Greater Binghamton Chamber president Lou Santoni to retire in late April

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Lou Santoni will retire April 30, 2016 as president and CEO of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, the chamber announced Wednesday.

“This decision was neither easy nor quick,” Santoni said in a Greater Binghamton Chamber email announcement sent to members. “But I’ve come to a point in my life where I’d like the flexibility to spend more time with my wife and family. While I love the role I’ve played and the many wonderful people with whom I’ve worked, I’m looking forward to this new chapter of my life.”

Santoni began his career with the chamber of commerce in September 1974 as a counselor for On-The-Job Training. Over the years, he has taken on many different responsibilities. In the mid-1980’s when the chamber merged its Industrial Development Department with the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Santoni became VP of economic development, according to the email.

Santoni oversaw the opening of Gateway Information Center in August 1995, and has overseen the operation of that facility since its opening. In the late 1990s, the Broome County IDA and Partnership 2000 came under the Greater Binghamton Chamber’s umbrella. At that time, Santoni became the senior VP for the chamber, as well as the director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau & director of the Gateway Information Center. He is the first and only director that the Greater Binghamton Convention & Visitors Bureau has ever had, according to the email.

Santoni has served as interim president of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce on three different occasions, before he was named the permanent president and CEO in December 2008.

“It has been a privilege to serve the Chamber and this community the past 42 years. We have an outstanding staff, strong leadership on the board and on our various committees, a committed group of volunteers, and dedicated community leaders. I am very proud of the work we have done to improve our region’s business climate, cultivate future leaders, and strengthen our community,” Santoni added.

The executive committee of the chamber’s board of directors will create a search committee to select Santoni’s successor.

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