Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance has a new president

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance's gavel will be changing hands this Thursday as past-president Dave George passes on his duties to president-elect Chad Sloat at the annual Chamber banquet.

George, who runs an Edward Jones office in Mt. Pleasant, said he was initially motivated to get involved with the board because he saw it as an opportunity to be involved and give back to the community.

'I've always felt that if you're going to be in the community, you have to be involved, especially in Mt. Pleasant. We have always been able to rally around things and work together to get things done, much more than many other small communities,” George said. The financial advisor has been involved with the chamber for all 16 years that he has lived in the community.

Before being asked to take on his current role of president, George served as the board's treasurer for several years.

'I was very honored to have been asked by the executive board to take on this position,” he said, 'You're kind of the liaison for the business community, you're looking for the best interest for the chambers. For us it's the local businesses and organizations that are chamber members.”

Reflecting on his year in the leadership position, George said he started his term focused on four 'objectives.”

Alongside Kristi Ray, the executive vice president of the Chamber, George made a goal to work on workforce issues, housing and child care, which he considered the three greatest needs facing the community.

'The fourth one was collaborating with other areas. We can't just act alone as one city or county, we have to reach out and collaborate with our partners in Southeast Iowa. We have to think regionally,” George said.

For George, some of the highlights and accomplishments of his time as president have included helping to secure a $10,000 grant from the Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund for a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine for the local high school, securing funding for a Transload facility in Mt. Pleasant's Industrial Park and facilitating a partnership between local businesses and recruitment program Avance USA.

'It's networking with other businesses and helping out where I can. We tried to recruit some new businesses into town and I tried to pull some of my expertise and connections in the region to get the people to the table … that's really enjoyable to me. Going out and putting the pieces together to get things accomplished in the community,” George said of his favorite part of his year as president.

In the upcoming year, George will stay on as the past-president to help new president, Sloat, as another resource for advice or help with challenges.

'As past-president, you're just there to help them with your own experience as president so that things run as smoothly,” George said,

George jokingly noted that he anticipates chamber board meetings will be 'much more organized and focused.”

'Chad will do a great job, he's a heck of a leader,” he added.

Like George, Sloat sees his upcoming year as president as an opportunity to get more involved with the community. Sloat's introduction to Mt. Pleasant began five-and-a-half years ago as the Walmart Store manager. Recently, Sloat has moved to working at the local distribution center.

'I'm what you would call a transplant to Mt. Pleasant. We moved here five and a half years ago … I've gotten to meet a lot of the business community and I'm excited to get out and meet more of the community,” Sloat said, adding that the leadership role will allow him to broaden his horizons.

Sloat, who describes himself as a 'people person,” wants to take an active and visible approach as president.

'I want to get out there to work and meet people and be that bridge. I'm more of an informal person. I'm sincere when I say I want to hear what's on people's minds,” he said.

As he begins his tenure as president, Sloat said he hopes to continue to tackle issues facing the community.

'As chamber president, I want to represent all levels of the business community, to meet and talk and see what to do to support them,” he said.

Continuing to partner with Avance USA and looking into child care are on the docket for Sloat. Particularly with child care, Sloat anticipates the Chamber will be 'putting more resources to come up with supporting measures for child care.”

'Childcare is a topic that has always been there. It's a tough one to try and work with and find answers to. There is no easy answer,” Sloat added.

Moving forward, Sloat anticipates a smooth and healthy transition and is looking forward to continuing to work with George and the board.

'There's a great partnership there [with Dave]. He will be there to guide me … and I welcome any suggestions,” Sloat said.