Jon Wyss began his new role as executive director of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce earlier this year.

Wyss previously served as Washington state's executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, a role he held three times. After an initial 2019 appointment during the first Trump administration, he was reappointed by the Biden administration in 2022, and again by the second Trump administration in May 2025.

Founded in 1942, the West Plains Chamber of Commerce now serves the cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, and Medical Lake, as well as Fairchild Air Force Base, two tribes, and unincorporated areas of Spokane County, according to the chamber's website. 

Can you tell me about your background prior to this new role?

I worked for the offices of the Chapter 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy trustees in Texas, Oregon, and Washington over 12 years. I started out in the mail room and worked my way up through the office doing data entry, then case management, then finance restructure, and then taught myself computer programming and became the systems administrator who developed and wrote code to move the trustee offices into a paperless environment, which is still used today by all offices in the country.

I then became the chief deputy assessor for (former Spokane County assessor) Ralph Baker when he was elected. I served in that role for two years and then after getting married, went to work for my wife’s family which is involved in the agriculture, marketing, sales, tourism, cattle, and other businesses as the government affairs director.

After 14 years in the role for my wife’s family I was appointed to be the executive director for the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Farm Service Agency. I was responsible for managing the 26 offices across the state and the state office for both farm programs and farm lending. I was also the spokesperson for the administrations at events throughout the state with agricultural and finance organizations and worked closely with producers to advance the administrations’ policies with the farmers.

What was it about the West Plains Chamber of Commerce that attracted you to the role?

When you look at the city of Spokane, they have (Greater Spokane Incorporated), an amazing organization. And you look at Spokane Valley, and they have the Valley Chamber, and when you look at the businesses there, the community of Spokane can grow up, not out. Spokane Valley can grow north and south, but they're starting to run into governmental lands, other counties.

So when you look at the growth potential, yeah, there's still a lot of growth, and there's business opportunities there, but the one who has the highest potential of growth for the future is going to be the West Plains.

Not only can they grow up, they can grow out. When you look at the organizations out there, you have two sovereign nations, an airport, a university, three cities, and manufacturing. How do you want to grow that and get in that ground level?

Because the manufacturing is going to bring construction of single-family housing, businesses, and small businesses to support that manufacturing and housing and jobs. You can make a lasting impact on our community in a few years. And that's the growth that you have to go through.

How important is the West Plains Chamber’s role as the community continues to grow? 

The West Plains Chamber will serve in a key role to assist in continuing growth throughout the entire West Plains communities of Cheney, Medical Lake, and Airway Heights. Not only those communities, but we will also work to ensure growth of our two sovereign nations, with the Spokane Tribe and Kalispel Tribe, to ensure they have continued growth as well.

We will also play a role in working with Fairchild Air Force Base and the Spokane Airport as both continue to grow. The chamber’s job is to help recruit businesses, developers, and investment into each of these communities. As we do this, we will also work with our partners in the Spokane Valley Chamber and Greater Spokane Incorporated to show that all of Spokane County is a great place to live, grow, and expand your business.

What are some of the key differences between the West Plains business community and the Spokane business community? 

Infrastructure costs are going to be larger out in our area than they are (in Spokane), because the infrastructure is already built (in Spokane). When we build out, we're going to have to build the infrastructure that goes with it.

You're going to have to look at, "okay, so what are my infrastructure costs? I’ve got to bring power. I’ve got to bring water. I have to do wastewater discharge. All those kinds of building standards are going to be driven by cost."

So, do you look at what they did (in downtown Spokane) and do a tax increment finance district? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how it's going and how all that expansion works.

When you look at our tribal partners, they have additional opportunities that some don't, because they can qualify for things from natural resource conservation that others may not.

It's a delicate tie between it all, but they say infrastructure costs are going to be probably larger, but it's a manageable item. It's not a negative. It's just, you have to know what goes in. The positives of the ability to grow because of the land use planning far outweighs some of that infrastructure.

What are some of your hopes or goals for the West Plains business community?

I'd like to see us not only grow in the manufacturing field, but grow in the medical field, because the West Plains has the opportunity for medicine to be community-based, reaching Reardan, Davenport, Four Lakes, Ritzville. Instead of having to go all the way down into Spokane, you can get to the Airway Heights area and be there.

I think we have a huge opportunity to grow within the medical community and also within the behavioral health community, because you can service those rural communities and the tribal communities.

Although you're trying to recruit a new workforce to come to the area, you're also going to have an aged workforce that's going to time out that lives in the community currently. I think you have a huge opportunity, and I'd like to be a cog in that wheel to bring those facilities out.