Colwell stepping down as interim executive director
Robbinsville – John Colwell, chairman of the board of REVVED UP, did more than plan the organization’s annual Christmas dinner in December; he was planning his future.
Colwell has been serving as REVVED UP’s de facto executive director since August 2020, when founding executive director Michelle Shiplet stepped down to focus her efforts as executive director of GREAT, after wearing both hats since late 2019.
At REVVED UP’s Dec. 13 Christmas dinner, Colwell announced that the January planning retreat would be his last meeting in his role as REVVED UP’s executive director. He plans to remain on REVVED UP’s Board of Directors, however.
REVVED UP and GREAT are both economic development organizations – REVVED UP is an acronym for Robbinsville Envisioning Vital Vibrant Economic Development and Urban Prosperity; GREAT is an acronym for Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team.
Colwell has been chairman of REVVED UP’s Board of Directors since the non-profit was incorporated in 2019. His executive role since Shiplet’s departure was both time-consuming and unpaid, and Colwell said the time has come for him to focus on his own business pursuits.
For many at the dinner, the news came as a surprise. For Colwell, the announcement was made with teary eyes.
Colwell has presided over REVVED UP during a turbulent period marked by COVID-19, Robbinsville’s beer and wine ballot measures, and a continuing struggle to find funding, coordinate with local entities and carve a path forward.
REVVED UP has done more for Robbinsville – yet, is among its least known entities, Colwell said at the dinner.
The January Board of Directors planning retreat will find itself at a critical point in REVVED UP’s history. The organization is busy enough to need paid staff – an executive assistant, if not an executive director – but too small to afford the payroll cost.
Groups like it in other cities and counties have played major roles in leading economic turnarounds following conditions similar to what Robbinsville has faced – Main Street economic crashes resulting from highway bypasses, new shopping centers and declining manufacturing industries.
If anything, REVVED UP’s biggest problem is poor timing. Most of its existence has been marred by COVID-19, including Colwell’s entire time as executive.
Economic development consultants have descended on Graham County several times over the past decades dreaming up plans to help revitalize Robbinsville and the county, to little effect.
Colwell spent 2022 searching for solutions, including forming ARUBA (Alliance of REVVED UP Business Associates), a fledgling chamber of commerce that provides local business people with an outlet for networking and learning.
The planning retreat will thus have some serious issues on its plate later this month – including how REVVED UP will be managed after Colwell steps down and what its priorities will be moving forward.