The Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce elected Scott Franko as the new chairman of the board of directors. Also serving on the newly elected executive board are Past Chair Tammie Parris and Chair-elect Wendy Fletcher-Hardee.
 
“As we begin our fiscal year, we look forward to continued growth and additional services,” said Franko. “We are pleased to onboard Steven Hill, superintendent of Pender County Schools, as our new executive director, who will engage our membership.”
 
Hill (pictured below) led the school district for more than five years. The school district is the largest employer in Pender County. 
 
“My work running the largest employing organization in Pender County provides me some background in understanding and supporting our businesses,” Hill said in the release.
 
“Dr. Hill has spent several years directly engaged in regional economic development as part of North Carolina’s Eastern Region and later the NCEast Alliance,” Franko said in the release. “The economic development committee of the Greater Topsail Chamber of Commerce will benefit from Dr. Hill’s experience.”
 
Franko said the Topsail Chamber has reactivated its Ambassador Program under the leadership of Jo Adcock. Also on the horizon is an economic summit event. The chamber is preparing to launch a new website and is preparing for an active holiday season that includes the annual flotilla and holiday market.
 
“We’re also committed to the continuing of programs and education for keeping our beaches and shorelines clean and healthy,” said Franko, who designed the Beach Clean logo used by all the Topsail Island beach towns. “We are committed to delivering information, education, and resources that benefit our business members.”
 
“These past few years taught me that no one can understand your business better than you – the ones currently engaged and leading the daily challenges,” Hill said in the release. “It is with great enthusiasm that I enter the position of the chamber’s executive director. I promise I will learn more about our individual businesses and more importantly learn about our businesses’ priorities.”
 
“Our coastal region continues to grow,” said Franko. “Together we will make our communities more vibrant, resilient, and healthy.”