Lindsay Tintera started her new job as president and CEO of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce Monday by getting to know staff, board members and local leaders and picking up information from her predecessor.
“I’m excited to be here,” Tintera said. “There’s been a lot of learning today, meeting the team and getting pointers to help build on the success and momentum that the chamber has had under Carol’s leadership,” Tintera said.
Carol Gieske officially retired as the head of the chamber in July, a job she assumed in 2012, but agreed to stay on as a consultant to assist with the transition.
Tintera said she comes to the chamber with an extensive background in member marketing, including her prior job as vice president of marketing at Arachas Group, a Bartlett-based insurance and risk management business.
“I thought my background would be a good fit,” Tintera said about applying for the chamber job. “I believe in supporting the community, and the chamber is a great organization to do that.”
She also is president of the board of directors for Shelter Youth & Family Services in Arlington Heights, which helps place children and adolescents in volunteer foster homes and, according to its website, includes “two emergency group homes, a transitional living program, foster care, a child abuse prevention program, mental health counseling and help for young people experiencing homelessness.”
“We grew our family by fostering two children through Shelter Youth & Family Services that we adopted,” Tintera said. “I am very passionate about the work the organization does.”
Her daughter will be a junior at South Elgin High School and her son a sixth-grader this fall. The family lives in Bartlett, not far from where it borders Elgin and South Elgin.
“We’re rooted to the area and community. In fact, my son’s been getting his hair cut at a place here in downtown Elgin,” Tintera said.
As she starts her new job, Tintera said she’s taking the opportunity to look at and understand what chamber members need from the organization to support and grow their businesses.
“The world of business changes every day so I am getting to know the people here in Elgin and am looking forward to working with them,” she said. “I see our role at the chamber as a catalyst for continued economic growth.”
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Steve Migala, chair of the chamber’s board of directors, said in a news release that, “Lindsay brings the leadership, experience and strategic vision necessary to guide the chamber in its mission of engaging with and advocating for its members. We are excited to welcome her and look forward to the fresh perspective and commitment she will bring to this mission.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.