A familiar face will return to the Park County Travel Council as five-year member Quintin Blair was appointed to fill the final year in former chair John Parsons’ term, after the longtime member and chair resigned earlier in the year. 

Blair, of Blair’s Hotels in Cody, had been serving on the board as the representative to the Wyoming State Tourism Board. His six year term on that board expired March 1 and he was replaced by Buffalo Bill Center of the West Chief Operations Officer Bruce Sauers. Blair said Parsons was comfortable resigning from the board with the knowledge that Blair could step into that leadership role as a new executive director comes in.

“I would really like to see the transition through and provide whatever continuity and solidarity I am able to in that role,” Blair said. 

Blair was appointed over two other candidates, Mike Christiansen, owner of the Shoshone Lodge and Amir Haskik, a former law enforcement and military member from Europe who has been a successful real estate owner and developer in the United States. Haskik submitted an application for both the travel council and shooting complex boards. 

Commissioner Dossie Overfield said, as other board members agreed, that it was a very tough decision, between Blair’s longevity and Christiansen’s lengthy experience in a tourism focused business in the county. 

“I have a quandary between two people, both would be excellent, Quintin and Mike,” Overfield said, later adding, “Because of Quintin’s previous service with the state travel council, that helps, knowing who to work with.”

Christiansen is the leader of the East Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce representing many of the dude and guest ranches on the North Fork and had expressed frustration with council members and the former executive director in the last few years over how much funding the travel council should provide for the chamber each year. Tuesday he said generally he’s had a good collaboration with the council. 

“I’ve probably applied three or four times over the years,” he said. “I think probably I applied the first time that John Parsons did for this open seat and I just feel like it would be great to get involved with PCTC, and, you know, see what I could do to help. And I feel like, on the finance side of things, you know, maybe I could provide some assistance.”

Haskik said his experience traveling internationally would be a benefit to the travel council, but noted that he just wants the boards to be well run, even if he is not deemed to be the best choice for either the travel council or Wyoming State Shooting Complex board, which he also applied to. 

“I just want to dedicate the time to the community, because that's what I see, that if I'm participating as an active part, that I can basically stay for longer,” he said. “Because for me, this is my last destination, so I want to be sure that I can be here in 20-30 years and be good to my community.”