Chamber outlines recruitment and retention plan; board pulls item into executive session for legal review

Michael O'Looney, vice president of economic development at the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, presented the Chamber's marketing and recruitment 'go forward' plan to the Development Corporation, laying out organizational charts, KPIs and a proposed 'associate director of recruitment and retention' position.

O'Looney emphasized that the Chamber's KPIs are tied to a contract with the Development Corporation and that business retention-and-expansion (BRE) has historically accounted for roughly 60% of the program while external recruitment accounted for about 40%. He described using private data providers (Local Intel, Moody's Analytics), a contracted site-development role for infrastructure mapping, and administrative support provided by Crystal Glasby, a Chamber employee.

Board members probed whether outsourcing aspects of the Chamber's work were allowable under the current agreement and asked how the Corporation would measure staff time and performance when city staff (including Ryan Gaddy) are involved. One board member requested legal counsel review of the contract terms; the board pulled the Chamber item into executive session to discuss legal questions and deferred contract adjustments. After returning from closed session, the board said it would not make immediate contract changes but requested quarterly financials, a revised supplemental budget, and clearer reporting on reallocations and internal KPIs.

O'Looney told the board the Chamber is considering whether to replace a vacated position and may deploy some of the funding to contract labor and analytic services, and said the Chamber was holding candidate names while consulting with the Development Corporation.