Mystic chamber decides against merger
Mystic — The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce weighed whether to merge or partner with another local business organization before ultimately deciding this week to forge ahead on its own.
In a letter to stakeholders this week, chamber board chairman Stephen J. Clemente said leaders were considering either a merger with the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce that serves Westerly and Pawcatuck or a partnership with the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. A third option, the one ultimately approved, was to continue the Mystic chamber "with new policies, structure and control," according to the letter.
The decision to maintain its own identity came as the Mystic chamber wrestled with financial problems and a change in leadership following the abrupt departure of its president, Tricia Walsh. The board this week named Bill Smith of Groton, a retired executive at Hewlett Packard and Eastman Kodak, as its interim president.
"With Bill's strong corporate background, his connection to the area and his recent work in the non-profit sector, we believe that Bill is the ideal candidate to guide the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce in the coming months," Dale Wolbrink, vice president of the chamber's board, said in a statement.
Smith, a former Representative Town Meeting member, said he expects to step aside by the end of the year after a permanent replacement is named.
"I am really jazzed about the opportunity," Smith said in a phone interview. "How does the chamber best serve its members? I think that's what needs to be fine tuned."
Wolbrink said the departure of Walsh had allowed the chamber board to consider a range of options, including a possible merger with the Ocean Community Chamber (previously known as the Westerly-Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce) run by Lisa Konicki.
"Over the past few weeks, we have stabilized our financial position, begun to pay down debt and have implemented new financial controls that will prevent our prior financial instability from happening in the future," Clemente said in his letter.
Key players in the Mystic chamber met Monday at the Hilton Mystic to discuss the organization's future. Among their concerns, according to Clemente's letter, was the possibility of "Mystic brand dilution" should the chamber cease to exist.
Smith said he excels in strategy development and hopes to be able to develop best-in-class tourism programs while also working in Hartford to promote a pro-business environment. But the most important aspect of developing an effective chamber, he said, starts closer to home.
"We have to work in concert with each other," he said.
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