Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce President Margaret Grissom will resign effective Dec. 7 to accept a position in the private sector, according to Chairman Ron Sowell. Current Vice President Todd Denham will act as interim president until the chamber personnel committee selects a new president. Its unfortunate, Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said. You cant ever fault anyone for taking opportunities to affect their future, but it certainly is a loss to our chamber and our community. I hate to see her go. Sowell said Grissom, chamber president since 1998, has been instrumental in Bowling Greens recent job growth. Margaret has recruited new industry to Warren County, not just from around the U.S., but from around the world, Sowell said. She is very well-respected among her professional economic development peers, and has an especially good relationship with Japanese industry. We reluctantly accept Margarets decision to leave both our chamber and our community and we wish her the very best in her new position. Grissom turned in her resignation earlier this week, but Sowell said he asked her to take a few more days to reconsider her decision. Im certainly disappointed that she will leave the chamber and the community, he said. Any time you employ someone with the credentials of Margaret, you understand other people are going to seek your star. Before coming to Bowling Green as the president and CEO of the chamber, Grissom worked at the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership as vice president and director of economic development. Before Louisville, Grissom worked as industrial development coordinator for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. She also currently works at the Economic Development Institute in Norman, Okla., where she serves as assistant dean and as a thesis and professional project advisor. Grissom will leave behind a solid chamber of commerce. Although Ive only lived in Bowling Green for six years, I feel like its my home town, Grissom said. But the chamber is strong, the board of directors is strong, and we have the momentum to keep our community growing. Our chamber of commerce will continue to be a thriving, effective recruiting tool for Bowling Green and Warren County for many years to come. Bowling Greens chamber has a recent history of successful recruiting. During Grissoms tenure, Warren County created over 4,500 new jobs, behind only Jefferson and Boone counties, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Warren County ranked second to Jefferson County in the number of new manufacturing locations, resulting in over $425 million invested in the community. Buchanon credits Grissom with being instrumental in the countys recruiting successes. When the decisions were made by Afni, CTS, Stupp Bridge, Perot, and many others, it was Margarets persuasiveness that made the difference, Buchanon said. Replacing a recruiter of her magnitude will not be an easy task. In the meantime, Sowell is confident in Denhams ability as interim president and emphasized that the work of the chamber will not be negatively affected by Grissoms departure. Were fortunate to have someone like Todd Denham who has credentials to step in as interim president, Sowell said. Todd has been in economic development for seven years, hes been successful in the past and well be leaning on Todd in the transition. I think hell be up to it. Sowell expects it will take four to six months before a new president is found and relocated to Bowling Green. The search committee to replace Grissom will be made up of members of the chambers executive committee and others including Buchanon; Gary Dillard, vice president of affiliated and member services at Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp.; Paul Cook, former vice president for administrative affairs at Western Kentucky University; and Joe Natcher, president of Southern Foods Inc. The chamber executive committee includes Rick Wilson, area president of BB&T; Ann Puckett, partner of BKD LLP; Curt Sullivan, co-owner and president of Omni Custom Meats; Mary Cohron, president and CEO of Citizens First Bank; Donna Harmon, director of business development for American Bank & Trust; and Rick Kelley, owner of Mariahs Restaurant. Grissoms departure highlights how things change, Buchanon said. None of us are permanent, Buchanon said. We like to think we are as individuals, but we arent. Grissoms background in economic development so far has been at the state, regional, and local level. The change will take her to the other side of economic development, and she will perform a similar job from companies perspective. Her new job involves site location work for companies, which ultimately could present opportunities in Bowling Green, according to Grissom. Margaret has an uncanny ability to match up the needs of prospects and communities, said Jim Renzas, president of Location Management Services LLC, a site location and incentive negotiation company out of Mission Viejo, Calif. Her intuitive knowledge of economic development is what made her successful in her leadership roles over the years, and is the reason Im pleased to have her join Location Management Services LLC.Grissom will assume her duties at Location Management Services immediately after her departure from the chamber. She wouldnt comment whether she would move from Bowling Green. Its a great opportunity for me and I feel good about making this change because there is so much potential in Bowling Green, the county and the region because of the tremendous foundation and leadership in the chamber and the community, she said. What (the job) does is broaden my experience to a different level. She said she hopes the changes wont disrupt the chambers work. Ill do everything I can to make the chamber leadership transition smooth, she said. And if theres ever anything needed by the chamber, Ill only be a phone call away.