Albany Area Chamber looks to future during 212th annual meeting

ALBANY — The Albany Area Chamber of commerce “hit the bricks” on Thursday, but it wasn’t a matter of going away but of recognizing the successes of the previous year, transferring leadership and honoring outstanding community members.

“This is a celebration of Albany, a turnover of leadership,” Don Gray, who received the gavel to assume the role of chamber board chairman, said during an interview prior to the 112th annual meeting held on the brick paving at the Thronateeska Heritage Center. “It’s humbling, but it’s an honor to serve. We have so many great team members.”

The chamber is “one of the strongest advocates for economic growth” and a supporter of the businesses in the region, he said.

“The annual meeting of the Albany Area Chamber represents the culmination of work completed throughout the last year, and the beginning of a new era of leadership and advocacy,” Gray said. “I have always taken pride in serving the Albany community, and now, through the chairmanship of the Albany Area Chamber, I will have the opportunity to maximize that passion for service, working side-by-side with other passionate business and nonprofit leaders to advance our community’s most renowned advocacy organization.”

During the meeting, Koosh Desai was announced as the Albany Under 40 Professional of the Year. Desai was nominated and winner in the youth and education category. He was selected as the winner from among a field of other category winners by a committee.

The Albany Under 40 program is an initiative of the Chamber’s Talent Education and Leadership Committee and honors the Albany Area’s emerging leaders and professionals in a variety of business sectors, each representing a component of the area’s diversified talent pool and economy.

Sonny Deriso, 1990 chairman of the chamber, was honored with the chamber’s Lifetime Service Award. Deriso practiced law with Albany’s Divine, Wilkin, Deriso, Raulerson & Fields from 1972 through 1991 before assuming the role of president and CEO of Security Bank and Trust Co. of Albany, a role he held from 1991 through 1997. He subsequently served as the bank’s chairman until 2006.

Deriso is a staunch community advocate, having served on a vast variety of local and state boards, and has stood alongside the chamber in its mission to foster and further the economic prosperity of the Albany area, chamber officials said.

Deriso was most recently chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, a partner of the Albany Area Chamber and Georgia’s leading statewide business advocate.

One of the biggest victories the chamber experienced during 2021 was successfully advocating for Albany to maintain its status as a metropolitan statistical area, Chamber President and CEO Barbara Rivera Holmes said during an interview prior to the meeting.

“Tonight is about celebrating Albany, celebrating our business community and moving forward,” she said.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]