Kay Reynolds
President
Click here for a copy of Kay's resume

With over 42 years of economic development and entrepreneurial experience, Kay specializes in building local entrepreneur support systems, providing business assistance, encouraging economic revitalization, conducting strategic planning, and guiding business visitations. Her primary focus is on rural development and statewide policy, emphasizing improved quality of life.

Because of her long-time involvement in the field, she has often been introduced as “The Mother of Economic Development in California.” In 2010, she received the California Association for Local Economic Development’s (CALED’s) “Above and Beyond” award for her long-time contributions to ED in California. In 2016, she became a Senior Fellow for the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

Kay began her career with the City of El Paso, as primary staff in the Office of International and Urban Affairs and served as the City’s Federal Grants Coordinator. She also taught political science at the El Paso Community College. In 1978, she worked as an LBJ Foundation intern for Representative Richard White in Washington, D.C. After completing her graduate work, she relocated to California and worked as part of the technical assistance team that set up many of California’s local ED programs.

Two years later, Kay became Deputy Director of the California Office of Local Economic Development. She was also a Founder of CALED and, in 1983, became its first CEO. She authored 10 economic development guidebooks and many economic strategic plans. Beginning in the late 80s, Kay operated her own economic development consulting company, working statewide in Colorado and California.

In the mid 90s, Kay was hired as CEO for a rural countywide EDC and directed their Small Business Development Outreach Center. In 2004, Kay returned to CALED, serving as Executive Director of the California Academy for Economic Development and Vice President in charge of conferences and fundraising, and policy development.

In 2007, Kay and Carolyn Usinger founded Tools for Business Success. The Tools provides a webfeed of 800+ links to business development resources, with each page customized to look like the client’s homepage. The Tools now has over 130 clients and is spread across 30 states.

Kay is passionate about mountains, forests, skiing, and fishing. She lives and breathes rural. She and her husband John Busby raised their sons in rural Colorado and California. Her offices have been on a mountain ridge above Denver, in a small forested community in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in the desert outside of Tucson, on a cliff side north of Durango, in a tiny farm town in Southeast Nebraska, on the side of Flathead Lake in Montana, and, her current location, in a hidden valley north of Missoula. She works nationwide. Although she has residual knowledge of how to be properly accessorized for formal events, her preferred office attire is Wranglers, sweaters, and hiking boots.