Hyder is new FWKCC staffer
Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Brandy Hyder to its staff. She was hired Wednesday, April 10, as communications and digital coordinator, replacing Kaitlyn Kerrigan.
“I am so beyond excited,” Hyder said. “I worked really hard to get here. I think Julie (Blaylock, FWKCC president/CEO) vetted me out for over a month.
“She took me to a couple of interviews and events to see how I would do,” she added. “It just worked out. I love it.”
“Of about 40 applicants that I interviewed, Brandy really rose to the top because there was just a light and a passion about her,” Blaylock said. “She was really, truly excited for the opportunity, and you could see clearly from the first interview that she was going to be a great fit for our members and for our staff.
“And, she just got better and better with every subsequent interview,” she added. “She has jumped in, wanting to learn as much as she can as quickly as she can.
Outside the office, “She’s put herself out there with our members at our events,” Blaylock said. “She’s definitely not shy. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback already from our members and our volunteers about how much they enjoy interacting with her and how much they appreciate she is proactive about engaging,
“She’s both fun, but professional,” the CEO added.
“You can tell she really enjoys being with people.”
From the communications and digital coordination standpoint, Blaylock said Hyder “brings a lot of talents and strengths; but again, the thing I like most about Brandy and am excited to support is her continued growth trajectory — further strengthen the skills she already has and add to her skill set.”
“I could not ask for better co-workers,” Hyder said. “The two women (Blayock and Suzanne Krygier, membership/finance director) are wonderful.”
“This role is really maintaining our visibility online — social media, like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn,” she added.
Hyder will be in charge of documenting the different events the Chamber does, such as networkings and ribbon cuttings. “I will be taking photos at those,” she said. “I will be compiling and posting them and try to get engagement from the community on those sites.”
Hyder also is in charge of FWKCC’s weekly e-newsletter and will be contributing to Chamber Life, which is published the third week of each month in farragutpress.
Originally from Kingston, Hyder has lived in West Knoxville since 2016. “I found the job on Indeed, but in the past I had gotten my bachelor’s degree in communications,” she said. “I held a couple of marketing jobs in some little family-owned businesses.
“When COVID was at its worst there wasn’t a lot of work,” Hyder added. “Then I found this job and went for it.”
