President’s Perspective

This past month, I reached my 15th anniversary at the helm of our Coral Gables Chamber. My, how time flies! In Miami, that would typically call for a Quinceanera celebration filled with friends, great food, bright colors and a stunning new outfit. Of course, these are not typical times and so, we will celebrate quietly at our Chamber with the joint announcement of a long-term contract extension between me and our leadership. I want to thank our Board of Directors for their continued confidence in me as our CEO, as well as their recognition of my time already devoted here at our Chamber. It is hard to believe that 15 years ago as our Chamber was in transition, a formal job search was done that ultimately led to my hiring. It was a daunting process, but one that I embraced. And while it may seem hard to believe now that I have been in the post for a decade and a half, it has been an incredible journey with more ups than downs, more successes than failures, and a Chamber in a better place than when I began. MARK A. TROWBRIDGE In that time, we have faced down the Great Recession, a global pandemic, multiple PRESIDENT & CEO hurricanes, economic uncertainty, changing presidential administrations and a cycle

CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE of community crises.

MTROWBRIDGE@CORALGABLESCHAMBER.ORG And, in early 2020, we sold our Chamber HQ and moved back downtown to a new home that we are eager to show-off to all of you (and not just on Zoom!). Yet, this opportunity almost never happened. That’s right, there is always a story behind the story. The headhunter hired by the Chamber met me at another Chamber’s annual Goals Conference. He invited me for breakfast at Hotel St. Michel to talk about the opportunity and for me to share my experiences. At the end of our chat, he let me know I “was not what the Chamber was looking for”. So, we parted ways and I thanked him for breakfast, curious to not have made the cut so quickly. A few weeks later, he called and said he had winnowed the list down to five and was going to include me as his sixth choice. He could not guarantee an interview, but it was his style as a headhunter to offer up a “wild card” to every search committee. They ultimately agreed and my interview was set. We met at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel early on a Monday morning a few days later. I was the first candidate of the six and was greeted by members of the selection committee, some of whom are familiar to you even to this day (Ron Shuffield, Mike Tomas, Ann Pope, Sergio Barrera, Carolina Rendeiro, Dennis Doucette, Neil Linden). It was a thoughtful and engaging conversation and given that I was not who they were looking for – nor was I desperate for work or between jobs – it took on more of a conversational tone and brainstorming session. Within a few days, I was invited back for the next round; this time, I would be presenting my 100 Day Plan to the full Board of Directors (nearly 40 strong!) at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. My focus for the first 100 days would be on RELEVANCE. In 2006, Chambers were going through their usual challenges – and in a roaring economy, it was hard to sell the Chamber as a business networking organization and connector, mostly because business was booming. So, I drilled down on the way I would approach this opportunity and then answered a maelstrom of very direct questions about how to help a once mighty group regain its place in the community. I remember telling John O’Rourke – our Chamber is like one of your diamonds. It just needs a little polish to return its brightness and sparkle. Needless to say, things worked out in my favor and after an official vote, the Board unanimously agreed to begin negotiations. That was late June 2006 and my first official day was set for August 7th . So much has happened in the ensuing years. Many members of old may not recognize our Chamber today. From our modern branding and our expanded committee structure to our more diverse membership and top tier ranking. We have increased our budget by more than 100%, as well, mostly driven by membership growth at the Trustee and GEM levels, as well as greater activity in the programming and sponsorship space. We also created such winning programs as Burgerliscious, expanded all our awards programs, participated in regional, state and national initiatives and became a best practice leader for Small Business Saturday. We found our footing, driven by our members’ passionate hearts, and have never looked back.. And now, after 15 years, I commit to a ten-year agreement to continue to serve our Chamber, Coral Gables, as well as our greater community and state. That will make me one of the longest serving Chamber leaders in our community, as well as eclipse all other who have served our Chamber. Yet, I am reminded of the first conversation I had about this job. I wasn’t what they were looking for. Thankfully, I don’t give up that easily and in the end, ultimately we found one another. All the best,

The CITY BEAUTIFUL THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DOING BUSINESS IN CORAL GABLES & CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DIRECTORY THE

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