She came in like a lamb in 2005 and left like a lamb three years later, but some may be curious where Beth
Coleman -- former CEO of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce -- has landed. It's not at another chamber job. Last month she was named executive director of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, a 54-year-old philanthropic group and promoter of the state's parks and trails. Coleman's quote?
“With state conservation funding at a 30-year low and population and development pressures continuing to stress the quality of our parklands and trails, the work of the Parks & Trails Council is even more critical than ever before.”
Over a get-to-know-ya lunch with me in 2005, Coleman -- the former head of the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce in New York State -- acknowledged her Clearwater job was to make sure the Beach Walk promenade was completed on Clearwater Beach and to boost business momentum as the city was losing economic clout to Tampa and St. Petersburg. Coleman had replaced Mike Meidel, who became Pinellas County's economic development director in July. And now Coleman has been succeeded at the Clearwater chamber by Doug Linder.
-- Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist
Wake up! Grab your coffee and start a new daily habit of checking the
Venture blog. Just as your workday begins, business columnist Robert
Trigaux dishes his take on the latest news and views relevant to Tampa
Bay. Throughout the business day, Trigaux and his fellow journalists
bring you events, people, deals, triumphs and failures across the
Tampa Bay economy. It's an inside look at a most elusive species: our
business movers and shakers.
Robert Trigaux has worked as a St. Petersburg Times business columnist,
editor and reporter since 1991. He has covered business issues since the
late 1970s in Florida, Washington, D.C., London and New York. His 
Recent Comments