Binkowski brings wealth of experience

After two decades of marriage, Bruce and Christina Binkowski decided it was time to move out of Southern California and on to a new adventure.

While they were searching for new homes in places like Arizona and Washington, they heard the John Denver song "Wild Montana Skies" play on the radio and this pointed the compass for their search in a new direction. They would soon find a spot of land in Jefferson County, and in 2005 they built on the property. The couple spent a great deal of time at the property over the next decade and officially moved to Boulder in 2016.

It wouldn't take long for Bruce to find a new line of work. The man known by many as the "Voice of San Diego" is now helping to promote the local area.

He started January 9 as the new Jefferson County Event Coordinator, a position created to help promote and create local events.

It would be safe to say Binkowski had a strong resume for the position. Prior to moving to Montana, he served as the Executive Director of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, which produces two college football games per year, the Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl.

Binkowski is well known in San Diego as the former public address announcer for both the Padres and Chargers. From 1986 to 1999, he served in this role for the Padres, and his 1,101 consecutive games called included the 1984 and 1998 World Series, and the 1992 All Star Game. He was also the public address announcer for the San Diego Changers from 1977 to 1999. He was the public address announcer for the Super Bowl in 1988 and 1993.

Along with the impressive accolades as an announcer, he also has extensive experience in public relations and broadcasting.

When Binkowski found out their was an events coordinator position open locally, he knew it was right up his alley, and it would also be a great opportunity to help Jefferson County.

Wortman said the idea for the position arose from the closure of the Montana Development Center in Boulder, which led to the creation of the Boulder Community Transition Advisory Committee, as well as the recent layoffs at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine in Whitehall.

Wortman said the time was right to create the position, and they need to do everything they can to help the county.

Binkowski has already been busy meeting with local officials and event coordinators. He wants to not only work with current event organizers to increase attendance at their annual events, but to also create new events with the end goal of getting people to come and spend money.

Both he and Wortman are hoping the position can bring more people into downtown businesses.

"I want to give back to the community doing as much as I can to have a major economic impact in the coming years," he said.