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Sheila Arthur
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Chamber director retires By Steve Enders
Sheila Arthur, executive director of Saratoga's Chamber of Commerce, has said "the time has come" to call it quits after 10 years on the job. She surprised her board of directors at a meeting last week when she announced her retirement, Arthur said. Her last day will be April 2.
No replacement has been named yet, according to Chamber board president Pearl Medeiros. The board has formed a subcommittee that has met already, and has established a set of criteria the group will look for in hiring a new executive director.
Saratoga's Chamber boasts more than 350 members.
Arthur will likely be remembered as the "people person" Medeiros said she'd look for in a future director. Arthur brought the Chamber up to the standards of other modern-day chambers, helping to institute programs and events that increased its membership and its budget.
"The Chamber is known as the voice of the business community, but we've had to earn our credibility for the city to realize that we're that voice," she said.
Arthur has worked hand-in-hand with the city on a number of projects, including Celebrate Saratoga, the Chamber's largest yearly function which now welcomes nearly 25,000 each September.
"A lot of people think you sit in this house and don't get out to see what's going on. I just made the realization that the Chamber is really the front door to the community," she said.
Arthur said she has made an effort to participate in regional Chamber conferences, to see what kinds of innovative programs other chambers are doing to attract new members and retain old ones.
Arthur said she has also stretched the boundaries of the Saratoga business community, to include those that may not be located in Saratoga, but get a large portion of business from the city's residents. During her term, she acquired members at El Paseo de Saratoga, as well as other business owners on the outskirts of the city proper.
With all the positive words she has to say about her experiences with the Chamber, Arthur does have some misgivings. She said she wishes she had more time to be out of the office among the members, and feels a bit constrained by the time it takes to organize Celebrate Saratoga.
Even though she's retiring, Arthur will still be around town. The San Jose resident is actively involved in community service organizations such as Rotary, and plans on helping ease the transition for whoever is selected as the Chamber's next director.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
