By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — Tonya Lamia will retire next month as the leader of the Parks Chamber of Commerce, and longtime Rockford Park District golf professional Duncan Geddes will succeed her in the role.
Lamia has led the Chamber, which works to connect businesses to the resources and tools they need to succeed, since May 2019. She’s credited with launching a placemaking initiative that sets the stage for future job creation and economic growth in Loves Park and Machesney Park, and she got the chamber engaged in local and state government at a level not seen before, said Mike Broski, chairman of the chamber’s board.
“It went from a sleepy chamber, in my opinion, to a chamber that had some significance for the parks community,” Broski said. “It’s been a testament to her hard work and effort and the board … We will miss her and we wish her the best of luck.”
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The chamber’s top executive leads the daily work of the nonprofit organization, following the direction and budget set by the board of directors. The head of the organization is also responsible for producing events, leading programs and strategic initiatives, welcoming member businesses to the area, publishing newsletters and media advisories and otherwise advocating for and supporting local businesses.
“Tonya leaves big shoes to fill, no doubt about it,” Broski said. “She’s done a phenomenal job and put the Parks Chamber on the map.”
Broski said that in Geddes, the chamber has found the right person to fill her shoes. Geddes has served as the chamber’s director of membership and sponsorship development since April. He was previously the head golf professional at Aldeen Golf Club for the Rockford Park District, where he worked for 30 years.
During his tenure with the park district, Geddes administered seven state championships, hundreds of charitable and corporate golf outings and numerous social events.
“Duncan has been employed with the chamber for nearly a year, and we believe that he is the right person to lead our organization into the future,” Broski said. “Duncan ran the Aldeen Golf Club for a number of years and has the background needed to continue the great work of The Parks Chamber.”
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Geddes takes over for Lamia on April 20.
“I am very excited to take on the role of executive director for the Parks Chamber, and I feel honored to have been considered,” Geddes said in a news release. “I look forward to furthering the tremendous progress that the Parks Chamber has achieved over the past several years under the direction of our board of directors and the leadership of Tonya Lamia. The chamber’s mission of ‘helping businesses succeed with the right tools, connections, and resources’ will be the road map as we guide the Parks Chamber forward in the months and years to come.”
Lamia said her father, Gerald T. Lamia, died in June 2022, and “I have been inspired to embrace quality of life now more than ever.”
“One of my dad’s most famous sayings is, ‘quality of life is not what you have, it’s how you live it,'” she said. “I thank the chamber and our community leaders for giving me great joy in our work together over the past four years, especially as I prepare to take time off work to embrace his other words of wisdom, ‘we need to use what Mother Nature gave us before Father Time takes it back.’ Life is a precious gift, and I look forward to my next chapter in this beautiful journey.”
Geddes involvement with the chamber started several years ago as Aldeen Golf Club hosted the annual Parks Chamber golf outing. He said Lamia’s enthusiasm, creativity and attention to detail helped make those outings some of the best Aldeen hosted.
He said that experience working with Lamia was the key reason he jumped at the chance to join the chamber as director of membership and sponsorship development after he retired from the park district.
“Although I didn’t have a background as a chamber executive, I did bring an extensive network of relationships that I have enjoyed in our community for many years,” he said. “Having lived in this area most of my life and having worked in a social industry like the golf business, I was able to make many great connections in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors over the years. For almost a year now, I have met with business owners in a wide range of industries, and it has been very interesting to hear their views on the state of local commerce.”
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The chamber board includes mayors and top staff from the city of Loves Park and village of Machesney Park in addition to leaders from the private and nonprofit sectors.
“I look forward to working with Duncan as the new executive director of the Parks Chamber,” Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury said. “I have known Duncan for over 20 years. He brings a wealth of knowledge of this community to his new position. He is hard working, very organized, and is a great choice to continue the success of the Parks Chamber.”
Lamia returned to her hometown of Machesney Park in 2018 after her stepfather, John Elliott Jr., died of a heart attack at their family-owned business, Dairy Depot in Loves Park. After working to help reopen Dairy Depot later that that year, she was appointed by the village of Machesney Park to serve on the Greater Rockford Airport Authority board of commissioners in the seat previously held by Elliott. The chamber board then began to discuss her taking over the role of executive director.
She was charged with transforming the chamber from a nonprofit that primarily produced the annual Young at Heart Festival (until it’s final year in 2018) into a business-focused organization that more actively supports the interests of its members.
“After working over 20 years in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, the Parks Chamber gave me a chance to fulfill my life’s purpose of ‘making a meaningful difference in my community’ while also confirming that I can be truly happy ‘doing projects I love with people I like,’” she said. “It has been my honor to serve over the past four years, strengthening the foundation of the chamber while preparing it to grow.
“Not only do I love this work, but I also really like everyone involved with our organization. From our board and mayors to our members and elected officials, I believe that the power of public/private collaboration at the Parks Chamber table will have a positive impact on our region’s economy and quality of life for future generations to come.”
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Lamia also led the chamber through the COVID-19 related business shutdown, one of the most challenging periods for many chamber members. She helped launch 815OpenForBusiness.com to support small businesses during the shutdown and worked with gener8tor on the 815 Emergency Response Program, which helped 59 local businesses. She also created the legislative event series, which brought 10 elected leaders to speak before the chamber. She also began the work with David Sidney of Place Foundry on the placemaking initiative to draw businesses and jobs to specific districts in Loves Park and Machesney Park. Lamia said she’ll continue to support Geddes and Sidney on the placemaking effort as a volunteer and friend of the community.
“The Parks Chamber has been a force for the business community here in the Parks under Tonya Lamia’s leadership,” said Craig Carlson, immediate past chairman of the board. “From producing world-class events like our annual Golf Outing and Legislative Event Series to advocating for a competitive business climate and leading strategic initiatives like Placemaking in The Parks, Tonya has catapulted our chamber with her laser focus on connecting and supporting businesses while also making a lasting impact on our economy.
“We wish Tonya well, thank her for her many contributions, and look forward to our next chapter with Duncan Geddes as our new executive director.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas