Milio Announces Departure as President/CEO of Harford County Chamber of Commerce

From Vanessa Milio, President/CEO of the Harford County Chamber of Commerce:

Dear Chamber Members, Community Partners and Industry Leaders:

It has been an honor and pleasure serving the Harford County Chamber of Commerce (HC3) during the past two years. I want to let you know that today I informed the Chamber’s Board of Directors of my intention to depart from my role as the President/Chief Executive Officer. This decision was certainly not easy and deliberated at great lengths; however, I have tendered my resignation to accept another leadership position within Maryland’s non-profit community. While my last official day with the Chamber will be Saturday, March 9th, I am looking forward to not skipping a beat and continuing our meaningful work together for the next several weeks.

As I reflect on my time with the Chamber, we can all be proud that much has been accomplished. With the unwavering support from an incredible core staff and forward-thinking members and partners, we were able to move the organization ahead in many vital areas. I’ve been encouraged to take a few moments to highlight some of the key accomplishments during the past two years; I am proud at what we have accomplished.

Together we have:

Grown the Young Members Committee to more than 35 members, resulting in much more engagement from our community’s emerging business leaders;

Established the HC3 Mentoring Program which matched long-standing Chamber members with aspiring leaders in the Young Members Committee;

Introduced a new website, digital media and marketing strategies, to include the newly launched mobile-friendly website with downloadable applications;

Developed metrics to measure marketing efforts, visitorship and page-by-page website performance;

Revamped the Chamber’s organizational By-Laws, membership dues structure and database systems;

Implemented an online payment system for events, membership dues and sponsorships which enhanced the timeliness of the Chamber’s cash flow;

Established the Mini Golf Tournament, an event co-sponsored by the Young Members Committee and the Education Foundation. This event raised $3,000 for the Scholarship Fund in its first year;

Continued to promote Harford Night in Annapolis in partnership with the Greater Harford Committee, hosted legislative panels in partnership with NMTC, and implemented strategic tactics to advance our membership’s legislative agendas;

Revamped the Annual Dinner format, resulting in record attendance and sponsorship support;

Elevated the Military Appreciation Luncheon to new heights in terms of attendance and sponsorship support;

Created a menu of HC3 networking events to meet members time and financial commitments, including the Mix & Mingle, Business with Breakfast (BWB) series, and Business After Hours (BAH);

Advanced many other events and initiatives, to include the annual Calendar Raffle, Economic Outlook Forum, Harford Awards, Small Business Symposium, etc.;

Strengthened critical relationships, to include the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), the Chesapeake Science & Security Corridor (CSSC), Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), Maryland Chamber of Commerce and others which advance the very important issues of small business development, development of the technology corridor, entrepreneur recruitment and leadership.

While there are many other milestones to highlight, it is important we all take a just a few moments to reflect upon the incredible progress we’ve made, as a team. Thank you for your membership, your time as a volunteer and your commitment to the business community.

It has been my privilege working shoulder to shoulder with so many dedicated professionals who care deeply about the vitality of Harford County. In today’s very competitive, global environment, it is critical that America’s chambers strive for world-class commitment and meaningful results – together; we have done that. I give much credit to the members and partners I’ve had the honor of working with and look forward to your continued progress.

A heartfelt thank you goes to each of you for allowing me to serve you during the past two years. I’m grateful for every milestone reached and bridge built; I will carry each of those remembrances forward. I sincerely wish each of you the very best in the future.

Sincerely,
Vanessa Milio
President/CEO