Dear Shakopee Chamber Members and Friends,
Nearly 11 years ago, while having lunch with Cristy Chadderdon, her mom and her aunt, and our daughters, I asked her how her job was going. (Some of you may know that I placed Cristy in her role at the Chamber in 1999 when I was working as a recruiter.) She informed me that they were looking for a new president at the Shakopee Chamber, and that they were looking for someone like me. I laughed, she sent the job profile, and the rest is history.
On Monday of this week, I submitted my resignation to the Shakopee Chamber Board of Directors. I have accepted a role with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and will begin working there after the New Year.
When I got hired as the president of the Chamber nearly 11 years ago, I informed the board that I was not going to be here for more than 3 to 4 years because I “believed in term limits” and didn’t want to become one of those “stale-stuck-in-a-rut” leaders that was no longer serving the needs of our members and the mission of the organization. I can honestly say, I have not been bored or stuck in a rut for one day in the last 11 years, and I hope you feel that I’ve served you well. I am also grateful that they didn’t hold me to my word!
I am proud of the work we’ve all done together, and of the organization we’ve built. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by great teammates, volunteers, and very supportive board members and I have been honored and humbled by the faith you have had in me, and the support you’ve given me and the chamber during my tenure. I thank you for that and will remain eternally grateful for my time serving this incredible business community. We’ve certainly had some fun, and we’ve faced and overcome challenges along the way, certainly none more difficult than this last year. The Shakopee community has always impressed me with its strength, tenacity, and fierce commitment to their own. That strength and commitment will continue to pull this community through the tail end of this pandemic and build back stronger and better than before.
The Shakopee Chamber has come a long way in the last decade and is sitting poised and ready to go even further in 2021 with some exciting new initiatives. It is going to be hard to not be part of that, but I am very excited for this new chapter in my career as a chamber executive, and to continue serving the needs of the business community.
The board of directors will be announcing an interim successor in the next few days.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have given me, Shakopee, I’ll miss you.
All my best,
Angie Whitcomb
