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Union County will be a little the poorer this April 1, when Judy Loudermilk steps down as head of the Chamber of Commerce and begins a new chapter of her life elsewhere.
Loudermilk, the Union County chamber’s executive director the past nine years, is resigning to look after personal family matters in Sunriver.
She says she is sad to go; her many friends and associates are just as sad. Hers was a steadying influence, applied gently and always with the best interests of the community at heart. She will be missed.
As chamber President Warren Gilstrap noted, Loudermilk is a leader who always talks about and builds up the next person, never herself. She prefers to work behind the scenes, away from the public spotlight, out of the headlines.
By her account, she didn’t set out to shake the world when she took the job. Solid programs including Union County Leadership and Business After Hours were already in place. She built on those foundations, adding improvements where possible.
The already-existent programs have thrived. And don’t forget, Loudermilk also had a hand in creating new programs to fill specific needs.
One recent example: She was a founding members of the La Grande Renaissance Committee, a group concerned with the revitalization of the city’s central business district.
That committee has formed a plan for a more attractive, vital downtown. Many goals have yet to be realized, but with Loudermilk’s help, the downtown business community has a pathway to follow.
Another example: When the Third Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment mobilized for Iraq, Loudermilk put together the chamber’s Support the Troops program. Its purpose was to raise funds to help the soldiers’ families cope with problems of day-to-day living.
Long after the local unit’s return, Support the Troops is still going strong, still offering tangible assistance to local military families in need. From the beginning, Loudermilk insisted the commitment be ongoing.
It would be impossible to list all the ways Loudermilk has helped the community to grow. But it is worth pointing out that under her guidance, the chamber has truly been a county-wide organization, helping to promote activities in outlying towns as well as in La Grande.
More than that, it has taken strong positions on local, state and national issues that affect prosperity and economic development. It has spoken up for timber, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, the well-being of the local university.
Loudermilk could claim a big share of the credit for things the chamber has accomplished, and few would contradict her. But that’s not her way. Always, she insists the credit goes to membership and the community at large.
Leaders who are both strong and humble don’t come along every day. Loudermilk is one of those, and we agree with her friends — it’s sad to see her go.
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Opinion 
