After serving as President/CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce since 2018, Eric Godet recently announced his resignation from the position, effective at the end of December.
According to a letter sent by Godet to the Chamber Board of Directors, Chamber members and community partners on Oct. 2, he said that his resignation would be effective Dec. 31.
“This decision was not made lightly, as my time here has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life,” he stated in the letter.
Godet was named President/CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber in December 2018 after working as the vice president of organizational advancement for Haven Hospice. He was also a founding member of RTI Biologics, having previously worked for IBM and Johnson & Johnson.
The decision was made when Godet was in France three weeks ago.
“There was a point of clarity when I was in France,” he said, adding that he had been toying with the idea of stepping down over the past two years. “I had a glass of champagne in my hand and was picking grapes and enjoying myself.”
Godet said he will remain in the Gainesville area and has no immediate plans other than taking advantage of playing golf, which he hasn’t had a chance to do in quite a while.
“The first thing I want to do is catch my breath and enjoy our community,” he said. “It’s been such a busy pace the last seven years. I’ve been working 40-plus years, and my wife was wondering how long I could keep it up.”
While he loves what he does, Godet felt it was a good time to step away from the Chamber.
During his time at the Chamber, Godet said things have changed.
“When I first started, a lot of groups were not talking to each other,” he said. “There was a lot of division. We just needed to start conversations [with the Chamber, city of Gainesville and Alachua County]. We started working on things we could agree upon…and the community has come a long way.”
In his letter of resignation, he added that “Leading the Chamber and working alongside a talented Board, dedicated team and passionate business community has been an extraordinary honor. Together, we have strengthened partnerships, expanded opportunities, and championed a vision for a thriving, inclusive economy that benefits all who call Alachua County home.
“Over the years, we’ve built programs that have empowered small businesses, advanced workforce development, and positioned the Chamber as a trusted voice for progress and collaboration. I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished – not just in milestones and metrics, but in the sense of unity, optimism and shared purposes we’ve cultivated as a community.”
Godet also said, in his letter, that he will miss the daily interactions, “the conversations, collaborations and collective problem-solving that remind me how much this community cares about one another’s success. The relationships formed and friendships built during this journey are what I will always treasure most.”
The Greater Gainesville Chamber, founded in 1924, has more than 1,300 members who employ over 80,000 people. The Chamber holds a five-star accredited rating by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from Eric Godet.