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The opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Board of Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce is special – and not everyone gets the call or chooses to answer it when said call is made. To our (and my own personal) great fortune, Thad Adams threaded the eye of the needle when he was called to serve, and ultimately became the right leader at the right time.
That statement is not a cliché that is used lightly in this case, something which I can attest to firsthand, for this will be a year in our 98-year Chamner history like no other.
I have now worked closely with 19 Chairs of our Board and Thad will leave a legacy that has both professional outcomes and personal ones, as well. The results speak for themselves.
What most of our members don’t know is that the Chairmanship is at minimum a four-year commitment: serving as First Vice Chair, Chair-Elect, Chair of the Board and Immediate Past Chair. And, most Chairs of the Board have served on the Board at-large for several years before being tapped to lead the whole shebang.
During his involvement Thad has spent close to 18 years on our Board before he took the oath as our leader. That is quite a runway!
During that time, he has been the strongest voice for business development on our Board and a tremendous personal advocate. He is not only a seasoned commercial real estate professional, he is a top-tier economic developer who has his fingerprints on such best practices as our GEM Award, Permitting Assistance Program, visitation program, brokers’ forum and more. At the same time, he has ably represented us at the City of Coral Gables level as a leader on various boards, most notably now as Chair of the Economic Development Board.
I think all of this started when Thad – who graduated from Coral Gables HS – was growing up. His amazing parents instilled in him a work ethic and sense of character that guides his life today. He was an all-star cornerback at CGHS and at the University of Florida. Prom King. Silver Knight Award Winner. A super superlative kinda guy. He was destined to one day Chair our Chamber.
And along the way, he has been mentored – and been a mentor to – some of the most incredible professionals in our greater community. His voice – strong and steady – rises above the din as he works a problem and crafts a solution. He has been for our Chamber our veryvown bonafide all-star.
As his term comes to a close, we are truly grateful, especially his prowess in sales and leadership these last few months. Thad stepped up, leaned in and was ALL IN from the get-go, but never more so than when I took ill in May. He never took his eye off the ball once – and if there was a stat for Chamber leader MVP, he would lead in all statistical categories.
We are eternally grateful to Team Thad – for his leadership, his tenacity, his gumption and his commitment. He will long be remembered for his words and deeds – and even longer for his actions and legacy.
A true MVP all the way!
