South Fulton Chamber of Commerce President John Boothby tendered his resignation effective Jan. 20 and will be assuming the position of President of Newton County Chamber of Commerce beginning in March. Boothby served at the South Fulton Chamber since 2001.

“I am proud of the accomplishments of the South Fulton Chamber and want to thank my board of directors for their work in taking the Chamber to another level,” Boothby said. “I will miss my contact with some of the finest people I’ve ever worked with and for and will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. But there comes a time to seek new challenges and this is the best time for me.”

Chamber 2005 Chairman Marrion Heflin said though Boothby’s efforts will be missed, the transition also provides an opportunity for the chamber to ascend to the next level.

“John brought a lot of leadership strengths to the South Fulton Chamber and he was instrumental in helping us move in a strong new direction,” Heflin said. “However, the Board of Directors is viewing this as an opportunity to set the direction for the future with new staff leadership. The world of south Fulton County is quickly changing and we are confident we will attract candidates for the position that will seek that challenge. We wish John all the best and look forward to continuing the work of delivering value and benefits to our membership.”

Contacted Wednesday, Boothby said he looked forward to his upcoming move to Covington.
“I am very excited and I’m looking forward to working with some fine people in an excellent community,” he said.

Boothby began his work with the South Fulton Chamber when it was affiliated with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, a 10-year relationship that he and the board of directors decided to end in favor of returning an independent chamber to South Fulton.

A chamber search committee is being formed to fill the leadership position.

South Fulton Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1965 by the unification of other municipal chambers. Offices have been located in Union City since 1984. The chamber is currently represented by more than 300 active members.