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Barrington chamber president Meyer to retire

Janet Meyer, president and CEO of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday she plans to retire in June.

Meyer has been with the BACC for more than 13 years. She started in December 2000, replacing Carol Beese, who had been the chamber's first and only president since its founding in 1968.

Meyer and her husband, Jack, plan to relocate to downstate Illinois, though she will still serve as a consultant to the local chamber as needed. The chamber board will begin a search process for her replacement. Before coming to Barrington, Meyer was executive director of the Mattoon Chamber.

“I leave the Barrington chamber with mixed feelings, of course,” Meyer said. “While retirement looks inviting, it's hard to leave such a thriving organization, one that I've really poured my heart into. Every new program, every added member benefit, every new member brings opportunity to develop more programs, add more member benefits, and welcome more new members,” she said in a statement.

During her tenure, Meyer nearly doubled the chamber membership to its present 960 members. She guided it through many changes over the past 13 years, introducing new programs to help better serve members. She has also engaged the communities-at-large served by the chamber developing numerous successful events, and supporting businesses and organizations in the communities within its service area. People who work with her say her efforts have helped promote the Barrington region statewide and nationally while developing robust relationships with local villages and townships.

Meyer said she is particularly proud of her efforts in government affairs to advocate for all businesses, galvanize local economic prosperity and job growth, and bring new businesses to the Barrington region. She has introduced continuing and evolving technology advancements into the organization's procedures and administration.

“Everyone associated with the chamber and who knows Janet will miss her energy and smile,” board chairwoman Lisa Scoville said in the statement. “Her dedication to the Barrington Chamber is evident in every community and chamber signature event, every program, every committee, every promotion. It will be hard to find someone to fill her shoes.”

Meyer holds a master of science from Eastern Illinois University, certification from the IACCE and the Lester Braun Jr. Distinguished Illinois Chamber Executive Award; is a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management; and served on the board of the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives for seven years.

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