The Newmarket Chamber of Commerce introduced former councillor Chris Emanuel as its new president and CEO Oct. 19, less than one month after announcing a different person.
Emanuel will enter the role starting Nov. 1, taking over the position from Tracey McGruthers-Doak, who came into the job Sept. 30 after taking over from longtime president Tracy Macgregor.
Emanuel said he has the public and private sector experience for the position and he wants to help businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The next period is about ensuring businesses emerge from the pandemic strong and resilient,” he said. “Seeing a thriving business community in Newmarket to what it was pre-pandemic will be amazing."
Emanuel served as a Newmarket councillor from 2003 to 2014 in Ward 7, not running in 2014 but losing out in a race for deputy mayor to Tom Vegh in 2018. Since 2014, he has served as director of government affairs for Bill Gosling Outsourcing and then as director of operations at Treefrog Inc. for the past three years. He has also previously chaired the Central York Fire Services and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
He said he has first-hand experience of the challenges facing businesses in recent times.
“I’ve felt, in my roles, the ups and downs of the past few years and both the mental exhaustion, the financial impacts of COVID,” he said. “Because I’ve felt it, and I’ve lived it, I think I’m pretty equipped to help them get through it.”
The chamber of commerce did not mention McGruthers-Doak in its latest announcement. Emanuel said he was not familiar with the circumstances of her departure, but he went through an extensive hiring process.
Several community members offered their congratulations to Emanuel on social media.
“Your years of experience in private sector, advocacy, human resources, and not-for-profit, not to mention town council, will be invaluable in this new role,” Mayor John Taylor said. “I look forward to working with you to build a better Newmarket!”
Emanuel said the chamber is working on a strategic plan for post-pandemic strategy, and they want to ensure they are there to support businesses. He said while he is not yet in the role, he intends to listen to people on how to support them in the weeks to come.
“The economy is opening up again and so we need to make sure we do our best to ensure — especially because this is Small Business Week — that all people do their best to support small businesses as we rebound.”
