New Chamber president is on the job
- Details
- Published on Monday, 17 February 2014 15:44
- Written by Paul Gordon
Jeff Griffin said he was attracted to Peoria by several things that led him to seek the position of president of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce.
After listing some of those things, he said, "It just felt right."
Now the chamber's new president, who started on Feb. 10, Griffin said he intends to keep the organization the leading voice for area business through diversity and inclusion and "will constantly strive to improve the city and will run this chamber with respect to all the communities we reach."
Griffin was formally introduced to the public through a news conference on Tuesday. In introducing him Brent Eichelberger, chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors, noted that Griffin was chosen during a national search that took about six months to complete after Roberta Parks resigned to take over the Methodist Foundation.
Griffin is no stranger to chamber business. He was president of the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce in Wooster, Ohio, near Columbus, and formerly served on the Wooster City Council. His most recently job before coming to Peoria was as a financial consultant with Edward Jones.
In dealing with other chambers around the country in his past job and in checking on Peoria while a candidate for this job, Griffin found that "this city and this chamber are well-respected around the country."
He talked about the Midwestern feel of the city and his desire to stay in the region. He talked of the fact he and his wife have family in the Chicago area. "Illinois is not a foreign land to us. We feel comfortable here," he said.
Griffin said the family was comfortable enough in Wooster that he had turned down a couple other job offers. That the Peoria position felt so right he was willing to make the move is a testament to this community, he said.
"It's an All-American City, it's a great location, it has a strong, diverse economy...all these are positives. And I come here in the unique position to inherit a chamber that isn't broken. It is very strong, in fact. I am very impressed with what this community is and what it wants to become," Griffin said.
While head of the chamber in Wooster, Griffin was influential in recruiting and retaining thousands of new jobs and developing a quality workforce there. He said those efforts are strong here and he plans to make them stronger and pledged to work with the economic development and government groups as well as local business to make that happen.
Noting the Peoria chamber's set-up, with its own board of directors as well as working relationship with the CEO Council and the Greater Peoria Business Alliance, Griffin said the unique business model is one that is being watched by other chambers. "That helps make this a very exciting career opportunity," he said. "Others are watching to see how this model works, if it will work. That level of cooperation is unique. If I didn't think it could work I wouldn't be moving my family to Peoria," he said.
Griffin also is no stranger to being in a city with a dominant manufacturer. In Wooster it was the Wooster Brush Co.
"I am going to work very closely with Caterpillar because it is such an important part of the Peoria community," he said. "I look at it as a great opportunity for the community, for the chamber. But it is also important to note that 80 percent of our members have 25 or fewer employees. We want to work with all of them."
The chamber's current five-year strategic plan expires later this year and Griffin said he plans to get to work on the next plan soon. "The plan has to be flexible because we live in such a fluid environment," he said.
Another area Griffin wants to see grow is youth involvement. The Young Professionals Organization that is affiliated with the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce is impressive and he wants it to remain strong, but he also wants younger people, people still in school, to become interested in how the chamber works and in local business.
