Evanston Chamber of Commerce executive director Jonathan Perman resigned from his post Jan. 12 after 19 years.
“While I’m still young and have hair on my head, there are things I want to do,” Perman said.
Perman will stay at the chamber though March. The chamber’s Board of Directors has appointed a search committee for his replacement.
Perman left his post as director of governmental affairs at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce in New Haven, Conn., in 1992. He came to Evanston to help make the city more appealing to businesses.
“I wanted to restore the confidence and reputation of an organization, which, at that time, was not doing very well,” Perman said.
Under Perman, the chamber’s goals included making Evanston a desirable place to start businesses and an easy place in which small businesses could grow. In 2009, Bloomberg BusinessWeek recognized the city as the best small city in Illinois for startup companies. Perman said he was proud of the national recognition.
Steve Hagerty, president of the chamber’s board of directors and Hagerty Consulting Inc., said Perman accomplished a lot for Evanston business. Hagerty said there was no “pre-advance” notice when Perman announced his resignation.
“I think Evanston is ready to welcome a new executive director,” he said.
During his time as director of the chamber of commerce, Perman advocated transit-oriented development. This method included increasing the density and height of buildings, especially in the downtown area and around train stations. Perman said this model was copied around the country.
“(It is) an economically and environmentally prudent way to plan a city, and we have been champions of that for many years,” Perman said.
Paige Finnegan, a volunteer with the Business Alliance for a Sustainable Evanston, said she hopes the new director will make sustainability a business priority. In the past, BASE has not tried to engage the chamber because the organization was still new. However, once BASE gets off the ground and the new director is settled in, Finnegan said the organization hopes to approach the chamber.
“If the executive director of a business organization chooses not to integrate (sustainability) into a strategic plan, he is missing an opportunity, especially in a progressive town like Evanston,” Finnegan said.
Perman said he recognized the chamber’s role in helping businesses network and organized social events for chamber members such as happy hours and breakfasts.
In the future, Perman said, chambers of commerce across the country, including Evanston’s, should focus on using social networking sites like Facebook to improve their networking efforts.
“The chamber has had a positive impact on making Evanston a better place to work and live,” Perman said. “I hope the organization will continue to grow and influence the advancement of the city.”
