After a 15-year career with the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, President and CEO Randy Allen has announced he will retire from his position July 1.
Allen said he had been trying to find the right time to retire, and the chamber's ongoing but soon-to-be completed economic strategy redevelopment seemed to fit.
"I was looking for some particular time to do this, and with the new strategy the chamber is working on now, it's going to lead to some changes, so I wanted to allow the board and the executive committee to fashion my replacement closely aligned with whatever those goals and organizational structure was."
The chamber kicked off its economic development strategy in September 2019 and expects to complete the process in March. The goal of the strategy is to examine the community and determine what changes are needed to improve it.
The strategy was started a year after Cole County chose to hire a new provider for economic development services, ending a relationship with the chamber of over 20 years.
The chamber Board of Directors will begin the search for a replacement for Allen, making the process part of the new economic development strategy and structure the chamber is undertaking, according to a news release.
The board's leadership has been recently taken over by 2020 Chairman Darren Heckman. Executive Committee members are Jeff Davidson, David Minton, Paula Benne and Gaspare Calvaruso, and the rest of the board is made up of 26 elected representatives, including nine members who serve ex officio due to their other positions, such as Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman and Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin.
Allen said his retirement coinciding with this new strategy will allow the board to find a leader for the chamber who matches the changes they will make.
As Allen's time with the chamber begins to close, he is proud of the progress made on some of the chamber's long-term projects, specifically the Bicentennial Bridge to Adrian's Island, the Heartland Port Authority's efforts to build a port on the Missouri River, and the redevelopment of about 32 acres of city-owned land at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
However, the same three projects are on Allen's list of things he had hoped to accomplish during his time.
"There's a lot of things that we have year to year here at the chamber that are goals," Allen said. "So once you decide to retire, you're just going to leave things undone. I don't like that, but there's never a good time."
Allen was one member of the ad hoc riverfront committee working on the Bicentennial Bridge, which is expected to be completed by the Missouri bicentennial celebration in August 2021.
Most recently, the Heartland Port Authority Board discussed legislation they hope to pass during the 2020 Missouri General Assembly that would transfer 116 acres of state-owned land to the Port Authority.
The MSP redevelopment is in the proposal stage, with the city expected to choose between two proposals by this spring.
"The things that have impact take a while," Allen said. "That's just one of the situations, when you leave before something is totally done."
Allen is also proud of the chamber's increased membership during his time as president. The chamber currently has almost 1,700 members from 800 businesses.
"I think that we have done a good job of recruiting and maintaining members, even despite the fact that chambers all around the country are losing memberships, associations are not having a great time keeping members," Allen said. "I think we've done a really great job of making the changes necessary to keep members."
As far as his retirement plans, Allen hopes to get back into his previous career in architecture, which he worked in for 17 years before starting at the chamber.
"I have had three really, really great jobs, and this has been one that I am extremely proud of," Allen said. "I am a very big supporter of the chamber and the community. This job allowed me to assist with some problem-solving with moving our community forward."