This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Riverside's Marcia O'Kane is New Director of Chamber of Commerce

O'Kane, who starts in her new role Sept. 12, replaces former chamber director Mary Ann Morrison, who resigned in April.

Longtime Riverside resident and current director of the Stamford Senior Center Marcia O’Kane has been selected as the new executive director of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.

O’Kane, who starts in her new role Sept. 12, replaces former chamber director Mary Ann Morrison, who . Morrison is now serving as vice president in charge of membership for the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

During a special meeting held at Town Hall Tuesday to announce O’Kane’s appointment, Jeff Weber, chairman of the Chamber board and head of the , said “The past several months have been challenging — yet they’ve been invigorating for the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. During this time we’ve seen our members become more engaged, our board become more involved, and the chamber itself become more energized.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Weber said the search for a replacement began in April. The six-member search committee, he said, advertised only locally for the position. He said they received 60 applications from area residents. Of those, 12 were selected for interviews; six were brought back for second interviews; and then O’Kane was selected in a final round between two candidates.

Prior to working for the Stamford Senior Center, O’Kane was director of finance and administration of Person-to-Person, a non-profit agency in Darien that assists needy families. She also previously worked as a vice president at Fairfield County Bank. O’Kane holds a bachelor’s degree from Niagara University and a master’s degree from Boston University.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

“We’ve selected an individual who has exceptional sales, marketing and financial experience, as well as an incredible energy and desire to succeed,” Weber said. “She has tremendous skills in dealing with volunteers and a track record of proven success in the non-profit world.”

“I am extremely proud and excited to serve the town of Greenwich and the business community,” O’Kane said, adding that her “first plans are to increase membership and to foster retention of current members.”

“The chamber is so important to the community — it is the voice of the business community,” O’Kane said, adding that the Chamber presents opportunities for business owners to network, in addition to offering educational programs and lobbying the town government on issues important to the business community.

When asked what she feels are the main challenges facing the chamber at this time, O’Kane said: “We want to see the chamber grow — we want to increase its visibility. I think people know it’s around, but we want to give it a fresh face.”

O’Kane said currently the chamber has about 450 members out of more than 4,000 businesses in town. That’s down significantly from 2007 when it was reported that the chamber had about 700 members.

When asked how she plans to grow the group’s membership, O’Kane said, “We’re going to find some new ideas, fresh ideas … it’s to be determined, so stay tuned…”

When asked what can be done to retain more “mom and pop” businesses in town, O’Kane said she hopes to get smaller businesses “out there” better by helping them to market more effectively through the Web; do more promotions such as providing coupons; and getting them to sponsor local events.

“We need to work with the small businesses to make them more visible,” she said.

O’Kane will have her work cut out for her: Due to the down economy, most local chambers are seeing declining memberships. Yet there are numerous benefits to small businesses, including group health insurance and lobbying on issues such as parking and downtown development.

The Summer Sidewalk Sales and the central business district's holiday lights display are two of the Chamber's most significant annual contributions to the community.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?