Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 10, 1991 TAG: 9103090065
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY BUSINESS EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Baker, a 31-year veteran at the chamber, was the logical choice to fill in when Thom Robinson left the executive vice president's job at the end of December.
Robinson quit after budgetary problems and a dues shortfall forced a retrenchment that included elimination of one full-time and two part-time staff jobs last fall.
While the organization's search committee has sifted through the more than 90 applications for the top staff post, Baker is given credit for keeping 15 major programs going to serve 1,600 members.
She supervises a staff of four full-time and one part-time employees.
"We're off to a much better start this year," said chamber president Joseph Stephenson, who also is president of Shenandoah Life Insurance Co. "Collection of dues is well ahead of last year, all programs are going strong . . . We're working smarter," he said.
"I love chamber work," said Baker, who is often described as a warm and friendly administrator. She said she enjoys the many contacts with people, companies and other organizations that involvement in the chamber of commerce means.
Baker began working at the chamber as a part-time secretary. Her first boss there was A.S. Rachal. After Jack C. Smith became the executive, she was promoted to executive secretary and office manager.
Her regular duties include being the staff liaison to the chamber's Leadership Roanoke Valley, crime prevention, Small Business Council and sandlot football programs. Also, she works on the Business After Hours and Wake Up To Business quarterly events, the Backbone Club member recruitment and Ambassadors, a member retention group, as well as legislative affairs, education, transportation and other committees.
On her own time, she devotes effort to planning and carrying out the annual Miss Virginia pageant in Roanoke. She's been executive director of the pageant since 1977 and she recently was named to the national board of Miss America Pageants. She was secretary of the national group for 10 years.
Baker said the pageants are placing more emphasis on achievements by young women than beauty. She handles as many as 120 bookings a year for Miss Virginia and she judges pageants in other states. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it," she said.
She's also secretary-treasurer of Roanoke Industrial Development Authority, a member of Roanoke Civic Center Commission and she's on the boards of Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs and the Jefferson Club. Baker has a son and daughter and three grandchildren in Roanoke.
With Baker in control of the chamber's programs, Stephenson said the board is taking its time to select Robinson's successor.
Stephenson said he feels no pressure to act quickly. "It's much more important to take time and make the right selection . . . We don't want to come up with the wrong person." The chamber is looking for someone with fiscal responsibility because "we are fully accountable to our membership to stay within the budget," he said.
The chamber has "good momentum in the community. Our problems of the last couple of years are behind us," Stephenson said.
Part of the financial problem was the chamber's shift from a fiscal to a calendar year, causing the billing to get out of sync and members paid twice in one year, Stephenson said. Another problem was the loss of about half of the new members recruited in a special "Shake It Up, Baby" drive in 1989. Stephenson said the chamber expected greater retention of new members.
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB