Chamber sets sights on more prominent role

The departure of its CEO and temporary return of its long-time CEO are an opportunity to step up, leaders say.

This week begins a new chapter for the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches with the departure Friday of its CEO and the return of longtime chamber leader Dennis Grady.

Outgoing CEO Donald Burgess left to run the chamber of commerce 4,800 miles away in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Why it’s important: In line with West Palm Beach’s renaissance, the county’s oldest business organization is raising its aspirations, said Michael Davis, who will take over as chair of the chamber board in November.

In an interview Friday with Stet, Davis, a senior vice president at the design and engineering firm WGI talked about the next iteration of the chamber. “We believe it’s time to up our game,” he said.

• The search for a new CEO, expected to take three to six months, will be guided by the chamber’s just-completed strategic plan.

• “I think Palm Beach County deserves a chamber like Miami or Tampa,” Davis said.

Does that mean he wants the chamber to be more powerful? “More effective,” Davis replied.

Catch up quick: Grady, 73, retired from the chamber in 2021 after 35 years as CEO. He’s kept his hand in West Palm Beach business as a consultant for the chamber and the Economic Council of Palm Beach County.

 “I will help set the table,” Grady said, “but then I will take a seat in the back.”

Editor’s note: This story was corrected to say Grady retired in 2021.