PBN 2020 Leaders & Achievers Awards
Lauren Slocum | CEO and president, Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
CAREER PATHS ARE NOT always predestined roads. They are a combination of desire, determination and, quite often, being in the right place at the right time.
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Lauren Slocum was interested in business at an early age, helping out at her uncle’s gift shop at age 11. During college, she worked several jobs, including receptionist, customer service, retail, proofing in a publishing company and even cutting scrimshaw.
Later, as a stay-at-home mom, Slocum started her own seamstress business while volunteering at her children’s school. Later on, she re-entered the workforce and landed a role in membership sales and special events at the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce in Warwick.
“You do not always plan your career; sometimes it is simply an opportunity that presents itself and makes sense, it just fits,” Slocum said. “I realized the importance of the work the Chamber was doing with the business community and the benefit to the community at large. It combined my love and commitment to business and giving back to the community.”
Her hard work assisting local businesses and strengthening relationships did not go unnoticed. Slocum was appointed the Chamber’s CEO and president in 1995, a role she continues to hold.
Slocum has led revamped efforts to extend support for community businesses. She secured sponsorships from Greenwood Credit Union and The Washington Trust Co. to expand and renovate the agency’s business center.
The Chamber also started the Rocky Point 5K, which donates all its profits to local nonprofits, and Movies in the Park, a popular series of family-friendly films held on the grounds of the former Rocky Point amusement park.
“It’s about people,” Slocum said. “People that we see when we go out to shop or eat, people that we need in our day-to-day lives for the products and services they offer, people that help to support those in our community. These people are what make up our community.”
