Erickson steps down as Chamber director

By Per Peterson

Lexi Erickson

The Tracy Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for its third director in less than three years.

Lexi Erickson has resigned her position, effective May 13. She informed the Chamber of her decision in an email Sunday evening.

A 2011 Tracy Area High School graduate,  Erickson said she made the tough decision because of personal reasons, namely she is now a mother of two.

“I want to spend more time with my two children, and our family will be growing hopefully next year,” Erickson said. “I always said that I’d be done once I had three kids. When COVID hit, we hadn’t had our second yet, but we just kind of paid the bills, kept everything going. Now that everything has started ramping up again, it’s just proving to be a lot to handle.”

Erickson succeeded Brittany Larson at the end of October 2018. Looking back on her time as Chamber director, Erickson said 2020 was tough since the pandemic wiped out Box Car Days, easily the City’s largest celebration and an event that she and the rest of the Chamber spends nearly an entire year planning for.

“That’s the hardest,” she said. “In my head, my goal when I started the job was to organize four Box Car Days. Last year did not help my goal. But even planning the other events, was just a lot with my family — I don’t think I can give 100% to both.”

Erickson did say that she wants to remain a member of the board, and contribute and stay involved as much as time allows.

“I obviously loved it; at the Chamber banquet I loved seeing everybody there, celebrating Tracy,” she said. “That’s why I still want to be highly involved, just not in the director role. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”