Paul Miller, who has been president and chief operating officer of the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce for about a year, said he agreed to resign after a meeting with the Board of Directors on Monday, July 16.
“I agreed to step down,” Miller said Tuesday. “The board and I met yesterday. We have been in discussion about some different directions for the Chamber of Commerce. Some of the new direction that the board wants to go will not require the services of a chief operating officer. Based on that, we just thought it was best for the board to handle the day-to-day tasks. The board and myself have had a great working relationship.”
Cost savings was a stated reason for Miller’s departure.
“There are always challenges,” Miller said. “I think Eureka Springs and the responsibilities of the Chamber chief operating officer are slightly changing. If the board can handle some of those functions and there is a cost savings, that makes perfect sense.”
Miller said membership in the Chamber is still strong and averages about 400.
“Obviously, Eureka is kind of one of those environments, unfortunately, where businesses come and go,” Miller said. “When they go out of business, we lose that membership and when they come into business, we gain them.”
Miller said he currently plans to remain in Eureka Springs and “just take a breath” after the Chamber job that was preceded by 18 years working for NASA.
“Of course, I will continue being in the Eureka Springs community and being very active in the community,” Miller said. “My wife and I are very much entrenched here. We just hope Eureka continues to be a strong tourist destination and a great place to live.”
The end of Miller’s tenure comes about a year-and-a-half after the controversial departure of Tammy Thurow as president and chief operating officer. Thurow said she was asked to resign. At that time, she said, “I was told I wasn’t a good fit and that if I didn’t resign I would be fired. I resigned.”
Thurow had replaced Mike Bishop, who was fired after making an unapproved statement opposing a civil rights ordinance prohibiting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people. Residents later voted 579-231 to uphold the non-discrimination ordinance.
Carol Brown, a local massage therapist and member of the Chamber board of directors, confirmed the Chamber is making some changes.
“We are going to be re-locating more than likely,” Brown said. “We are looking at a couple of different options. We are looking at the community center. We think it would be a great place. We are doing a bunch of things, so we are going to be doing some restructuring. The whole purpose of the Chamber is always working more with others in the community, including those at the community center, Main Street, CAPC and anyone else working on the betterment of this town. We are working on the economic health of this community. That’s what the Chamber is about for the community and business. I see this as a group effort. I want to see us working together for the betterment of this town.”