As the story often goes, Jim Walter’s current career in tourism and destination management wasn’t initially what he had in mind. After graduating from western New York’s St. Bonaventure University with a degree in journalism and mass communications, Walter thought his next steps would take him into sports media. “I was going to be the next play-by-play guy for the New York Yankees, at least [that’s what] I thought,” he reflects. “I fell into tourism after 9/11 when I was fired from my radio ad gig, and then I joined the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce [in New York]. That’s where my belief in tourism as an economic development driver took its roots.”
After his stint in Syracuse, Walter landed a role with Madison County Tourism, also in New York. “I was the executive director of Madison County Tourism for 10 years before striking out west like so many have done before,” he says. “Cheyenne was looking for a director of convention sales, and I was looking for a change—it was a win-win for both.” He has now been with the Wyoming convention and visitors bureau for 12 years, and he has held his present title as vice president since 2020. “Serving as Visit Cheyenne’s vice president allows me to be a part of a team that is working toward growing Cheyenne’s reputation as an authentic Western destination that is cutting-edge and unabashedly cowboy,” he says.
What’s more, he also is Visit Cheyenne’s rodeo program manager, handling seven rodeos each year. This pairs nicely with his additional role running a full-service meeting and event planning company, Boots on the Ground Productions, with his wife, Stacie Walter, who is a certified meeting professional. Here, the couple produces a variety of events, from corporate gatherings to, of course, those classic Wyoming rodeos. “We have an inherent love of and for the Western sports and lifestyle industry, so we have taken that love and put it toward our own company.” When asked about what he sees as the future for meetings and events in Cheyenne, he says, “We are bursting at the seams with our meeting space and hotel rooms. Companies like Meta, Google, Microsoft, and others investing in our community will continue to position us as a great place to do business.”
