Rome Area Chamber appoints Cupp as interim leader

ROME, N.Y. — The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing to launch its search for a new president after longtime president William Guglielmo retired on Jan. 13.

Wesley Cupp, a member of the chamber’s board of directors for 17 years, is serving as interim president while the organization searches for a replacement.

With 368 member businesses, Guglielmo is leaving behind a robust and vibrant chamber along with some pretty big shoes to fill, Cupp notes.

“He did leave us in great shape,” Cupp says, referring to a busy calendar of events and a bustling business community. “Things have been good. Things have been busy,” he adds.

With Guglielmo’s retirement, “it’s a good time to collect our thoughts, take a step back, and see where we want to go with the chamber,” Cupp notes. Guglielmo started his career at the Rome Area Chamber in 1973 and served as its president since 1996.

The chamber’s executive committee met recently to begin the search for a new president, Cupp says, adding that current board chair John Calabrese, owner of Express Employment Professionals, will be an excellent resource during the search.

Cupp expects the chamber will place digital ads with the Sentinel Media Company, which publishes the Rome Sentinel.

“This is a very important face for the city,” Cupp says about the chamber’s president position. The chamber is looking for the right person who can run the office, with its staff of three, as well as be the face of the chamber at events like ribbon cuttings and more. “Really, it’s that personality” that the chamber is seeking, he adds. 

Cupp expects that while the search for Guglielmo’s replacement may center around Rome, it will reach as far as Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany.

Founded in 1912, the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce does not receive any government funding and works to protect the commercial interests of the city and foster economic and business growth.