As we head into March and look forward to a fresh spring season, The Chamber is continuing on in our search for the next president. Last month we worked with a consultant to identify the attributes desired of our new leader, considering the traits of our past CEO, Craig Whitney.

Now that we have an idea of who we’re looking for, the search begins. We’ve formed a committee to lead the search for this next leader, made up of current and past board members and key individuals in our community. They are: Steve Swiontek, Gate City Bank; Sandi Piatz, Microsoft; Jon Riewer, Eventide Senior Living Communities; Kristi Huber, United Way of Cass Clay; Brian Shawn, Midco; and Anne Blackhurst, Minnesota State University Moorhead.

This committee will partner with a local executive search organization and will consider RFPs from around the region. We plan to look both nationally and locally to find the best individual to lead our Chamber and our region forward. We’re looking for someone who can continue the energy and the reputation that Craig created. Someone politically astute, and a team builder who can promote what is good for the community.

We’re not sure how long this process will take, but hope to have someone on board within six months. In the meantime, we’re pushing ahead in our work and remain focused on advocating for business and serving Chamber members.

Current partner efforts with the EDC are proving fruitful. Fueling Our Future, our joint initiative with the EDC, is seeing progress and success. We are happy to share that last month the shovel-ready sites program kicked off with a series of meetings with regional partners to start initial work, recap efforts to-date and highlight the benefits, goals and objectives of the plan. Now, the next step is to collect data on the sites, as work continues on the goal to have two to three sites shovel-ready by late this year. Momentum has also started on a new initiative called Campus FM, aimed at engaging and launching college students’ careers in the region through collaborations with various community organizations and businesses. Of course, we’re still focused on continuing to see through area career academies and an ag tech business accelerator.

Looking ahead, we hope to see you at any of The Chamber’s upcoming events as the coming months will bring many great opportunities. Dawson Insurance is proud to co-sponsor the ChamberChoice Awards Luncheon in May, and while the staff always wants me to do something silly on stage, it is one of the best ways all year to recognize and celebrate business in this community. We also have applications opening in April for the Leadership program—LFMWF aims to serve both current and emerging leaders in your workplace to further their development and skills.

Thank you for your support and membership.