Meet Nola Krajewski | Golden Chamber of Commerce & Golden Farmers Market

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nola Krajewski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nola, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I think oftentimes success is seen as a pinacol – a place to get to, climb to, or arrive at. But to me, success is more like a river. It ebbs and flows. What is considered “success” in one season, might look very different in a different season.

When I think of success in my role in running the Golden Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Farmers Market, hard work is at the core of it. Being willing and able to make leadership level decisions, while simultaneously being willing to put in the sweat equity, has led to my success.

Relationships are also at the core of success. For myself, being involved in my local community is a huge value. When your customers and clients are also your neighbors and the families that your kids go to school with, you have a reason to build strong and lasting relationships and to see your customers as more than transactional relationships.

Keeping my personal values of relationships, community, and hard work at the center of all that I do has really led to great success for the Golden Farmers Market and the Golden Chamber of Commerce.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career background is entirely in the non profit community. My career started over two decades ago with working with inner city youth in Arizona. I loved doing community work and doing something that felt like it made a difference. I then decided to pursue a Masters in Social Work with an emphasis on community-level change. From there, I went on to work in several small non profits, working primarily with at risk youth. But after awhile, I wanted to do work that was more connected to our business community. I spent several years working for United Way, where I was able to bridge the gap between the for profit and non profit industries and found that I truly loved it.

As my life and family evolved, my husband and I moved around and eventually found ourselves in Golden, CO. I was immediately in love with the community and wanted to be more involved. Starting out as a part time Member Relationship Manager at the Golden Chamber of Commerce was a great introduction for me, especially while my boys were really little. Over the course of the past 7 years, I’ve worked hard, learned more, and grown in my role and now oversee the entire organization. In 2020, we decided to bring the Golden Farmers Market back “in house” (it was previously owned by the Golden Chamber but outsourced to outside management companies). This was incredibly difficult to add this back on to a very full plate, and the pandemic only made it harder. But I put together a great team and the farmers market has taken off ever since.

Also in 2020 my husband and I started our own farming business. As a small business owner involved in the agricultural industry, I feel like I have a unique perspective when it comes to running the Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Farmers Market as I really can identify and put myself in their shoes.

In thinking about my career, I think what I am most proud of is the work that I did during the pandemic. I truly felt compelled to make the Golden Farmers Market successful and a community food hub. I also did a great deal during the pandemic to try to help our local business community. Being able to provide some sort of help, even if it was something small like delivering hand sanitizer and masks to businesses, felt important.

It has not been easy to run an organization during a challenging time, revitalize a farmers market, and start a business – all during a pandemic. But it has been more rewarding than I can possibly express and I am so thankful for those that have placed their trust in me, supported me, encouraged me, and given me the flexibility that I needed to balance it all.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My first stop in Golden with visitors is almost always the Clear Creek. Watching the tubers in the summer, sticking toes in the creek on a hot day, and watching paragliders jump off of Mt. Zion makes for a perfect afternoon to me. Of course, any Golden visitor that comes in the summer should absolutely hit up the Golden Farmers Market. It is along the creek and the atmosphere is just so much fun with live music, food trucks, and a great variety of agricultural products as well as artisan products. All of my summer guests come to the Golden Farmers Market with me!

Strolling into town, I’d probably suggest lunch at the Buffalo Rose or Woody’s Pizza – two of my favorite spots. We’d absolutely have to grab drinks too. Maybe Miners Saloon for margaritas on the patio, or head just outside of downtown for beers at Holidaily or New Terrain Brewery. For dinner, nothing beats Mexican food at Table Mountain Inn Grill & Cantina or El Dorado. And if brunch was on the itinerary, it would definitely be on the patio at the Bridgewater Grill.

My family really enjoys hiking in the area so we like to bring guests to South Table Mountain for a short day hike. And no trip to Golden is truly complete without touring Coors.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Success doesn’t happen without a great support system. For me, it took some big challenges within our organization to push me to the next level. I was able to work hard and stick it out during the challenging times because I felt so truly dedicated to the member businesses that had placed their trust in the Chamber and in me. I needed to be there to support them, especially when they needed it most during the COVID pandemic shut down. Having the local business community as my inspiration helped me keep going.

I have also been very blessed to build an amazing team with my staff. They lift me up each and every day and help the organization achieve our goals. Having a strong team environment is key!

I am also grateful the Board of Directors for the Golden Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is a non profit organization governed by a board of directors. The board is made up of incredibly talented business leaders that provide great insight and encouragement to me. Board Chair Dean Valdez, who is an entrepreneur and passionate about the Golden community, has been a tremendous mentor for me in my role as Executive Director.

In addition to running the Golden Chamber and the Golden Farmers Market, I am a wife and mother to three boys. My husband Dustin, and our kids, are truly the best cheerleaders and support system I could ask for! They have been by my side through the ups and downs and are always there to help me and volunteer their time when it is needed. My husband and I also run our own farm and CBD company, as well as real estate investment, and having that experience as a business owner and entrepreneur has helped me to understand better the needs of the business community that I serve. I was fortunate to have tremendous examples of hard work within my family growing up and those lessons have stuck with me and helped me to where I am today.

Website: www.goldenchamber.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nola-krajewski-4865b55/

Facebook: @goldenchamber

Other: GoldenFarmersMarket.org @GoldenFarmersMarket @necofarms