RICK KIDDER, president and CEO of the SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce, has been selected by a committee of his peers from five states to be awarded the Chamber Executive of the Year for New England 2017.
What does it mean to you to be named Chamber Executive of the Year for New England?
I could not be more honored. Having been back in New England for only two and a half years, it was a surprise to be honored in such a way. My staff and board are to blame for the nomination, and I could not be more pleased for them, as well as myself. They are the ones that make this work so rewarding.
Reflecting on your 15 years at the helm of the Scottsdale Chamber in Arizona, how has your experience at the SouthCoast Chamber been different? Are there any unique challenges to serving the south coast of Massachusetts?
Scottsdale was a community that seemed to fight about all the things that most communities would fight to have, and while challenging and rewarding, there is something very special about coming to a community that has a strong desire and ability to improve its business and residential conditions and to be a part of another renaissance for this great and storied place.
New Bedford is a city with a great history but also a great future. While very different communities, Scottsdale and New Bedford have struggled about defining what that great future looks like, and the chamber is uniquely positioned as a regional asset to help both our home community and the nine others we serve reach to new heights.
What influenced the decision to rebrand the chamber from the New Bedford Area Chamber to the SouthCoast Chamber?
For a 135-year-old institution to conclude to rebrand cannot be done lightly. Rather it could only happen as a result of a long and inclusive process, one where stakeholders’ voices were heard and where the long-term sustainability of the organization could be enhanced. The SouthCoast Chamber represents and serves 10 communities on the south coast, and as we look to grow and gain influence both locally and in the halls of state and federal government, the chamber ultimately concluded that our name must reflect our service area and our aspirations as a regional organization.
What are some changes you’ve made to the chamber since coming on board?
I was fortunate to have already in place the core of an exceptional staff that understands teamwork and remains forever open to new ideas and new ways of operating. We have expanded our networking options for small business, begun a regional collaboration among several chambers for the purpose of lobbying at the Statehouse, advocated for South Coast Rail – something that constitutes an economic game-changer for our region – and successfully elevated the role and visibility of the chamber throughout the region.
What’s next for the chamber in the new year?
The SouthCoast Chamber is poised to grow, and this is the year that we will devote many programmatic and personnel resources into our greatest asset – member value. Chambers have been in a constant state of reinvention for a few decades, and as generic business organizations, we must find new ways of engaging our members, grow through retention and attraction of member companies and define ourselves as a regional go-to organization for economic growth.
