For Tim Cahill, being tapped to lead the South Shore Chamber of Commerce feels like a homecoming.
It was the first organization he joined when he ran Handshakes Cafe in Quincy in the 1980s. The events the chamber held got him out of the restaurant and surrounded by his fellow entrepreneurs.
“It was a good experience for me. I want to pass that along to the next generation of business owners,” he said.
Now, he’s taking what he’s learned during his seven-year run as the Quincy Chamber of Commerce president and lengthy career in politics to the position as the regional chamber’s new CEO. Peter Forman, who led the South Shore Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, is stepping down on Dec. 31.
The regional organization stands at more than 1,100 members in 25 communities, double the size of Quincy’s.
“There’s a lot of opportunities out there and I don’t want to let any of them go by,” Cahill said.
Top of mind are economic development, housing and transportation.
“No chamber is exactly the same. This is a regional one. We have to take a regional approach,” he said.
Cahill, a graduate of Quincy High School and Boston University, became the Quincy business group’s president and executive director in July 2017. He was in the private sector after spending 24 years in politics, during which he also wrote a book on Quincy businessmen.
He spent 16 years on the Quincy City Council and the last six years of that overlapping as the Norfolk County treasurer, then the state treasurer from 2003 to 2011, with a failed independent bid for governor.
As leader of Quincy’s business organization, Cahill emphasized creating opportunities for business owners to meet and interact in person, rather than social media.
“That’s what I felt was missing when I got here, was the ability to connect with people,” he said.
He also worked to promote local businesses, attract a biotech boom and help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
While he was not part of the search committee, Forman had full confidence in Cahill’s abilities. “I know he’s going to do a great job.”
Who is taking over Quincy Chamber of Commerce?
Cahill’s successor has not been named yet. The process to choose a new leader likely won’t be completed until after the new year, he said.
Peter Forman, CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, is leaving the organization after 20 years at the helm.
Forman – a former Republican state representative, Plymouth County sheriff and gubernatorial appointee – took over the chamber in 2004 from another longtime leader, Ronald Zooleck. The 26-year CEO was credited for shaping the group into a “powerful lobbying force,” a Patriot Ledger editorial said. Zooleck died in October.
Forman’s tenure was a time of making the South Shore Chamber of Commerce a truly regional group, providing support to smaller chambers and digging into issues like housing and water resources issues.
Part of this was realized in the South Shore 2030 initiative, a comprehensive plan started in 2016 that maps out the growth of jobs and economic development.
“Any business has to keep looking at how the market changes, how their customers’ needs change and what their special value proposition is,” Forman said. “We’ve been doing that a lot over the last 20 years, creating what many people feel is a very different chamber than 20 years ago.”
Forman said he wouldn’t fully retire after making his exit, but wanted to take some time before looking at opportunities in public policy, economic development or history, a passion of his.
Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy Chamber’s Tim Cahill to lead South Shore Chamber of Commerce