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Chamber's new chief has wide agenda
By ANNE LINDBERG © St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2001 PINELLAS PARK -- This could be a high-profile year for the chamber of commerce. There is a new logo and a new president, who pledges to increase membership and who hopes to improve life in the neighborhoods. "I had 47 goals, but they've grown," said Housh Ghovaee, the new president of the Pinellas Park/Mid-County Chamber of Commerce. "They have really grown. We want to be involved with a whole lot of things." That expanding list includes such traditional items as improving the chamber's (and the city's) image, as well as increasing membership. But even those have new twists to them. For example, Ghovaee wants to double chamber membership by 2003. That would mean convincing about 260 more businesses that they would benefit from affiliating with the chamber. In the past, the big push has been by telephone, with current members calling other businesses and asking them to join. Ghovaee intends to add a personal touch. He wants current members and Pinellas Park officials to walk from business to business. While they're talking to the business owners, they will be asking about image. They'll also be finding out what the chamber and city can do to help that business specifically and businesses in general. Perhaps the most innovative items on Ghovaee's list could fit under the heading "quality of life." And it's not just quality of business life, it's the quality of life in Pinellas Park's residential areas that Ghovaee is interested in improving. That means he wants the chamber to make sure members know about the city's recreational facilities. He also wants the chamber to sponsor community tournaments -- soccer, golf, tennis, chess -- for adults and youths. He wants to work more closely with groups such as the Salvation Army and Red Cross. He is interested in an initiative to help the city's homeless. He wants to find ways to keep the best and brightest kids from moving away once they've finished their schooling. "I think that the neighborhood is a component of business," Ghovaee said. That's because prospective residents care deeply about whether their children will be safe, have good schools and a place to play, he said. That big picture is also what companies look at before moving. "I think that would be the first thing I'd want to look at before I look at a company," Ghovaee said. "If we just concentrate on the business, I just think we'd be missing big time." Ghovaee's concern for neighborhoods stems from his faith and his love of children. He has one son, 14. "God comes first, and family comes second," Ghovaee said. Ghovaee, 42, is a native of Iran who came to the United States when he was 18 to attend the military-based Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. One spring break, he and friends went to Disney World and wandered over to Clearwater's beaches. Ghovaee fell in love with the area. "I vowed when I graduated I would move to this area," he said. He did, and in 1989 he founded Northside Engineering Services in Clearwater, where he now lives. Since then, he has become involved in the Clearwater and St. Petersburg chambers as well as with the Pinellas Park/Mid-County group. He is also a member of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. "My business is in Clearwater and my home is in Clearwater, but I'm loyal to Pinellas Park," he said. So loyal, in fact, that he has decided to forego his skiing and diving vacations this year. The only time he plans to be away is in April, when the chamber takes a group to Mexico on a trade mission. "I want to stay in town and serve my community to the best of my ability," Ghovaee said. "I'm very enthusiastic about this and very honored to have this position." His enthusiasm and dedication have won him praise. "He's going to be great," said Rick Butler, a Pinellas Park City Council and chamber member. "He's going to be real, real good. He deals well with people. He's got a real positive attitude. No matter how bad things are, he keeps positive and upbeat. It's incredible." Ghovaee acknowledged a word of caution from Rita Bott, the chamber's executive director, who told him: "Slow down a little bit, let your soldiers catch up with you. "I'm trying to follow directions," Ghovaee said with a laugh. "I like to move more at the speed of light and that's not very practical."
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