Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce Names New President and CEO

Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2005

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T. James McCoy has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. The official announcement was made on Tuesday, June 28. McCoy’s most recent chamber experience was in North Carolina where he served as Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce from 2000 – 2004. He currently serves as Public Policy Manager for the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. in Atlanta.

“The Board of Directors feels we have hit a homerun with this announcement today,” according to Andrew K. Walker, 2005 Chairman of the Board for the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. “Leadership, vision and communication skills are the top three qualities our membership, our partners and our community indicated they wanted in a professional chamber leader. James has those credentials, expertise and more to move this organization to the next level.”

“I am truly excited about the opportunity to serve as President and CEO of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce,” says McCoy. “The enthusiasm and energy of the business and government leadership in the community sparked my interest in the position from the very beginning. I am a Chamber of Commerce executive at heart and want to play a role in the quality growth of the organization and the community in the years to come.”

Born in Franklin, North Carolina, McCoy graduated from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. In addition to his current position and the Chamber experience, McCoy was Research Analyst for Strategic Development at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. He worked as campaign manager for the Committee to Elect Linda Garrou, a state senate campaign in North Carolina. Garrou was elected by a nearly two-to-one margin.

McCoy was instrumental in leading a lobbying campaign to change legislation for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, leveraging $110 million in transportation funding. He also played a key role in the 2001 passage of a $150 million School Bond Referendum, the largest in the Winston-Salem community’s history. McCoy has expertise in the communication’s arena through both his duties at the Chamber and the state senate campaign.

“My goal is to develop a team-approach to working with local government leaders, business leaders, education leaders and community partners to move the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber forward,” McCoy states. “As the fifth fastest growing county in the United States, Forsyth County deserves the best organized, managed and led business organization in the country. I am a great listener and consensus builder. I look forward to continuing my life-long learning here in Cumming and sharing some of my current skills along the way.”

McCoy and his wife Nicole are active in their church and volunteer for Big Brothers / Big Sisters. They plan to move to Forsyth County in the next few months.

Business leaders narrowed their search for a new President from a list of 37 candidates. Many of the candidates had the skill set to lead the organization forward, according to Walker. “As a board, we were extremely pleased with the level of interest and the quality of the applicants.” The Chamber conducted a survey of its membership in April to determine the key issues the new President should address once on board and the top qualities desired of the person. The candidates submitting resumes were asked to complete an extensive application in order to allow the search committee to learn more about their leadership styles and experiences. A weighting scale was established in order to narrow the list of candidates down to the eight who were interviewed.

The candidates represented a wide geographic distribution, including twenty from Georgia; two each from Florida, Maryland and South Carolina; and one each from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia.

The Chason Group, Inc. of Cartersville, Georgia facilitated the search and will continue to work with the organization as it seeks to secure a Vice President of Economic Development in the coming months.

The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce is a Four Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce and membership organization with over 1,450 members committed to being the voice of business, to provide leadership, information and solutions to foster a strong economic environment and superior quality of life in Cumming-Forsyth County. For more information on joining the Chamber of Commerce please contact the office at www.forsythchamber.org or email your request to: fccoc@forsythchamber.org or 770-887-6461.

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