Jim Marsh, who took over as president of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce earlier this summer, says he would like to see a unified economic development plan for the City.
“Our [present] economic development plan seems to be more residential. We need to bring developers together and entice businesses to come and to stay.”
Mr. Marsh said he has talked with the Chamber’s executive board and they agree. “We’d like to see Evanston come up with real ways to [do that],” Mr. Marsh told the RoundTable. “Evanston could become the new nanotechnology center or a design center.”
Mr. Marsh said he and the board see the Chamber’s having a part in creating or implementing such a plan but added, “It can be bigger than the Chamber – it has to come from the City, from the community and the business community. … There are a lot of people out there invested in the community.” He also said, “I don’t know how much we can get done in a year, but we’ll definitely hold the banner.”
Other directors serving on the Chamber’s executive committee are Don Huff (financial adviser, Merrill Lynch), past president; Randy Usen (senior vice president, First Bank & Trust), president elect, who will also serve as treasurer; Eugene Sunshine (senior vice president for business and finance, Northwestern University), vice president for regional affairs; Ron Fleckman (president, Cyrus Realty Group, Inc.) vice president for membership; Corrine Passage (senior vice president, production and systems development, Pivot Point International), vice president at-large; Lawrence Widmayer (senior agent, Commercial Group, Koenig & Strey, GMAC), vice president for governmental affairs; and Kristen Murtos (senior vice president, marketing and business development, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare), vice president for marketing.
New Chamber board members are Tommy Dortch, president, T&L Auto Collision & Rebuilders; Steve Hagerty, president, Hagerty Consulting, Inc.; Tommy Jenkins, clinical massage therapist, Thera-Massage; Joseph Romano, president, Romano Brothers & Co.; Tracey Samlow, president, MJ Catering Inc.; and David Fisher, owner, Rock Star Consulting.