By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Many might recognize Ronald Sather as the Four Flags Chamber of Commerce representative armed with a red ribbon and a 'grand opening' sign. At those grand openings, that the chamber holds for new businesses in Niles, Sather is always at the ready with outlined index cards and a speech for each business and business owner full of praise and a warm welcome to Niles' business community.
But it is an ironic day, when Ron Sather, president and CEO of the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce sits down in his office to discuss the fact that this year is his 10th anniversary with the chamber.
It's ironic because as he discusses his passion for the businesses and business owners of Niles, one of them is in the process of burning down – just across the street.
Later, Sather will stand on the lawn of the Chamber of Commerce building and quietly watch with other's as Sue's Hallmark goes up in flames. But just a couple of days later – he is optimistic and relieved that the owners plan to rebuild.
Because seeing the business community grow in Niles is what Sather has been looking for since he took the job at the chamber, 10 years ago.
"I figured it was a type of job as a volunteer or something that I would probably say yes to," he says about the day he was asked to serve as interim president of the organization. He'd been retired at the time. When he agreed to step in as interim president, Sather said he was asked to look into chamber activities and check in on members – working around a total of 15 hours per week. And he was asked, "if I could see if I could get some new members for (the chamber)," he said.
Eventually he said he was working 30 hours a week.
He made some suggestions for the chamber and was given the green light to try them out. By the end of the year, he'd signed 59 new members to the chamber of commerce.
According to Sather, there were a total of 220 members with the chamber when he began working for the organization ten years ago. Since then, that number has increased to 750.
"I went out and visited almost every one of those members," Sather said.
He continues to visit members today and he works to find publicity and marketing opportunities for the business owners of Niles to bring customers through their doors and increase overall support throughout the community.
One of those ways is through the grand opening celebrations the chamber holds for those members.
Another aspect to those services that the chamber offers to members that Sather is increasingly proud of is the availability of a web page for each business on the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce website.
"I go to be a top facilitator," Sather says about his duties with the chamber. His day is busy with recruiting new businesses and checking in on existing members. To let those members and potential ones know "that the chamber is a partner, a friend.
"You know," he adds. "When you're in business by yourself, it can be a little lonely."
Sather wants to ease that stress for the businesses that he says "drives the engines of this community."
But the job isn't necessarily unchallenging. "One of the challenges," Sather said with a laugh. "Is how to get everything done…. You really need to take care of the customers that you have."
To help with those challenges, Sather said he instituted the chamber's ambassador club. The club allows an army of ambassadors to make visits to members that Sather may not be able to see personally.
In 10 years, Sather said "the time's gone fast."
But the word is … time flies when you're having fun.