KAYSVILLE — After nearly three years as President of the Davis Chamber of Commerce, John Pitt will conclude his service to the 900-member business organization on Friday, Aug. 7.

Pitt’s final day comes three weeks earlier than previously announced so that he can begin his new position as Director of Project Development for the Bonneville Companies, which include Bonneville Builders and Bonneville Development Group.

“I have enjoyed my time at the Davis Chamber and am pleased about the strides we have been able to make,” Pitt said, “and now I look forward to new opportunities for growth at Bonneville.”

Pitt lists enhancing the value of the chamber to its members as the primary accomplishment of his tenure as chamber CEO. He had been at the head of the chamber for less than a year when the global economy slid into its worst economic recession since the 1930s.

“Companies around the world began to cut back their spending dramatically. Memberships and sponsorships were the among the first extras to go,” said Pitt. “The chamber professional team was able to keep most of our supporters’ memberships intact by driving home the value of the chamber by increasing the number of events and services we provided, without increasing the cost.

“We made it easier for them to stay on as members by offering more payment options. And, we increased our communication outreach efforts by three-fold so that members were more aware of what the chamber could do for their businesses.”

Pitt and the other members of the chamber’s professional staff implemented program after program to drive home the motto approved by the chamber board: Essential to your Success. As a result, the Davis Chamber did not see the dramatic decreases in membership and revenue that many chambers and other member-based organizations faced over the past two years.

The New York Times recently reported the results of a nationwide survey of membership based associations. It found that 80 percent of such organizations will have moderate to severe losses of membership this year.

By contrast, the Davis Chamber had some losses in the past 18 months, but gained more new members in June 2009 than in any other single month in the past five years.

“I’ve been gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response from the chamber’s core membership,” said Pitt. “They have expressed gratitude for the many and varied networking opportunities the chamber has provided them, particularly in these economic times when the ability to make solid connections with potential customers and vendors is so valuable.”

Examples of the networking programs available through the Davis Chamber include three networking meetings a week held throughout the county, the Web-based Business-2-Business Discount Club, the Business-2-Business Expo, and the Friday Forum educational meetings, to name a few.

Pitt expresses his thanks to fellow chamber employees Jeanie Shehan-Bosen, Kerry Neal, Megan Triplett and Faye Richards for their tireless efforts on behalf of the chamber’s membership.

“I’ll miss my association with the chamber team and the many businesses of Davis County, but fortunately my new position will keep me in contact with them and many more like them “ he said.

He begins his new position on Monday, Aug. 10. The Bonneville Companies develop, build, and manage multi-million-dollar commercial projects throughout the Mountain West region.

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