Phil Castle, The Business Times

Renee Wheelock has some experience in managing sports events — from nurturing relationships with those involved to coordinating volunteer efforts to handling logistics.

Wheelock worked a total of nearly six years as community relations manager and then director of the Ride the Rockies and Pedal the Plains bicycle tours through Colorado. The annual tours constitute what Wheelock describes as a “moving circus” involving thousands of cyclists, hundreds of volunteers and numerous cities and towns along the routes.

Wheelock expects to draw upon the skillset she developed in her new role as executive director of the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission and build on efforts to promote sports events and sports tourism. “I am excited to be in this position and continue to move this forward.”

While there’s considerable potential to stage a variety of cycling events in the Grand Valley, Wheelock says she’s equally excited about the ability of soccer, softball and other sports to attract people and bolster the local economy. The effects can be substantial. By one estimate, the annual Rim Rock Run over the Colorado National Monument contributes more than $570,000 to the economy.

Moreover, people who come to the Grand Valley to play often return to work, she says.

Wheelock cites her own experience as an example. After living in locations around the world, she says she was drawn to the Grand Valley by the quality of life and outdoor recreation. “It was high on the list of desirable places to eventually get to.”

Shortly after relocating to the Grand Valley, she was hired as executive director of the sports commission. She succeeds Jennifer Stoll, the first director of an organization established as a collaborative effort of Colorado Mesa University, the cities of Fruita and Grand Junction, Mesa County and Town of Palisade.

Derek Wagner, chairman of the board that oversees the commission, says Wheelock constitutes a good fit. “Renee brought the right mix of experience and enthusiasm for our mission that our entire search committee embraced. We’re excited to have her on board to continue advancing our mission and growing the sports tourism sector across our valley.”

Since her first day on the job March 28, Wheelock says she’s been meeting with board members, community leaders and other stakeholders. Wheelock says she also attended a National Association of Sports Commission symposium in Tennessee. The meetings and symposium have given her both a local and national perspective of promoting sports events and sports tourism.

She says she’s been impressed by how friendly and helpful everyone has been — along with their appreciation for what sports can do for a community. “It’s all been a pleasant surprise.”   

Wheelock says she’s lived in locations around the world, including Arizona and Virginia as well as Australia. She attended the University of North Carolina and taught English reading and writing to sixth grade students in Micronesia, a group of hundreds of islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

She moved to Denver and initially did some volunteer work with fun runs and other fitness events before working for the Ride the Rockies and Pedal the Plains bicycle tours. As community relations manager, Wheelock says she served as a liaison between the tour and communities along the tour routes, helping them prepare for the tours. She also handled relations with various vendors and sponsors. As director, Wheelock says she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the tours, including planning, operations and logistics.

Grand Junction has served as a host city for Ride the Rockies six times — in 2015, 2010, 2005, 1997, 1989 and 1986. Grand Junction has served as the starting point for the tour four previous times — in 2015, 2010, 2005 and 1997.

Wheelock says she moved to Grand Junction late last year to live closer to the mountain biking, camping and other outdoor activities she enjoys. The move worked out well, she says, because her role as executive director of the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission combines into one job her skills and interests. “It was all the pieces I loved about what I was doing.”

The overall goal of the commission, she says, is to promote sports events and sports tourism along with the revenue and economic development that come with them.

The commission has been involved in bringing a variety of events to Grand Junction, including softball tournaments and collegiate cycling competitions. The commission also is involved with the Special Olympics state summer games and manages the U.S. Bank Rim Rock Run.

Wheelock says the commission will recruit other events that constitute the right fit for local venues and community desires.

The efforts pay off in many ways, she says. People come to Grand Junction not only for sports events, but often return to visit or pursue other activities, she says. Some people come back to live in the area — and still others bring their businesses with them.

Wheelock joins the commission at a time when a voter-approved ballot measure allocates a portion of increased lodging tax revenues to the organization and awareness of the mountain biking and other recreational pursuits available in the Grand Valley grows.

There could be a lot of sports events for Wheelock to help manage. But she has some experience with that.

For more information about the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission, visit http://grandjunctionsports.org.