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Meet Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce’s new Executive Director
 Andrew Fish says there are plenty of opportunities for growth in the area - and he plans to help make it happen.
The Chamber announced the decision to hire Mr. Fish on June 9. He was selected from 10 finalists by the chamber's search committee: Elizabeth Werner, of Unity House; Nancy Thomas, of First Niagara Bank; Dan Soules, of Grant Ave. Development; and Jim Courtney.
Most recently, Mr. Fish was a vice principal at Union Springs Academy and coached gymnastics. He was raised in the Chicago area and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Andrews University in Michigan. Mr. Fish and his wife, Kim, moved to this area in July 2002. They own a 20-acre farm with horses, goats and chickens, in Port Byron.
During his first week on the job, The Citizen asked Mr. Fish to offer his thoughts on a number of issues related to his new position.
Why did you seek this job?
I love Cayuga County and want to see continued growth and success that will benefit both the businesses and the families that live here. With my degree and background in business I have been looking for an opportunity to use my skills to directly serve Cayuga County and help facilitate this growth.
I have immensely enjoyed my work in education and feel that it provided me an opportunity to significantly impact the lives of young people and influence the next generation of leaders. However, I have been seeking a more hands-on interaction with current businesses and the community to help affect economic success. This position provides me with the opportunity to do just that. I want to promote continued growth and expansion for Cayuga County while helping it stay grounded in the family-based values it is known for.
How have you been preparing since you accepted the job offer?
I have been spending time meeting board members, talking with the office staff, and spending some down time reflecting and planning. I have spent significant time envisioning the direction I want to see the Chamber move. I have tried to think of what will be needed to facilitate that change and prompt the growth that I desire for the Chamber. I have begun to map out a plan to meet with area businesses and get feedback from both current and potential Chamber members as to what they would like to see. This time has provided me with opportunity to truly appreciate the magnitude of the task laid out for me and I am excited about meeting the challenges ahead.
What's your sense of the state of the local economy?
The local economy is struggling due to the effects of the downturn in the global economy. However, it is mainly the larger corporations that have a presence here in Cayuga County that are feeling the bulk of this downturn. There is still significant growth and opportunity for small businesses and local services. This is evident in the number of local start-ups and ventures that are being launched locally. This doesn't mean that we should be worry free and not take measures to safeguard against the recession that we are in. The loss of jobs in this area is still a real issue. We may not be feeling it on the scale of the New Yorks and Detroits of the world, but it is still having an impact on our community's ability to increase the quality of life in Cayuga County.
In some cases it is impacting the basic ability of households to provide for their family and this is a serious problem. We need to do everything we can to encourage these larger entities and help them find unique and creative ways to maintain employment. We also need to help those willing to venture into their own endeavors and provide them the resources to pursue their dreams. I see the Chamber as being an important outlet for both of these types of businesses and employing all our means in helping them succeed.
What do you view as the strengths of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce?
The Chamber has two key strengths that I am very pleased to be walking into. First, they have a tremendous member base, full of committed businesses and outstanding citizens. This base will be the foundation and backbone of the work that we will do moving forward. They will be the ones that help propel us to the next level in terms of member services and innovative practices. There is a wealth of resources and knowledge that they have to offer and I look forward to partnering with them to utilize the resources and share the information.
The second key strength is the incredible board members and staff that make up the Chamber. Pamela Kirkwood has worked very hard as interim director to build our board and fill it with key individuals from Cayuga County. It is chalked full of community leaders and great thinkers that will change the way the Chamber does business. The Chamber staff is incredible and work together efficiently and effectively to make sure the day-to-day operations and programs that are in place are successful.
Ginny Kent does an amazing job running Leadership Cayuga and our major events. Jackie Schultz has the office running smoothly and works very hard at communicating to our members what is available to them. Amy Fuller has the financial portion of the Chamber well organized and information is readily available for review. These two areas, strong membership and committed staff/board members, are key to the Chamber moving forward and achieving the next level of success.
What improvements do you hope to make as the executive director?
Currently I believe that the Chamber is good. It provides its members with helpful services. It has good programs that provide information and imparts knowledge to help business and community leaders succeed. And it has a good network that promotes interaction and growth in businesses through relationships and contacts that they might not otherwise have.
My goal is to move the Chamber from good to great. I want the Chamber to become a necessity for area businesses. There are two ways in which this will happen. First is providing the members with essential services that meet their needs- giving them the tools necessary for success.
The second is increasing the effect that the Chamber has on the community as a whole. This will be accomplished by partnering with our members and meeting the needs of the community whenever possible. By doing this we want to rally community support and increase involvement on all fronts. The more people we have working together to improve our county the more likely we are to succeed. Increasing our ability to influence and effect positive change will be the major improvement I will seek to accomplish. It is this that will make the Chamber great.
Should the county chamber get involved in local political matters as they relate to economic development policy?
I am not entirely prepared to take a stance on this matter at this time. I know that Cayuga County has other agencies that are dedicated to economic development and they work very hard to ensure that all is done to promote new business. I also know that economic development is a major component when it comes to the success of our county. I plan to work with these entities and do whatever I can to encourage their efforts and lend any aid I can in this important process.
I am not willing to say that yes the Chamber should be involved in this effort on the ground level because I want to ensure we are using our resources effectively and efficiently in our areas of influence. However, I am not willing to dismiss this possibility and say that, no, we will not become involved. I will state my overall position again; it is my goal to promote growth and expansion in Cayuga County and I will use all the resources and avenues that are available to make this happen. How political matters regarding economic development policy fit into this goal is yet to be determined, but I look forward to working with the leaders of our county, the local businesses, and all the residents of Cayuga County to accomplish this goal.
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