PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce has formed a committee to search for a new executive director, according to board president Floyd Rockholt.
“We’ll be posting the job within the next week,” Rockholt said Wednesday morning, after a board meeting Tuesday night.
The next director will replace Theresa Fowler, who led the chamber of commerce for 10 years until leaving the post July 19. Neither Fowler nor the chamber’s board has offered a reason for her departure, and Rockholt declined to comment on those circumstances Wednesday.
“We’re grateful for the 10 years she served the chamber,” he said.
Fowler, who did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday, took the helm of what was then the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce in 2008. She helped oversee the organization’s transition to the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce, now representing 23 communities, and efforts to boost economic development and tourism, including the launch of the Aroostook County Brew Festival in 2014.
Rockholt said that the 18-member board of the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce is looking for a range of qualities in the next executive director, including being a strong advocate for the central Aroostook region.
“Public relations and promotions are the two big areas we focus on,” Rockholt said. “It’s the biggest thing we do, both commercially and for tourists. By promoting our area, we hope to promote our members.”
The Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce represents 23 communities around the region, though Rockholt said about 60 percent of the organization’s members are based in Presque Isle.
Rockholt said the organization does not have a deadline set for hiring a new director. It will be “as soon as we get enough qualified candidates,” he said.
Despite the vacancy of the director’s position, Rockholt said the chamber’s upcoming events will be going on as planned thanks to a strong base of staff and volunteers.
Later this month, Aug. 22 – Aug. 26, the chamber is putting on the 15th annual Crown of Maine Balloon Festival at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds. In October, the chamber hosts the Aroostook County Brew Festival and the Haunted Woods Walk, both held at the Nordic Heritage Center.
For more information about the chamber and its activities, visit online: https://centralaroostookchamber.com/
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- Giant birds float over the Star City landscape during the 2016 Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, which is put on by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce. This shape balloon, Tribirds, was piloted by its designer and maker, Marco Bonimcontro of São Paulo, Brazil. (File photo)
