Economic development veteran Martin Mechtenberg will lead the Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce into its next chapter.
Mechtenberg will become executive director Nov. 2. He was chosen from among 300 candidates in a national search.
Mechtenberg spearheaded entrepreneurship initiatives like Startup South Bend-Elkhart and IDEA Week as the senior director of entrepreneurship and industry innovation at the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership. He also led business development and economic growth efforts at the nonprofit cooperative of 47 communities in North Central Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
“Marty understands economic development from every angle: the entrepreneur launching a company, the neighborhood planning its future, and the developer trying to make a project work,” said Arthur Havlicek, president and CEO of the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, in a press release.
His personal ties to Niles make the appointment all the more sweeter. He has family roots there that date back 150 years.
“Niles has always been part of my family's story, so the chance to serve this community means a great deal to me,” Mechtenberg said. “Greater Niles has real momentum: committed businesses, a downtown with genuine character, and a strategic location in the heart of Michiana.
“I've spent my career helping entrepreneurs and neighborhoods build from the ground up. I'm eager to listen to our members, roll up my sleeves, and help the next generation of Niles businesses start and grow right here.”
He is a registered architect in Indiana and Michigan, and earned LEED AP credentials. He also is a freelance LEED project reviewer with Catalyst Partners in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an architect with Empower Design Studio.
“He has spent years building the cross-border relationships that matter enormously to Niles, and his roots here mean this is more than a job to him,” Havlicek said. “Greater Niles has tremendous potential, and it deserves a leader who will treat its future as personally as Marty will.”
The chamber was founded in 1919 and serves Michigan communities in Berrien and Van Buren counties, among others.
