Gary Bright

The Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce has a new president and CEO today, but he won’t be reporting for work until the end of the month. The local Chamber was surprised at the announcement since it had not yet received a signed statement from the new president so it could be announced locally.

Gary Bright, who was the executive director of the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in Clear Lake, Iowa, has accepted the position in Lehigh Acres.

His resignation was announced this week in Clear Lake.

Bright’s last day with the Iowa Chamber will be Wednesday, Nov. 23.

In an interview with his hometown newspaper, the Mirror Reporter, Bright said the decision was a rough one for him and his wife, Jackie, to make. He said that in the three years and eight months since they moved to Clear Lake they have been amazed at the love the people have for their community and the willingness to volunteer to make sure all the good things about Clear Lake continue to happen.

Bright replaces Joe Whalen, the CEO and president of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce, who left last month to open a consulting business. He presided over his last meeting in September; however, his new firm has become a member of the Chamber.

Bright said that his new position in Lehigh was different than that in Iowa.

“Like many areas of the country, Lehigh Acres has had a difficult past few years and the chamber has suffered through the economic downturns,” Bright told the newspaper.

“Where our focus in Clear Lake was on tourism, in Lehigh Acres, we will be concentrating on membership recruitment and developing programs to serve the members business of the area.

Coming to Lehigh Acres also has a bright spot for him and his wife. Their two oldest children and a grandchild live in Fort Myers.

Bright said it would make it possible for them to be closer the family.

A search committee of the Lehigh Chamber has been interviewing prospective candidates for the past couple of months.

Apparently the announcement caught local Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce by surprise. They were expected to make an announcement when a new Chamber president was selected. On Thursday, the Chamber emailed its members the following:

“The deal with Gary Bright was reached verbally with a start date of November 28, 2011. However, the Search Committee felt it was best to get a signed letter prior to releasing a statement. What the Iowa press did was completely guided by that particular Chamber of Commerce. This was something that was beyond our control and likely beyond the control of Mr. Bright. We have not yet received the signed agreement, but one is forthcoming.

“I have thought this out in my own mind and believe that the process followed by the Committee was responsible and fair to all concerned. But again, the way information flows so freely in today’s world, it is difficult to prevent things like this from happening. To be the first to know seems to have become more important than making sure all loose ends are tied up before an announcement.

“The Search Committee believes the LACC will be well represented by its new president/CEO and we look forward to his arrival November 28. I am now preparing a statement for release in our local newspapers, wrote Joe Pearson, chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.