Change is in the air at the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce.
As the recession continues to grip the country, the chamber is working to keep pace with changes in the industry, instead of falling victim to them.
“We are not all that far off line,” said James McCoy, chamber president and chief executive officer. “It was just a matter of us knowing that 2010 is more likely to be a substantially better year than 2009.
“We did have to make some big decisions that would help give us a laser focus on communications and new member development and sales.”
The first step was shuffling responsibilities, said McCoy, who is temporarily heading up sales and membership recruitment.
Former intern Lindsey Nelson is the organization’s new director of communications and events.
“She will be focusing her attention on the communications of the chamber, adding value to members through those communications, as well as to events,” McCoy said.
“We’re going through the process of looking at every single one of our events and figuring how we can offer even more value than we do today.”
Nelson, who graduated last week from the North Georgia College & State University, joined the chamber’s team about four months ago.
“That’s part of an internship is to establish yourself,” she said. “I’ve worked closely with Alex Gubbins [small business development director] and she’s prepared me very well.”
Nelson studied business administration with a focus in marketing, but credits her experience in the arts for guiding her to this career.
“I come from a very artistic background, so marketing was definitely the avenue for me,” the Snellville native said. “I just love the area. I love the people that I’ve worked with and I’m just excited about the challenges I face.”
Nelson succeeds Kris Carroll, who during four years with the chamber oversaw various projects, including the development of a new logo, image and Web site.
Carroll could not be reached for comment. McCoy praised her contributions.
“Kris did a great job for us, but we were at a point where we wanted to make a change and in talking with Kris, she recognized that as well,” McCoy said.
“We certainly regret the decision that had to be made, but I think this will help us refocus our attention on things that are most important.”
As McCoy works on boosting sales and membership, Nelson is excited about the transition.
“We just have a lot of interesting events coming up in 2010 that we’re really looking forward to,” she said.
As the recession continues to grip the country, the chamber is working to keep pace with changes in the industry, instead of falling victim to them.
“We are not all that far off line,” said James McCoy, chamber president and chief executive officer. “It was just a matter of us knowing that 2010 is more likely to be a substantially better year than 2009.
“We did have to make some big decisions that would help give us a laser focus on communications and new member development and sales.”
The first step was shuffling responsibilities, said McCoy, who is temporarily heading up sales and membership recruitment.
Former intern Lindsey Nelson is the organization’s new director of communications and events.
“She will be focusing her attention on the communications of the chamber, adding value to members through those communications, as well as to events,” McCoy said.
“We’re going through the process of looking at every single one of our events and figuring how we can offer even more value than we do today.”
Nelson, who graduated last week from the North Georgia College & State University, joined the chamber’s team about four months ago.
“That’s part of an internship is to establish yourself,” she said. “I’ve worked closely with Alex Gubbins [small business development director] and she’s prepared me very well.”
Nelson studied business administration with a focus in marketing, but credits her experience in the arts for guiding her to this career.
“I come from a very artistic background, so marketing was definitely the avenue for me,” the Snellville native said. “I just love the area. I love the people that I’ve worked with and I’m just excited about the challenges I face.”
Nelson succeeds Kris Carroll, who during four years with the chamber oversaw various projects, including the development of a new logo, image and Web site.
Carroll could not be reached for comment. McCoy praised her contributions.
“Kris did a great job for us, but we were at a point where we wanted to make a change and in talking with Kris, she recognized that as well,” McCoy said.
“We certainly regret the decision that had to be made, but I think this will help us refocus our attention on things that are most important.”
As McCoy works on boosting sales and membership, Nelson is excited about the transition.
“We just have a lot of interesting events coming up in 2010 that we’re really looking forward to,” she said.