepted this position.”

“And this community is an outstanding community to be a part of,” he said, “so it’s nothing to do with unhappiness.”

Park County Travel Council Chair John Parsons said he was blindsided by the news of Hauck’s job offer Tuesday morning, but added that “it was not surprising that someone came after him.”

“That always has been our concern when we hire a strong, young professional — that he may not last forever,” Parsons said.

The council chair added that he never is opposed so someone bettering themselves or their family.

“I hope he stays,” he said of Hauck, “but I’ll wish him well if he decides to go.”

Courting Arkansas

Hauck and the other finalists were in Fayetteville on Sunday for a public meet and greet and interviewed for the position on Monday.

Jennifer Walker, the interim CEO for the tourism commission as well as the finance director, said it was an easy decision to send Hauck an offer. 

“We are very much still in the courting phase, but we enjoyed meeting Ryan,” Walker said, mentioning his personable attitude and desire to work with everyone. “I think, you know, he has a great deal of experience in the tourism industry, and he’s very well respected in his industry, and that news made it all the way to us.”

Fayetteville is more than three times the size of Park County, with a population of over 101,000 people. Home to the University of Arkansas, Walker said tourism in the college town differs from a resort town like Cody, but a lot of people come for outdoor recreation — such as cycling, water sports and climbing.

Much in the same way that the cities of Powell and Cody have used a recruiting firm to handle their higher profile job searches, the Fayetteville commission hired an outside firm to recruit a new CEO. The board signed a $48,000 contract with Winner Partners for the job search and set aside another $12,500 for advertising and travel costs.

Experience Fayetteville is generally funded by a 2% tax on hotels, motels and restaurants, splitting that revenue 50-50 with the city’s parks and recreation department. 

Last year, the Advertising and Promotion Commission reported spending $5.5 million and has a staff of around 22 people. In comparison, the Park County Travel Council — which is primarily funded by a 4% tax on local lodging — spent around $3.37 million in the 2023-2024 fiscal year; it has a $4.29 million budget this year and recently added a fifth position. 

‘Very proud’ of his work

Hauck has led the PCTC since 2021, when he was chosen among nearly 70 applicants to take over for longtime executive director Claudia Wade, who retired. In his tenure in Cody, Hauck has led the travel council through tough issues such as the fallout from Covid and the 2022 floods in Yellowstone; he’s also overseen an influx of funds from Covid relief, a new statewide 3% lodging tax and rising lodging tax receipts.

In the core travel council mission of getting more “heads in beds,” Hauck said the number of overnight visits has risen from around 800,000 a year to nearly 1 million in the past few years and his team recently won a series of prestigious awards at a national conference. 

“We’ve seen nothing but success since I’ve taken over,” he said, “and I’m very proud about what we’ve been able to do for the community.”

While he’s worked in Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and Colorado, Hauck grew up in Wyoming, graduated from the University of Wyoming and worked at Visit Casper earlier in his career.

He said his goal in Cody has been to take the successful work Wade had going and build on it. 

“I think everybody has seen a change that they were looking forward to,” he said. “We’re pushing outdoor rec a little bit more than what we’ve done in the past, using technologies a little bit more than what we’ve done in the past. And just leaning hard into what we’re seeing trending for our area and across the country, and as we’ve been able to prove ourselves with these changes, partners throughout town have been noticing and have been amazing to work with, with us, and I think that will continue whether I’m in this position or not.”

Negotiations underway

Fayettville’s Advertising and Promotion Commission set a salary range of $150,000 to $195,000, with the bottom end intended for a candidate who would need to grow into the role and the top end reserved for “premium” candidates, according to the commission’s discussion. The commissioners have also discussed a car allowance and potential bonuses.

According to the Flyer, Monday’s vote enabled the commission to negotiate an employment contract with Hauck — but that’s contingent on him accepting the offer.

Hauck’s current pay package with Cody Yellowstone is in the $130,000-$140,000 range, and Parsons said the plan was to approve a slight increase in pay at a Thursday board retreat. He said Hauck passed his most recent review with “flying colors.” While there were a few issues the board asked Hauck to work on, Parsons said he’s generally met or exceeded all expectations.

The Park County Travel Council’s retreat begins at 8:15 a.m. at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West with its regular meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Parsons said the council is gearing up for a big tourist season and using marketing to ensure people that, contrary to some media reports, Yellowstone National Park will still handle as many tourists as usual despite having seven positions cut.

Although fewer international travelers are expected this year, he said the park is predicting nearly 5 million visits, which would be close to a record.

(CJ Baker contributed reporting.)