By Mary Jekielek Insprucker
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Harvey Schmitt |
Harvey Schmitt, 57, has been president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce since February 1, 1994. “I get up every morning and I’m glad to go to work. They really don’t have to pay me, and in a way they don’t because it goes directly to my wife,” jokes Schmitt. “People that get to know me know I have a good sense of humor. I take my work seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously. My wife won’t let me.”
Speaking of serious - during his time with the Chamber, its budget and programs have grown by 200 percent. He modestly attributes that success to a saying about the key to a rain dance having a lot to do with timing. “The marketplace was growing rapidly,” he said.
However, he will accept a few kudos for the leadership role he played in the support for the RBC Center, recruiting the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, and launching the Sports Council. “I was on board with the building of the then named Entertainment and Sports Arena and knew we needed a major tenant,” said Schmitt, a trustee for the Wake Education Partnership, The United Way of the Triangle and a board member of the World Trade Center of North Carolina. “I was responsible for several presentations to Peter Karmanos, owner of the Hurricanes. He owns a technology company and I think he understood the significant market here.”
Schmitt, who received the 2002 Business Leader of the Year Award for the Triangle Area from Business Leader Magazine, came upon his current career by chance and never imagined he would be where he is at 50. Originally, he worked as a television cameraman and served as lay support to an area rest care unit for the mentally challenged. “I fell into it by accident. It was a cold night in January 1972 when I ran into a woman I knew who wasn’t quite convincing the people in charge that she was the right person for an assistant manager position at a Chamber. My wife said it sounded like a job for me and it would suit my personality.”
Schmitt applied for the job, which included an aptitude test that said he was perfect for a career as a Chamber executive or a career in undertaking. Naturally, he chose the first. “It was nice to know your life’s calling at 23,” said Schmitt, who has served as Chairman of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association. “I really didn’t have a sense of where life was taking me. I throw myself into the moment and as opportunities present themselves, I decide to pursue them or not.”
Schmitt received the Chairman's Leadership Award in 1987 from ACCE for his innovative work on computer utilization, and was named Executive of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Executives in 1987. Although such success has been his mate, there have been some challenges. “The greatest challenge I face and our community faces is that it is easy to assume that past success guarantees future success. We need to be constantly vigilant to make sure we remain competitive in the future and meet long-term infrastructure needs over the next 30 years. We drink from the well that others dug and now we need to dig future wells for others to drink from.”
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Harvey Schmitt at one of the many events he attends as Chamber president. |
Schmitt cites the following as the current main priorities on his plate. “Number one is planning for the future and determining how to pay for the improvements. Number two is construction and investment in schools to accommodate the 6,500 new students we get annually. There will be a Bond Referendum in November and the Chamber supports it. And number three is the completion of I-540. We are very supportive of the use of tolls as a method to finance the construction,” said Schmitt, who has been involved in the leadership of such initiatives as the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and the Regional Transportation Alliance.
Prior to joining the Raleigh Chamber, Schmitt’s 33-year career included chamber leadership positions in Dubuque, IA, Jacksonville, FL, Greenville, SC, and Tampa, FL. Pam, his wife of 36 years who he met in high school, followed him to each assignment.
“Both of us have fallen in love with Raleigh, and this will be our last stop. In my business, not many markets offer such assets. I don’t think people who grow up here and haven’t traveled around, realize how well organized and managed it is.”
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