Hamilton Chamber of Commerce welcomes new CEO

Hamilton's Chamber of Commerce has a new chief executive officer.

Greg Dunnett is ready to assume his new role as the CEO of the 177-year-old organization Monday.

A Hamiltonian at heart - born and raised in the city, Dunnett told The Spectator, Hamilton is a great place" to work and I want it to continue to get better" as the city enters a transformational phase.

Dunnett's appointment comes months after Keanin Loomis stepped down from his position - nine years after he first became the CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Loomis is now running to be the city's mayor in the upcoming municipal election.

While the organization was looking for its new full-time CEO, Marie Nash, chief operating officer, was handling work as the interim CEO.

Now as the search ends, Dunnett, 41, is bringing a vision to make Hamilton a better place to live, and a better place to work" to the table.

In Dunnett's opinion, incredible amounts of positive changes" are in the pipeline for the city, which is home to over 15,000 local businesses.

The potential changes include ongoing and upcoming projects such as rapid transit and the downtown entertainment district, Dunnett said, that would further expand business opportunities for Hamiltonians and create more jobs.

If you see cranes in a city's skyline, that's a sign that the city is thriving," he said.

While there will be many opportunities for community businesses in future, Dunnett said he is aware of the immediate challenges that Hamilton businesses face including the aftermath of the pandemic and sky-high inflation.

The last few years have been difficult for the business community in Hamilton," Dunnett said.

The first step would be to engage with the partners and identify the best ways that the chamber can help the business community grow going forward, Dunnett said. What are the problems and how can we help advocate to reduce friction points and then help grow the overall business community?"

For long-term goals, Dunnett noted closing job gaps and skill gaps will be one of the main tasks.

We need to make it easier to start a new business in Hamilton," he said, we need to continue to develop a pipeline of talent as new skills are required."

Hamilton has been facing a shortage of workers, further fuelled by the pandemic.

But first, like any person starting a new job, Dunnett said he will spend the first 100 days understanding the immediate and long-term needs of the business community in Hamilton and aligning his goals with what our membership needs."

My job is to advocate on behalf of the business community," he said, which would come from understanding the Hamilton business community.

For two decades prior to signing up as the CEO of Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Dunnett was involved in executive roles for the 2021 Grey Cup Festival - hosted in Hamilton for the first time in 25 years. He also led the launch of Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com