Owens named Greer Chamber president

The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce has a new leader.

Mark Owens, who has served as the chamber’s vice president for the past two years, has been named president and CEO.

Owens takes the reins a month after the departure of former Greater Greer Chamber President Allen Smith, who took over duties as the president of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s incredibly exciting and really humbling that the leadership of the chamber selected me to be in this role,” Owens said. “I wouldn’t be here without this community and our staff. We have an amazing team at the chamber, and we’re going to continue to be a team moving forward.”

Owens said there was a lot of competition for the job.

“As a staff member at the chamber, I had good knowledge of what has been going on and I’ve been a part of that,” he said. “The interview process with our board was definitely interesting. We were able to have honest conversations and it was a competition. We had a lot of great people apply and what that means is that Greer is on the map and is a thriving place to be. I’m just humbled to be in this position.”

He began with the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce in September 2008, and said the city quickly became home.

“I’ve been in this community for about six years and it’s home,” he said. “I really have a passion for this community and, when the opportunity came available, I felt ready for it and excited to continue the progress we have in Greer. It’s a perfect place to be.”

Working with what he says is a rapidly growing community, Owens said Greer’s history made it what it is today.

“The growth here is exciting and terrific, but it wouldn’t happen without the history that we have in Greer. The businesses that were here long before I was here really set the foundation,” Owens said. “We have new restaurants, new jobs, new manufacturing, good diverse business climates and also a lot of small businesses…People support the local businesses and I think that’s what’s most important around here.”

Building new relationships and maintaining a high level of service is going to be a top priority, he added.

“Our chamber is a personable chamber,” Owens said. “As we grow and this city grows, I feel what’s most important are those relationships. Being able to know people and know them by name is so important. We will never get to the point where somebody is just a number in the chamber. They are going to be their own business and a personality, and that’s vital for our success.”

Owens said he has plenty of goals for his first year as president.

“To continue to grow, we’ll need to look at ways to serve our members the best,” he said. “We want to figure out some more ways to get involved with the education of our high school students and our future work force. We want to try to close the gap between our employers and our future employees. We want to see if the chamber can be a leader in that role.”

Owens said he feels confident he can pick up where Smith left off.

“I learned a lot from him,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to go forward strong, not necessarily because of me, but because of our team that we have and our staff.”

billy@greercitizen.com | 877-2076