By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
August 8, 2007
Craig Schmidt resigned abruptly
Aug. 7 from his executive post with the Hood River County
Chamber of Commerce.
Schmidt handed in his letter of resignation and stated that it
was effective immediately. He said “personal reasons” were
behind his decision to step down from the role of director.
Schmidt, who resides in Lyle, Wash., has been at the helm of the
nonprofit organization for almost 12 years. He could not be
reached for comment about his unexpected departure.
“He’s
done a good job. I wish him and his family all the best in
future, both in life and in business,” said Ray Felton,
president of the chamber board of directors.
He is
hopeful that a replacement for Schmidt will be on board within
three months. But he believes it is more likely that it will
take six months to fill the vacancy.
“The
board will step up and take over as many of Craig’s duties as
possible,” said Felton.
He
will assume administrative responsibility until Schmidt’s
replacement has been hired. If another executive director is not
chosen by the time that Felton’s term expires on Dec, 31,
president-elect John Kasberger will then take the oversight
position.
Felton said staff officers Melanee Gillette and Genevieve
Scholl-Erdmann are now tasked with keeping daily operations on
track and performing managerial duties during the interim. The
chamber has five full-time staffers and several seasonal
employees.
“Everybody’s just sort of snapped to attention and said, ‘What
do you need me to do?’” Scholl-Erdmann said.
On
Wednesday, Felton said a special committee of chamber members
has formed to establish a recruitment strategy. He is unsure if
advertisements for the job will be confined to the Northwest or
go national
“Our
first choice would be to find someone local if possible,” he
said.
Meanwhile, it is all hands on deck at the chamber with the
annual Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim taking place during the
Labor Day weekend. Also looming on the horizon is October’s
Harvest Fest, an annual event that draws thousands of visitors
to the county each year.
To
make things more complicated, Felton said the chamber is gearing
up for a move. The organization is relocating into the
waterfront building recently vacated by the Port of Hood River.
The Expo Center, which has housed the chamber for more than a
decade, has been sold by the port to DaKine, a local company
that builds gear for outdoor sports enthusiasts.
“I
followed Craig around the past 2-3 years and learned that he had
a huge job,” said Felton. “But we’ll get it done and everything
will be fine.”
Scholl-Erdmann said there are three vacancies on the chamber
board at this time. She is hopeful these also will be filled
with community attention focused on the executive search.
Schmidt represented the chamber on the Region 9 Workforce
Investment Board during his tenure. He was active in the Western
Association of Chamber Executives and president of the Oregon
Chamber Executives in 2001. He spearheaded the chamber’s
Business Retention and Expansion Survey and instituted several
new member benefit programs.
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