No two days are the same in the Chamber of Commerce industry, says Robert Heidt.
And, at least for the next few days, he says he plans on being a sponge.
Heidt said he's using his first weeks as the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce's new chief executive officer to get to know the chamber, its members and Gloucester at large.
He landed in Gloucester last week and, after spending a few hectic days unpacking, he said he's ready to soak in the community, its businesses and its people. He started his first day in the chamber's corner office Wednesday.
"From here, this takes on a life of its own," he said.
The Cape Ann Chamber's board tapped Heidt for the CEO's position last month, after beginning a search last July. Former director Bob Hastings said at that time he would step down in January, but left in November by mutual agreement with the board.
Former president Sal Frontiero had said the board chose Heidt because of his chamber planning and experience working with member businesses in Las Vegas and at the Austin, Texas, Chamber of Commerce.
Heidt comes to Cape Ann from Austin, where he served as the senior vice president of marketing and investor relations. He was with the Austin Chamber for three years, heading the marketing and investor relations department, starting in September 2008. He left to focus on the next chapter of his career.
He said he's coming to the Cape Ann Chamber with a member-focused approach, and he'll take a few weeks to listen to the members before making any changes to the way the chamber works.
Any changes that do come down the line, Heidt said, can only succeed if members' and chamber staffers buy into them. Their support, he added, is critical to what direction the chamber takes.
"I could sit behind this desk and call shots all day," he said. "But that's not the way to run an organization."
Heidt arrived in Gloucester from Austin last Thursday, and said he spent the settling in. Heidt said he appreciates a chance to settle down and get into a routine again, though he enjoys coming into places he hasn't been before.
Heidt said he started work in casinos in Las Vegas after leaving the Air Force. He then moved to the Chamber of Commerce in Vegas. That's where, he said, he decided to make a career and a life out of this kind of work; it's in his DNA, he said.
Heidt said he works in Chambers of Commerce because he enjoys seeing businesses do better through a chamber. It's a calling, he said, and it makes a difference for businesses.
"When you stand in the back of an event and watch 20 members take it in," he said, "its all worth it."
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
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