Brandon Matulka has been named Executive Director of Lake County’s Agency for Economic Prosperity, which oversees the Offices of Elevate Lake, Visit Lake and the Fairgrounds and Events Center. Matulka joined Lake County in 2015, most recently serving as the Manager of Business Development for the agency.
He succeeds Robert Chandler, who earlier this year announced that he would be leaving his longtime employment in March to accept an executive position with The Villages.
In his previous role, Matulka oversaw business relations with some of South Lake’s largest employers, including those at the Ford Commerce Park in Groveland, American Marine Sports, QuietFlex and CaptiveAire. He will now expand his focus countywide, with the goal of assisting existing businesses prosper and attracting new companies to the area.
“One of my initial priorities is to meet with our individual businesses, chambers, cities and regional partners to collect insight regarding how Lake County has worked with them in the past and how we can enhance our relationship in the future,” Matulka said. “My goal is to provide value by better forming a collective and cohesive strategy that benefits the entire county.”
As an Ex-Officio Board Member of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce, Matulka has worked with the chamber to help build a foundation of support for area businesses and community members. He is active with the West Orange/ South Lake Transportation and Economic Development Task Force and the Four Corners Area Council.
Prior to joining Lake County, Matulka worked for Loyola University Chicago in budget management and Garmin International in business-to-business sales and account management. He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Marketing from Northwest Missouri State University.
“Brandon has spent considerable time and energy developing strong working relationships with local governments, members of the business community and many other internal and external stakeholders,” said County Manager Jeff Cole. “He has earned the respect of our partners and has successfully grown our business development efforts. Brandon has a plethora of ideas on how to further enhance our economic development and tourism work.”
The Agency for Economic Prosperity provides assistance and manages services for both the businesses of Lake County and Lake County visitors.
