NEW YORK: The Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce will be seeking a new course for its future as the organization is exiting a contract for its administration.
The chamber has been administered by the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce for more than five years under a working contract. Terms of the contract allow the Shenango Valley Chamber to sever its ties with the Lawrence County Chamber after giving a minimum 30-day notice.
Representatives of both chambers said the Lawrence County Chamber will end its administration effective Dec. 31. The initial deal was reached after the local chamber ran into fiscal difficulties.
Ending the relationship wasn’t a matter of being dissatisfied with Lawrence County Chamber services, said Ron McCall, president of the Shenango Valley Chamber.
“We’re just looking to go in a new direction,’’ McCall said.
He credited Bob McCracken, executive director of the Lawrence County Chamber, with serving the local chamber.
“Bob has done a great job in bringing people together,’’ McCall said.
Likewise, McCracken said he enjoyed his time spent serving the local community. He noted the contract wasn’t with him but with the Lawrence County Chamber.
“I enjoyed my more than five years of work there,’’ McCracken said. “I got to meet a lot of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It was a real honor to judge a Christmas parade – you really feel like you’re a part of the town when you’re asked to judge a Christmas parade.’’
