Tom Keating has been named to serve as president of the North Attleborough & Plainville Chamber of Commerce. Most recently the Simon Property Group’s director of business development for central Massachusetts, he also has worked for Delta Air Lines. Keating is a management graduate of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. He lives in North Attleboro.
PBN: What are your plans for the Chamber?
KEATING: My objective is to see even more volunteerism, increase member participation, and also grow our membership. … It would also be beneficial to work on crossover programs with other nearby Chambers to offer even more opportunities to our membership and enable businesses in the region to learn from each other.
PBN: What programs are in place?
KEATING: The Chamber strives to provide members with contacts, through networking events such as Business After Hours, and we offer luncheon and breakfast meetings on business subjects and [skill-building] seminars. … For new and expanding businesses, we arrange ribbon-cutting and grand-opening assistance. … We also have by-appointment Chamber office visits from both the Small Business Development Center and the Service Corps of Retired Executives that assist start-up and existing businesses, as well as diverse options on health and dental plans, through group discounts.
PBN: How do you view the market?
KEATING: My view of the market is very optimistic, and that was one of the factors in my accepting this position. … While an organization like ours consists of mostly local businesses, business success is never local, and these companies rely on nearby large communities for their ultimate success; as such, the Providence metro area and all Rhode Island are important to the success of our members.
