Stuart named Executive Director at PhillCo

After years of being a stay-at-home mom with her two children – and working part-time as an assistant manager at Family Matters – Malta's Ashley Stuart is back to her roots in marketing as PhillCo Economic Growth Council's new Executive Director.

"This is the middle of my third week on the job," Stuart said last Wednesday. "So far, it is going really well. Like any new job, the first few weeks are pretty overwhelming, but I really enjoy the challenges and I'm thrilled to be here."

Stuart is a 1999 graduate of Whitewater High School and in 2003, she graduated from Rocky Mountain College – Billings, Mont. – where she earned a BA in business management with a health studies minor. Prior to her recent hiring at PhillCo, and before fulltime mother duties, Stuart worked as the marketing director at both First Montana Title and at an occupational/physical therapy company – both in Billings.

"The marketing portion of business is where I have the most experience and it's what I enjoy," Stuart said. "So when this position opened with PhillCo and marketing was the direction the board wanted to move towards, I felt it was a rare opportunity and the timing was right for our family, so I decided to apply."

PhillCo Economic Growth Council is a citizen driven nonprofit group organized in 1986 to provide for planned growth and development conducive to the quality of life of Phillips County residents. The group's mission statement is to assist in improving the economic stability of the Phillips County area and the standard of living of the residents. To provide leadership in the county relative to the creation of new jobs and new wealth.

"The PhillCo Membership Board is filled with many committed individuals, lead by President Mike Rappold, VP Mark Kunze and Secretary/Treasurer Sharon Kindle. Including an Executive Board, Community Fund Committee and Beautification Committee, who all volunteer their time," Stuart said. "They give a lot of their time because they care for the greater wellbeing of Phillips County."

Ashley's husband, Jake Stuart, is an insurance agent and co-owner of Phillips County Insurance. The Couple wed in 2005 and then moved back to Phillips County in 2008 shortly after their first child was born.

The Stuart children – daughter Emree, who will turn eight in February, and son Regan, who is six -- are both now attending school fulltime allowing Stuart to get back to her business career.

"That was always the plan," she said. "Once the children were old enough to be in school I would get back on my career path. This position opened up at the perfect time and is a nice fit."

Prior to Stuart's hiring at PhillCo, the position of Executive Director had been vacant since mid-March of this year. Before 2015, the position was a combination of PhillCo executive director and secretary of the Malta Area Chamber of Commerce. In April of this year, Dina Sainato-Meneely was hired as the fulltime secretary of the Malta Chamber.

"We are still closely affiliated with the Malta Chamber and Dina has been wonderful to work with," Stuart said. "I look forward to working with her, hand in hand, on projects for years to come."

First and foremost on Stuart's list of things to accomplish at PhillCo is to update the group's web presence and establish a Facebook page, along with a logo.

"In this day and age, I feel the website is a must have marketing tool that needs to be updated and maintained," she said. "Social media is another way for PhillCo and the county to remain connected and informed in what's happening in our area."