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Chamber finds leader in-house

Officers choose Kitty Barnes to be executive vice president, a role she has largely filled since June, when her predecessor left the post.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published September 16, 2005

CRYSTAL RIVER - When the board of directors of the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce considered whom it wanted to be the chamber's operations chief, it looked for someone who could be the face of the organization.

The board didn't have to look far.

Wednesday evening, it chose Kitty Barnes to be the chamber's new executive vice president. She succeeds Dennis Miller, who vacated the position in June.

Barnes came to the area with her husband, John, from Tampa in 1970. They wondered whether they should stay in the area because of limited job opportunities, but "we didn't want to leave," Kitty Barnes said. "We just loved it here."

That decision has allowed Barnes to watch the community grow from a time when Homosassa had no traffic lights and U.S. 19 was just becoming a four-lane highway through Crystal River. In the old days, leaving the area was the only way to shop because there were so few businesses.

That is not true anymore. In fact, Barnes said she never has to leave Citrus to find what she needs. She has seen Citrus blossom into a community with a strong mix of businesses, both corporate chains and smaller, family-run businesses.

Barnes, 63, said this is the perfect time to take on this new professional challenge.

"I'm so excited. I'm very happy about this," she said.

Barnes was executive director of the Homosassa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce for more than two decades. In 1998, two of the county's three chambers of commerce - Crystal River and Inverness - joined forces to form the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce. The Homosassa chamber joined them in 2002.

Barnes remained an employee, serving as an executive director. Since Miller left, she has basically served in the lead position, making presentations, organizing chamber events and so on.

Why would Barnes want the added responsibilities?

"I didn't feel like breaking in a new boss," she quipped.

The board interviewed four finalists. Barnes said she was asked such questions as how she would run the organization and whether she thought it was a good investment to purchase the old Hicks family home in Inverness as a headquarters.

She said she has several specific goals for the chamber, but most important is a strong push toward gaining and keeping membership.

"I want the chamber to be financially strong. You can't do that unless you have good member retention. . . . We need to work on that," Barnes said.

She also hopes to foster a more diverse funding base. While the chamber's two big events each year, the Strawberry Festival and the Manatee Festival, generate income for the organization, she wants to see other funding sources as well since just a few days of bad weather for a festival can have a devastating impact on the annual finances.

One idea already under discussion: a new-member reception every 90 days to recognize and retain members. Barnes said she was excited about all the possibilities.

"We have a wonderful business base here," she said. "I love my job."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 16, 2005, 01:35:22]