FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2008
Contact Information:
Greg Sowell
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce
229-382-6200
Tim Chason
The Chason Group, Inc.
404-735-0540

Tifton-Tift County Chamber Initiates Search For New President and Chief Executive Officer

Tift County’s business, government and economic development leaders have formed a strong team to select the next president and chief executive officer for the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. The search process begins this month and will be nationwide in scope.

“Our goal is to select a professional who has the ability to lead the chamber and economic development initiatives in our community over the next several years,” according to Greg Sowell of Sowell, Sandifer & Richbourg, P.C. and 2008 chair of the chamber. “The Tift County Development Authority, Tift County Board of Commissioners and City of Tifton are working closely with the chamber during the search process. The business community is extremely pleased with their continued support.

In order to keep the community’s economic development initiatives moving forward, Jack Perry has been named interim president/economic development coordinator for the chamber. He was chair of the organization in 1983 and retired as district manager of Georgia Power Company in 1996. Linda Floyde, a long-time member of the chamber’s professional staff, will continue her role as director of operations. Her duties will include working with small businesses, committees and other chamber programs.

The responsibility of the search committee will be two-fold. “First, we must identify the experience and character traits that are important to the position,” Sowell says. “From there, we will identify candidates who possess those skill sets and begin the interview process.”

The search committee will conduct an online survey of its membership in mid-January. Input from current business, government and community leaders is an extremely important component of the search, according to Sowell. Questions will include identifying priorities for the new executive as well as what attributes existing businesses feel are important to the overall economic success of the community.

One-on-one stakeholder interviews with key elected and appointed leaders will occur during the next month. The stakeholders will include local leaders and statewide economic development representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Power Company and Georgia EMC.

A position description will be developed for the president based on the interviews and feedback from the
membership. A weighting scale for the candidates will be formulated from the feedback and used in determining how candidates match the needs of the community and position.

“Our goal is to make the selection process as inclusive as possible,” Sowell added. “The president is often the first impression of our community to visitors and potential new businesses. It is important to have the right person in the seat.”

Personal contacts with potential candidates will be a significant part of the effort to solicit resumes. In addition, advertisements for the position will be placed with state and national organizations.

“Each candidate will be handled in a confidential and professional manner,” says Sowell. “This search process will be just as much Tift County selling our attributes to the candidates as it will be the candidates convincing the committee they are the right person for the position.”

Another part of the selection process will be an extensive application that focuses on past experiences of the candidates and philosophies on issues ranging from economic development to government relations. The application will assist the committee in narrowing the field of candidates.

Finding the right person for the chamber is more important than a timeline, Sowell says. “The search process is expected to take 90 to 120 days. However, the timeline is not what will drive the process. Identifying the right person to lead the organization is the driving factor.”

Sowell has appointed Dallas Hunt, chairman elect of the chamber, to lead the search committee. Other members of the committee will be appointed by Sowell and Hunt over the next few weeks. Hunt is involved with several local businesses.

The chamber has a membership base of 640. The organization is the economic development arm for the community.

The president’s position became available last month after the resignation of Earl Denham. He led the chamber and economic development efforts for the past three years and plans to spend more time with his family in Tifton.

The Chason Group, based in Cartersville, Georgia, is assisting the committee with the search. Tim Chason, president of the company, served for ten years as president of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce and ten years as chief operating officer of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He has conducted successful executive level searches in several communities across the state including Cumming-Forsyth County, Jackson County, Thomaston-Upson County, and Cartersville-Bartow County.