Tonya Maddox, founder and CEO of Our Town Matters and publisher of the Montrose Business Times, has been named this year’s Remarkable Woman by KREX-TV as part of its annual Women’s History Month recognition.
WesternSlopeNow, KREX’s online news outlet, highlighted Maddox as one of four exceptional women on the Western Slope during March and invited community members to submit nominations. Among all the submissions, Maddox’s stood out.
“This is America and entrepreneurship is something to be valued and put on a pedestal,” Maddox told WesternSlopeNow.
Maddox launched Our Town Matters, a Montrose-based marketing, PR, and events firm, seven years ago. Since then, the company has worked with about 45 small and mid-sized businesses, most of them located on the Western Slope.
“It has been the most rewarding experience ever,” she said.
“Publishing and journalism is in my blood. And it is something I haven’t been able to get away from,” she said of her continuing to publish the Montrose Business Times. “So my history is when newspapers are in trouble, they call me.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddox helped organize an emergency initiative that raised approximately $250,000 to support local restaurants and help them stay open under capacity restrictions.
“It’s more than marketing, PR and events—it’s a culture,” she said.
Maddox said the most fulfilling part of her work is seeing the real-world impact on the businesses she supports.
“When we find that business that said you made a difference, I wouldn’t be here three years later, five years later, or whatever… that just means a lot to me,” she told KREX.
The Remarkable Women initiative is part of a national campaign by Nexstar Media Group, which owns more than 200 television stations across the U.S. Nominations are submitted by the public by the end of December. Each station selects and profiles local honorees throughout March, with one local winner chosen based on community contributions, personal achievement, and family impact.
In April, 125 local market finalists—including 11 from non-Nexstar markets selected by NewsNation—are invited on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Los Angeles. There, the women enjoy a stay at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, a poolside reception catered by Wolfgang Puck, a tour of Hollywood, and a special “Remarkable Women” presentation at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.
A highlight of the 2024 experience was a surprise invitation to a live taping of The Jennifer Hudson Show, where the EGOT winner greeted the honorees in person.
The campaign culminates in the naming of five regional finalists and one national “Remarkable Woman of the Year.” Each regional finalist receives a $5,000 donation to the nonprofit of her choice. The national winner receives a $25,000 donation to a nonprofit of her choosing.
Viewers can tune in to The CW Network for Viewers can tune in to a one-hour national “Remarkable Women” special on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/PT to see the honorees celebrated on screen. In the meantime, an interactive map of this year’s local winners is available online through Nexstar’s Remarkable Women campaign website.
Disclaimer: Tonya Maddox is the owner of the Montrose Business Times.
