Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

AWord from the Chamber CEO, Steve Baffuto

It is quite unbelievable that I have been with the Chamber a little over a year now. In that time, I began as the staff member with the least amount of experience and now, I have the most experience amongst our staff. However, this hasn’t slowed down our productivity. In fact, we are busier now than ever before. In one of my favorite Leadership books titled “Good to Great”, author Jim Collins describes how executives ignite their companies from good to great. Collins details the importance of the first step, which is having the right people on the bus. The second step is figuring out how to take it someplace great. Months ago, when I was faced with two vacancies in key positions, I knew I had to hire the right people because the success of the Chamber depended on it. With the Board’s full support, we acted immediately. The first vacant position within the Chamber was the

Membership Director. We received resumes from several excellent candidates. Two of which really stood out from the rest. Ultimately, we decided on Marisa Smith. Marissa’s positive personality, sales experience and friendly demeanor made her the right person for the job. However, before Marissa’s first day I was faced with another vacancy in Marketing. Our regular Chamber staff of four was now down to just two. However, this provided another opportunity to hire the “right people” as Collins noted. Fortunately, we again received several good candidates for the job when posted. We decided on Scott Whyte. His vast marketing knowledge and a graduate from Virginia Tech in Communication made him the right person for the job. The third person on the Chamber staff is Rachel Lucas. Rachel started a few months after I did in 2022 and recently went from part time to full time. As the Program Coordinator she handles organizing events and will eventually take over accounts receivable and payable. With Rachel’s banking experience, this should be an easy transition into a new role. Now that the right people are on the “bus” as Collin’s states, it’s time to take the Chamber to somewhere great. Just in the short time this team has been together (October 2022), I have seen great success. Our staff has produced three large events and have numerous upcoming events on the calendar. Our largest event was the 2022 Annual Dinner with over 400 attendees. We have experienced great turnout and support at our events thanks to our loyal members. Regarding our members, there has been significant growth in membership and helpful changes made through marketing materials. Membership has increased from 577 in October 2022 to 621 as of March 2023 and the Monday Morning Message and Tuesday Newsletters were redesigned to improve clear communication for our membership. We continue to offer high quality programs and resources to help our members network and develop skills to grow and succeed. I’m a true believer that the success of a business depends on the people within. With the right people in place, I know we will reach our goals and much more!

8 The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce