Rory Ring is leaving his position as Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce CEO.
The news broke in a Friday afternoon social media post from the Chamber.
“The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer Rory Ring have agreed to end their employment relationship effective June 7, 2024," the post said. "The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors will begin the search and hiring process immediately.”
Ring will be moving south to become president and CEO of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.
“The opportunity presented itself to get back closer to family in southern Ontario," Ring told SooToday in an interview. "It was an opportunity my wife Michelle and I gave very serious consideration to. It happened quite quickly. I personally wish I had more time to transition but they’re faced with a leadership gap down there due to a retirement."
Ring grew up in Toronto, worked as a CIBC Small Business Account Manager, a TD Bank Commercial Account Manager and later owned his own business known as FreightGuard Security Seals.
He earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science and an MBA in Marketing and International Business.
He spent 15 years in Sarnia, serving as the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce president and CEO prior to becoming the Sault Chamber’s CEO in 2015.
Ring took leave from his Sault Chamber job and ran unsuccessfully against Sault Mayor Christian Provenzano in the 2018 municipal election.
Ring said COVID-19 represented both the biggest challenge and the biggest achievement for the Chamber and the business community during his time as CEO.
“So many small business owners were in jeopardy of losing their livelihood but the community was able to rally around them," he said. "We continued to shop local, love local, those things that are really important to the health and well being of our small business community.”
Ring said he is proud of the role the Chamber played in organizing the battle against COVID.
“We were able to put together the Algoma Vaccination Support Council and that really helped rally the community. We were able to disseminate quality information. We were able to support Algoma Public Health and translate a lot of ‘government speak’ and initiatives into things that related to our small business community.”
The Chamber raised over $80,000 to provide food and beverages to staff and volunteers at vaccination clinics held at GFL Memorial Gardens, the Indigenous Friendship Centre and Batchewana and Garden River First Nation Territories.
“That was a really proud moment because in doing that we were also able to support the food service sector which was hit extremely hard by the pandemic. It was the worst of times but it was the best of times to manage through those years of the pandemic,” Ring said.
“We did not see the level of business losses that we saw in other jurisdictions in Ontario. We were able to instill what it means to shop local and love local and how that generates the health and well-being of the community. There was an incredible increase in online shopping globally and we did see that here too but I think people did find alternatives here locally to support our local businesses.”
Ring, who visited northern Ontario and the shores of Lake Superior on camping trips with his family during childhood, said he and wife Michelle Cecchini have made many friendships in the Sault.
“I can’t speak highly enough of this community and the way Michelle and I were welcomed here. We felt the love.”
Derek Jackson, president of the Chamber's board of directors, thanked Ring for all he has accomplished in the role.
“He has been with the Chamber for about eight years and we certainly acknowledge it has been a great eight years for the Chamber, so we thank him for everything he’s done and we wish him well,” Jackson told SooToday.
Jackson acknowledged it will take some time to find a replacement.
“We need a strong leader who can come in and engage our community and our membership," he said.