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Chamber names Kimmel as new executive director

Steve Kimmel.
Photo provided.

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously approved the recommen-dation and hiring of Steve Kimmel as executive director for the chamber on Monday, May 10.

Kimmel, a Huntington resident, will begin his tenure as executive direc-tor on June 1, 2010. He follows Robert "Bob" Brown in the position, as Brown resigned on March 5 due to health concerns.

"I have a passion for the community and I want to see it prosper," Kimmel says.

Kimmel says his 35-year career with the Huntington Herald-Press allowed him to work with local businesses, which is something he enjoys doing.

After Brown's resignation, the chamber's personnel committee announced the open position and accepted appli-cations. After selecting the top five, Kimmel was picked as the best candidate, says Joel Jerabek, chairman of the HCCC Board of Directors.

The board then was presented with the recommendation, which was approved unanimously, taking into account Kimmel's community involvement.

"The board unanimously felt that he was the best candidate for the position," Jerabek said. "The fact that he is from Huntington itself was important for the committee."

Kimmel served as a board member from 2001 to 2008, and was chairman of the board in 2004. As executive director, Kimmel will be responsible for the daily functions of the Chamber office and staff, overseeing volunteers, helping set a financial plan for the Chamber, supporting area businesses and welcoming new entrepreneurs, being the official representative of the Huntington County Chamber in the county and the state and overseeing Heritage Days operations.

In the community, Kimmel is a current member of the Parkview Huntington Hospital Board of Directors, Life-Long Learning of Huntington County, the Huntington University Harmony Initiative, the Lions Club, First Church of the Nazarene and the United Way.

Kimmel lives in Huntington with his wife, Paula. They have a son, Seth, a financial advisor with Innovative Financial Services, Huntington.

"I would like to help the community again and see it grow," Kimmel says.