The new head of the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce began work on Feb. 1, temporarily taking over as the city tries to improve communication with the business community while tackling Lompoc’s ongoing economic hurdles.
The chamber’s Board of Directors selected long-time Lompoc resident Tim Harrington in December to fill the vacancy left by CEO Denny Anderson, who retired after leading the chamber for more than 15 years.
Harrington is set to head the organization until July—the beginning of the new fiscal year—when a permanent CEO will take
the reigns.
Harrington has served on the chamber’s Board of Directors since 2008, and will now be tasked with keeping in close step with the city, as well as easing the organization’s transition as it selects a permanent CEO.
In addition to serving on the board, Harrington has owned and operated TerraLink, a Lompoc-based consulting firm that’s been offering free workshops and services since 1999. Harrington has held an office for his business in the chamber building since 2003.
Harrington couldn’t be reached for comment as of press time, but according to TerraLink’s website, he’s a Cal Poly graduate, holds a master’s degree in Business Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and is also an adjunct professor for the University of LaVerne. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Youth Corp Advisory Group of Lompoc.
According to Jason Reynolds, chairman of the chamber’s Executive Finance Committee, Harrington has more than just the experience for the chamber’s top spot; he also already has his finger on the pulse of the business community, which Reynolds said weighed heavily in the board’s decision.
Reynolds likened Anderson’s retirement to a football team losing a head coach halfway through the season.
“And what do you do then?” he said. “You bring in the guy who’s already been there, who knows all the players, and one you know will help you make it though the year.”
Harrington was selected by the board from a pool of 10 candidates, many of whom Reynolds said he expects to apply for the permanent post. He said the board expects to shortly create a search committee to find a permanent CEO. The chamber will be accepting applications from a pool of candidates from within and outside the community by the end of February, with a cut-off date around April.
Reynolds said the position requires more than just business savvy; the leader needs the ability to come up with fresh ideas.
“We obviously want someone who’s familiar with the needs of business, but that’s just the basics of the job,” Reynolds said. “We also are looking for someone who’s not totally set in their ways, who can be a sponge and be creative and innovative.”
Lompoc Mayor John Linn told the Sun he’s already met and spoken several times with Harrington since the latter’s first day on the job. Linn is a former chamber president who’s known Harrington for roughly 12 years.
“Of course, we’ve talked and shared ideas since long before he took over,” Linn said. “Tim’s always been a great resource—very knowledgeable.”
Linn said Harrington’s participation in city matters will play a vital role as Lompoc’s new City Council is beginning to make major leaps toward making the city more business friendly. The council recently established an economic development committee and is currently looking at filling the seats. Linn said he’d like to see a chamber representative fill one of them.
The mayor said the council is looking at other issues, too, such as appointing new members to the city’s planning commission, examining ways to make zoning ordinances more business friendly, and beautification projects, such as a proactive graffiti abatement. He said graffiti has been a major obstacle in attracting new business to the city.
He noted with pleasure the Jan. 25 arrest of a suspected juvenile vandal allegedly responsible for more than 200 tags on business walls, city buses, vehicles, and signs.
“Even though we have the lowest crime
rate in Santa Barbara County, if you drive down some of our streets, you might not think so,” Linn said. “But, unfortunately,
perception is reality.”
Moving forward, Reynolds said the chamber is looking to further define its role, not just in representing the needs of existing businesses, but also helping to create new jobs, specifically in the construction industry.
“Until we improve our local unemployment numbers, we’re crazy to think we’ll get anything else done,” Reynolds said.
To help this common goal come to fruition, Reynolds said, the chamber is hoping to work more closely with the city. That’s been easier said than done in the past few years, which have seen city staffers take over a majority of the economic development tasks.
“In the end, we have to identify how our organization will bring the most value to the community,” Reynolds said. “Just like any business, we have to constantly reinvent ourselves. Otherwise, we’ll eventually just go away.” m
Contact Staff Writer Matt Fountain at mfountain@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 10-17, 2011.