The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce made structural changes in December, and while some administrative decisions remain, Board of Directors Chair John Roberts said the organization is now looking forward and continuing its work. 

“We have 1,300 members. We’re the largest business organization like that around—it ain’t even close,” Roberts said. “So I think we’ve not done a good job of telling that story.”   

Roberts is a senior vice president of SouthState Bank and has worked in Gainesville for over two decades. He’s been a member of the chamber that whole time, and after serving as vice chair in 2025, he stepped into the top spot on the board.  

He said it’s a humbling experience when looking at the chamber’s past chairs during its 102-year history — Domenic Scorpio, Bryan Harrington, Nancy Eckert, Mike Walsh, Gil Levy and Theresa Beachy. 

“Just to be in that group, to help lead the same organization they did, I mean, it’s an honor,” Roberts said.  

He added that it’s also a bit of pressure. But he’s been raising four kids and married for 24 years, and that’s a lot more pressure, Roberts said.  

In December, the chamber laid off four employees, around a quarter of the staff, and announced it would move its offices from downtown and take out a loan to handle budget issues. Eric Godet, the chamber’s CEO for the past seven years, announced his retirement in October and left at the end of the year.  

Roberts said the chamber should have made smaller adjustments earlier, but once aware, he said the board acted to fix the issues. He said the focus is now the future, and he believes the December actions will correct the situation moving forward.  

The chamber’s offices (a 7,200-square-foot condo in the downtown Commerce Building) were too large for their staff. Roberts said the chamber needed to downsize. When they first acquired the offices, Roberts said two other organizations shared the space and helped cover the lease. But those groups have since found new locations. 

Roberts said he gets asked about the chamber’s viability. His response is that the chamber is stable. The board is at work and making sure the organization continues to connect businesses and customers. 

“Everything’s a fluid situation at times, but I would say we did make the decisions we thought needed to be made at that time,” Roberts said. “Could more decisions need to be made in the future? It’s possible. Things change; economies shift. But we feel pretty good about where we’re at at this point.”   

The chamber holds a lot of ribbon cuttings that get seen by the community, but Roberts said a lot of the staff work is behind the scenes and not mentioned on the front page. The chamber helped connect partners for HCA’s new location off Archer Road and directed a business, which eventually opened, to Newberry’s F-300 AgFoodTech Innovation Park. 

He said the chamber and its partners could have done a better job at economic development in the past years. But he said the city, county, UF, Santa Fe College and other partners have started convening and focusing on the issue.  

The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce serves as the official economic development officer for the area, an official position with the state of Florida. In that role, the chamber works to network stakeholders under the leadership of the CEO.  

Roberts said one question the chamber has asked is if it should continue as that officer for the area. He said the chamber could step away and the discussion came up at a recent meeting.  

It’s a decision that will directly impact the next CEO. Roberts said the chamber hopes to start a national search at the end of March or perhaps a little later, but the type of CEO it hires will be swayed by whether the chamber stays as the economic development officer. 

Regardless, Roberts said the chamber will advocate, connect and collaborate with its members to better Gainesville. The chamber will hold its annual meeting on Feb. 17 and will ask attendees to help chart the path forward. The meeting will also focus on the “the visible value of the invisible work,” highlighting how the chamber has shaped the area for decades. 

He said people ask if the chamber is worth joining. Roberts pointed to the education programs available to learn more about the area, AI and local leadership. It should be the best business connector in the city, he said.  

But members also get out of what they put into it. If you only attend one meeting a year and want to see a business boost, you might not see it, he said.  

“The chamber should be the best business connector in any town,” Roberts said. “You should be able to come to an event, meet somebody new, make a connection and be able to have a business relationship in the future because it’s that common bond of we’re both in the room, we both care about the community, now let’s work together.”