MetroWest495 Biz

MetroWest495 Biz | February 2015 21 Tuesday March 24, 2015 5:00-8:00 pm Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center 5 th Annual Presenting Sponsor: MWCoC Premier Sponsor: Tickets on Sale at www.metrowest.org $28 in Advance $40 at the Door www.metrowest.org 508-879-5600 over 40 food and beverage exhibitor booths Champion Sponsors: MetroWest Visitors Bureau Worcester Business Journal Partners: Sheraton Framingham Distinctive Hospitality Group Bowditch & Dewey Middlesex Savings Bank Media Sponsor: MetroWest Daily News according to David Price, a local home health franchise owner who sits on the Milford Area chamber's board of directors. Price said the board liked the fact that Bohnson had held a number of roles in banking and frequently vol- unteered, most notably as a member of the West Boylston Board of Selectman. Price said that now, more than ever, chamber executives must wear a lot of hats. "We just wanted someone who was more nimble," said Price, who bluntly added that Bohnson was "creative as hell." While Price and Bohnson were sincere in their assertions that women don't necessarily offer a more effective approach to running chambers in 2015, it's worth noting that all MetroWest- area chambers – at least those that lie within the region as MetroWest495 Biz defines it – are today led by women. From the Corridor Nine Area chamber, which hired Karen Chap- man to succeed longtime CEO Barbara Clifford last year, up to the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Com- merce in Ayer, which is led by CEO Melissa Fetterhoff, who has worked there in various roles for 12 years, MetroWest-area chambers seem to welcome female chief executives. Must have networking, problem-solving savvy Perhaps it's the fact that women have to work a little harder to land leadership roles that makes them well-suited to chamber leadership. Kate Bett, an Upton-based consultant who helped the Milford Area cham- ber board with its executive search when former CEO Barry Feingold left, noted that most of the finalists for the job were women, which may have been the result of the board's wish to find an agile leader who could think outside the box when it comes to networking. "When we look at how people get where they get, men have traditionally had more opportunities," Bett said. "Women get ahead because they have to reach out … They have to network to build those relationships." Bett added that there's no under- stating the importance of networking when it comes to running a small nonprofit organization such as a chamber of commerce. The CEO of a large company may take a top-down approach to running the business, while a chamber CEO is "relying on the good nature of other folks" for successful operations. Ian Scott, vice president of com- munications and networks for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, puts it a little differently. "I think a chamber president has to be a kick-(expletive) problem solver," Scott said. That's a mantra Scott isn't afraid to use, because, he said, it's simply the best way to put it. But that's nothing new. Despite the fact that member- ship in U.S. chambers took a dip during the recession, Scott doubts the claim that it's harder to attract mem- Sources: Catalyst, TechCrunch, New York Times, Equilar, Third Sector New England, University of Denver - Percentage of women leading U.S. nonprofits between 2009 and 2011 - Percentage differ- ence in average pay between male and female nonprofit executives in Mas- sachusetts, Rhode Island and adjoining states – Number of women CEOs leading S&P 500 companies – Percentage of women who founded startups that raised series A funding in 2014 – Number of women who are among the nation's 200 best-paid chief executives 43 32 23 10 11 bers nowadays. But that doesn't mean chamber leadership doesn't take grit. Scott, who is something of an expert on American chamber history, rattled off a number of major undertakings that were propelled by the efforts of U.S. chambers (the digging of the Erie Canal, for one). Scott said it takes a chamber of commerce acting as a middleman to provide a crucial link between the private sector and the government. What's the ROI of chamber membership? Scott said issues the chamber gets involved in have become more com- plex with time. And Scott admitted that members' expectations for return on investment are higher today than they once were, which he believes was exacerbated by the recession. This seems to be leading chamber leaders across the region to revamp their programming, whether through scheduling net- working events during business hours so work- ing parents can attend, or by catering to young professionals, who in years past were overlooked. Melissa Fetter- hoff, the Nasho- ba Valley CEO, said chambers have even found it useful to partner with others on certain programs, such as speed networking and featured speaker events. "I do think it's about trying those new things. You kind of have to go with the times," she said. As for whether women make more effective chamber executives, Fetter- hoff was skeptical. "I'm neutral," Fetterhoff said. "I see different personalities." n Female executive stats Melissa Fetterhoff Has led the Nashoba Valley chamber for a dozen years.

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