Ian Scott, Shaping a Vision
With a New Leader at the Helm, the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce is Focused on Business Success and the Region’s Future
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by SUSAN DELOACH
Ian Scott means business. He’s the new president and CEO of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, and he doesn’t mince words about the Chamber’s new direction. “We’re here to support local businesses. A strong economy means a growing tax base and people with money in their pockets,” said Ian. “A strong economy makes all other community priorities achievable.”
The Chamber has adopted a new mission that reflects this objective: The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce exists to promote economic prosperity to enhance the well-being of everyone in our region.
It is a straightforward statement that Ian and the Chamber hope all businesses can rally around.
“Each Chamber of Commerce is independent and unique,” said Ian, “but they share a common DNA to help businesses thrive. We’re helping our members succeed and driving the economy forward in a way that expands opportunities.”
The 500+ members of the Chamber span every sector of the economy. They run the gamut from global companies and the region’s largest employers to startups, small non-profits, and family businesses. “Our members and their employees are this community,” said Ian. “Supporting the success of Chamber members is supporting the entire region.”
Accompanying the Chamber’s new mission statement is a forward-looking new vision—a prosperous region based on a vibrant and resilient economy, both today and for future generations.
According to Ian, Chamber members know thriving businesses and a strong economy are only one aspect of a healthy region with great quality of life. But in his view, without a solid economic foundation, it is nearly impossible to sustain a great arts and culture scene, have a vibrant downtown, or protect ecological and historical assets.
A Year for Change
This new mission and vision punctuate a dynamic year for the Beaufort Regional Chamber. The year 2020 has brought unprecedented change to a lot of organizations, but this is one of the few stories that begins before anyone uttered the phrase “social distancing.”
In 2019, long-tenured Chamber CEO Blakely Williams announced her career transition. Months before her announcement, the Chamber’s Board of Directors finalized a decision to spin out the destination marketing function, establishing an independent Convention and Visitors Bureau. The move makes the Chamber completely independent, supported wholly by voluntary membership dues and program revenue. The organization, which had long focused on attracting visitors and cultivating the region’s image, entered the year destined to have a new focus and new leadership.
The first step was recruiting a new president and CEO. Spearheading the search for the Chamber’s next executive was Beaufort attorney Ben Coppage, who currently serves as Board Chair for the Chamber. Under his direction, a consultant was hired, a position description drafted, and an announcement posted.
“We were, frankly, overwhelmed by the number of highly qualified candidates interested,” said Coppage. “That so many exceptional professionals applied for the job is a testament to our community’s reputation.”
While resumes were collected and the field was narrowed, the news was building about a contagious new virus originating in China. By the time interviews with finalists were scheduled, the nation was going into lockdown.
“In March, we felt that we were sailing into uncharted waters,” said Coppage, “which made the need for strong leadership all the more crucial.” Confident that the region’s business community would need a Chamber to rally around, the search committee pushed forward. After a second round of interviews were completed, some via Zoom, one candidate stood out: Ian Scott.
“We had lots of interesting conversations with strong candidates,” said Jennifer Tuckwiller, chief administrative officer for Carolina Air and a member of the search committee. “But Ian came into the interview with a ten-page written assessment and a 100-day action plan. His prep work and his focus sealed the deal.”
“We needed someone with proven business advocacy experience who could energetically lead us in our new direction,” said Coppage. “In hiring Ian—and I mean this in the best way possible—we’ve really grabbed the tiger by the tail.”
Stumbling into a Career
Ian Scott grew up in Davie County, North Carolina, just west of Winston-Salem. It’s a small community with only one high school where farming is still a big part of the economy. “It was a wonderful place to grow up, but I never believed I could have the career or life I wanted there.”
Ian graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he majored in history and political science. He had vague notions about one day pursuing a law degree. While in college, he met Rebecca. Now his wife, the two have been inseparable ever since.
After college, Rebecca, an interior design major at Appalachian State University, had a 6-month internship opportunity with Haworth, a commercial furniture manufacturer in Shanghai, China. Ian followed her across the Pacific, looking for an adventure and resume building experience.
During his first week of living overseas, Ian walked into the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, looking for a freelance writing assignment for their monthly magazine, which was one of the few English-language publications in town. He left with an unpaid internship, and fifteen years later, he’s still working at a Chamber and has never looked back.
“I stumbled into a career by accident,” said Ian. “No one I’ve met ever planned to work for a Chamber,” he says, “but it’s the kind of job that sucks you in. If you like variety and new challenges in your work life, a Chamber is a perfect place to work. You get to learn about all kinds of different enterprises, and every new issue facing a community has a business angle.”
“After arriving in Charleston and seeing my first sunset over the marsh, I knew we’d be in the Lowcountry for a long time,” said Ian. “When I learned about the chance to lead the Beaufort Regional Chamber, I was immediately interested.”
The First 100 Days in Beaufort
According to Ian, the only way for a new Chamber of Commerce executive to get started in a new community is by listening. He had done a lot of research before coming to Beaufort but knew he needed to have conversations with members, partners, and elected officials to learn the community.
“The Chamber is the collective voice of the business community. You have to know the people you are working for and the people you are working with,” and that is how Ian spent his first 100 days.
His April start date landed right in the middle of the Covid-19 shutdown. Not many people were confident or able to meet in person, so connecting meant many phone and Zoom calls. It was a challenge, but in some ways it was an asset. “It can be easy to get lost in a busy schedule. Rushing from one meeting to the next doesn’t always allow time to connect.” During those early conversations, many people had some extra time on their hands and were more willing to share their thoughts about the Chamber and the community.
Covid-19 was a constant presence in those introductory discussions, and the impact of the pandemic on Beaufort area businesses has been widespread but uneven. “Every business in our community has been impacted in some way, but some have suffered more significantly than others,” Ian says. “Supporting local businesses and taking practical steps to contain the spread are imperative for our region’s economic health.”
Prioritizing the Economy
Covid-19 has also underscored something that the community in Beaufort has known for a while: we must diversify the economy. In the 100+ conversations that Ian had in his first 100 days, every one either began or ended with the vulnerability of our region’s economy.
Throughout those conversations, several themes were repeated: with an economy primarily fueled by military and tourism, Beaufort is vulnerable to shocks. “We are also not providing enough career pathways for our young people to thrive here. We are primed to grow good job opportunities. We just have to stay focused,” said Ian.
Diversifying our employment base wasn’t the only recurring topic; housing affordability and workforce development were frequently cited as top challenges.
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce knows they can’t solve any of these issues alone. “It will take lots of entities working together to address the challenges and opportunities in our community. And it will take persistence,” said Ian.
Going Forward
With the feedback collected over Ian’s first 100 days, the Chamber’s Board of Directors held a retreat in July. By the end, they had adopted new mission and vision statements, defined core values and strategic objectives, and shaped a work plan for the coming year.
As the Chamber rolls out their new strategic priorities over the coming weeks, expect member service and building the economy to be the focus. Ian says, “as a membership organization, our members’ success is our success.”
The Chamber’s other full-time team members Susan Fogelman and Ginger Olszewski have been amazing throughout these months of change. They have taken care of members and have been a wealth of information.
Susan has driven all over the region to distribute masks and digital thermometers. Ginger has provided one-on-one introductions and connected businesses with each other. They are turning the Chamber’s “network” into a noun just as much as it is a verb.
The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce is a member-funded, membership-led organization. It provides benefits and exposure for non-profit and for-profit businesses alike. You can reach out to Susan at susan@beaufortchamber.org for more information on becoming a member of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.
