With his last day on the job just days away, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Pat Patrick feels a sense of satisfaction that he’s leaving the organization in better shape than he found it.
But it hasn’t been easy. During his 21-year tenure Patrick has navigated a major recession, a pandemic, political skirmishes, and various business challenges. In spite of all that, Patrick says it’s been the best job of his life. He has no regrets.
Patrick was hired in 2001 from a candidate pool of 100, a remarkable feat inasmuch as he’d never worked for a chamber before and had never been a CEO. Chamber board chairwoman at the time Sherry Cotta told a reporter that the board wanted somebody “who knows the people and understands the community.” They also…
