Greg Blose, the first and only man to helm the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce, will be relinquishing his position as President & CEO. He assumed the position in August 2020 when the Chamber was founded, and maintained that leadership position through the aftermath of and rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Thank you to everybody who is wishing me well as I look toward my next adventure!" Blose said in a statement to his personal Facebook page, confirming the initial reports that he'd be moving on. There's no word yet who will become successor to Blose, but the decision will lie with the existing Chamber Board.
The individuals tasked with choosing the next President & CEO of the Regional Chamber are an arrangement of leaders in the business and nonprofit realm of Flagler County. The Board is headed up by its Chairman, Michael Chiumento III of Chiumento Law. He's joined on the Executive Committee by Robert Doucette (Smart Technologies), Chelsea B. Herbert (4C's Trucking & Excavation), Garry Lubi (South State Bank), and Teresa Rizzo (Flagler Education Foundation).
Also serving on the Board of Directors are Jeff Annon (Southern States Management Group), Denyse B. Chubb (AdventHealth), Laura Gilvary (Intracoastal Bank), Rich Copper (Foundation Risk Partners), Linda Webster (Florida Power & Light), Kevin Sweeney (U.F. Health St. Johns), Howard Holley (TouchPoint), and John Walsh (JFX Communications). This Board lineup is as posted on the Chamber's website.
The main function of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber Chamber of Commerce has been to aggregate businesses in the community into a concise directory and cohesive body who can cooperate for the local advancement of their industries. This has placed them on the front lines of contentious issues in the county, such as when Blose personally advocated for the dismissal of ex-Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt by the School Board, joined only by a homophobic demonstrator. Blose argued Mittelstadt's school district had not performed in a way that would produce for the local business community, and he got his wish: the Board moved on from her in a 3-2 vote.
Blose has also doggedly opposed potential local ordinances that would hamper development in Palm Coast for any number of reasons. His ire spilled over when ex-City Council member Eddie Branquinho floated a building moratorium in 2022 (the word 'moratorium' is a surefire way to summon development-aligned professionals out of the woodwork in Flagler County). The idea did not come to fruition, again delivering the result Blose advocated for. His advocacy in either situation was and is downplayed by those elected officials as a driving reason, but he and the industries behind undoubtedly have commanded influence over the last four years.
