Posted on Friday, July 23, 2021
By:
Eileen Dautrich
Categories:
General
The month of July means a change in leadership for our organization. Leadership is our third value for our board of directors and staff to guide the work of our organization.
Leadership has gotten us through the last 16 months. I have worked for this organization for the last 22 years, and in those 22 years I never could have imagined that I would be working through the experiences that the pandemic created. However, I believe my own years of experience leading this organization made it easier for us to adapt and focus on what was important to get us through the most volatile time for our organization.
The volunteer leadership, our Board of Directors, may not have been on hand to complete day-to-day operational activities but they were providing their leadership with their insight, feedback, and support behind the scenes, and it was invaluable. The Chamber had some tough decisions to make, and we, the board leadership, thank the membership for their patience as we worked to adapt our programming to meet our members’ needs.
Our volunteer leadership cycled on July 1 of our program year. Baran Schultz, CEO of Schultz Technology, has served as the Chairman of the Board since our 2018-2019 program year. Baran offered to extend his term as Chairman of the Board to allow Rich Newell, our Chairman Elect, the time he needed to focus on running the hospital through the challenges that COVID-19 created. Baran’s says of his time - “I find that during my time as chairman of the board, the collaboration between the board and the chamber staff has helped us to lead local businesses through a trying time and helped us to enhance our relationships with the community.” We thank Baran for his support from 2018-2021!
Rich Newell, CEO of Pottstown Hospital, is ready to start his term leading our board, which became official on July 1. Rich has shared, “The TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce is an important part of our community, and I am thrilled to be Chairman of the Board of Directors for the next two years. Working with the Chamber leadership in this new hybrid business world is a challenge I embrace and look forward to developing new programs and tactics to connect with our current and potential members.”
Leadership is also a focus of our programming. Our Board of Directors came to us established in their careers and leadership skills in place. However, our organization has recognized the need, since the early 1990s, to create programming for area employers to help develop the leadership skills in their employees as well as continue to develop leaders that will volunteer their time supporting our tri-county communities in the same way our board supports us. We are excited for our Leadership TriCounty program to begin again in September and to graduate and celebrate our 20th Class in June of 2022 after they dedicate 10 months to their professional development through our program.
And, our Members, WOW the leadership that our Members have shown over the last 16 months! I enjoy my job and the relationships that I have been fortunate to have with leaders in our communities, in so many industries, and I learn something from each relationship with our business leaders.
Leadership defines who we are as an organization, as a value for our volunteer leadership, our Members, and our staff to define how we approach challenges and help us achieve our successes.
Tagged:General, Chamber