The Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce has named Heather Ennis to fill the newly created position of Managing Director.

According to a statement released today, Ennis is a lifelong area resident, a graduate of Chesterton High School and Purdue University, and has an extensive career background in marketing, advertising, and team management in local media.

She has also been active in the community, most recently as chair of the 2008 Rebuilding Together Duneland.

Ennis lives in Porter with her husband, Joe, a local real estate developer.

As Chamber Managing Director, Ennis will be responsible for directing the overall operations of the Chamber with specific emphasis on increasing membership, retaining members, and encouraging economic development in the communities served by the Chamber. Ennis will join Executive Director Bonnie Trout and staffers June Russell and Mary Spruitenburg along with intern Stephanie Kuziela and numerous volunteers.

In March Chamber President Mark Chamberlain told the Chesterton Tribune that the idea behind creating the position of Managing Director was to complement the position of Executive Director.

The Managing Director, he said at the time, would concentrate on outreach and economic development with a view toward new business, while Trout as Executive Director would concentrate on membership growth and retention.

Both the 2008 and 2009 Chamber budgets can accommodate the hire of the Managing Director, in addition to the existing Executive Director, Chamberlain also said at the time, although he added that after 2009 the “budget could be an issue.”

The Chamber has more than 300 members right now and serves Chesterton, Porter, Burns Harbor, Beverly Shores, and Dune Acres, through such events as the European Market, the annual career and job fair, the Chamber Network Night, and through such activities as the monthly luncheon, the Chesterton Tribune Chamber page, the Duneland Today quarterly magazine, Business After Hours, and the Residential Welcome Program.

Posted 6/19/2008