By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

David Lane announced July 20, after a 12 year tenure, his resignation as president and chief executive officer of the St. Cloud Greater Osceola Chamber of Commerce.

“We are anxious to be able to participate more in family events than our present circumstances have allowed. My decision is a lifestyle-family choice,” Lane wrote. “It is with sadness and difficulty that I leave the Chamber and the many exceptional people I have been privileged to know, work with and the friendships created.”

Lane’s last day is Aug. 17.

In an email July 23 to chamber members, Loeding wished the Lanes “all the best and (we) know their new community will be blessed by their presence and contributions. We have been fortunate to enjoy over 12 years of David’s stable leadership and with careful, deliberate planning and selection, we can continue this pattern.”

The chamber board as well as the Chamber Executive Committee will spend the next few months searching for Lane’s replacement.

After missing 15 years of family gatherings at his sister’s home in Washington D. C., which he called his family’s hub, Lane and his wife decided to move to within a day’s drive of the festivities.

“We have no family here. I’ve missed a lot of that,” he said. “My wife really enjoys the mountains. We’ll be right on the edge where the Blue Ridge and Smokey mountains come together. It’s a very pretty area.”

While looking for houses – “we had a very particular idea in mind,” he said – Lane came across an article in a local newspaper stating how the president and CEO of the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce had resigned and they were looking for a replacement.

Lane contacted the Clemson Chamber just three days before they planned to close the position to potential candidates.

“That must have been God’s hand. There was no thought in doing anything like that,” Lane said. “I’m going to a chamber that is about the size and condition of the St. Cloud Chamber when I began there. I’ve got a whole new challenge again.”

Lane said he was pleased with the projects he had a hand in seeing to fruition as part of the chamber: the Florida’s Turnpike entrance, Nolte Road, the St. Cloud-University of Central Florida Business Incubator and the Neptune Road improvements as a connector from St. Cloud to Kissimmee.

“We’ve worked hard to lay some foundation and groundwork with Ernie Gearhart and economic development projects for the city of St. Cloud,” Lane said. “He has great vision for the future.”

Lane said he was  proud of the growth in membership as well as programs such as Business After Hours, a networking event for small businesses. More than 115 people attended the last event, proving to Lane the chamber’s “proactive support” of smaller businesses help them build their businesses in a “fun and exciting” avenue.

His most memorable moment with the chamber is from 2004, when Hurricane George blew the roof off the chamber’s downtown St. Cloud building, causing the loss of all documented data on the organization’s computers and a year-long construction project.

“The city, the county and our members just came together and it (the building) came back looking better than it was,” Lane said. “It was not an easy time. It just showed what a strong connection to the community we have. Things continue to grow and I am so grateful.”