POTTSTOWN — Eileen Dautrich, the long-time president of the TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce, has announced plans to retire from the business advocacy organization.
Dautrich’s announcement came Monday morning via a video sent to members, as well as a post on the organization’s Facebook page.
Dautrich has been with the TriCounty Area Chamber for 25 years, serving as president of the organization since 2010. Her last day will be Dec. 31, 2024. She did not yet say what comes next for her.
In making her announcement Monday, Dautrich said the video was difficult to send.
“I love this organization so much, and it is all I have known as a professional career,” she said. “This is one of the hardest decisions I have made in my life, but it feels like it is now or never.”
In the video, Dautrich recounted a motivational poster she had recently seen that related to turning the page to begin something new, how it’s OK to be nervous or unsure but to have courage and be brave.
“TriCounty Chamber is most of my book, but I look forward to writing my next chapter, and I look forward to watching TriCounty write its,” she said.
Dautrich said she had spent half of her professional career with the chamber. In an interview Tuesday, she said she watches businesses and the job markets and considered that 25 years with the same organization is “the only thing” on her resume. Retiring is a decision she said she has gone back and forth about for a couple of years.
“I love what I do, it just became a matter of what the rest of my professional life looks like,” she added.
Dautrich said the chamber board of directors will be meeting to discuss the next steps for finding a replacement, adding that the chamber membership will be kept informed.
Dautrich said she will be working to make for a seamless transition, adding that there are already events scheduled into 2025, and she will work with chamber staff to refine details as much as possible,
“Again, this was not an easy choice, for me to make, and I will miss this job and all of you. But I am sure we will stay in touch and our paths will cross again, because it’s all about the relationships, right?
“And I am forever grateful for the relationships I have created over the last 25 years. Thank you all so, so much,” she added.
Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of Pottstown Area Economic Development, said she first met Dautrich in 2008 when Lee-Clark served on the chamber board.
“It was during a time of leadership transition for the chamber and I witnessed her lead the organization through one of the most challenging times in its history,” Lee-Clark said in an emailed response.
She added that Dautrich has always been a constant for the tri-county region — always willing to help businesses become connected and achieve success.
“Her commitment to the membership of the chamber is undeniable. Personally, I will miss collaborating with her on a variety of initiatives to assist the business community and the insight she brought to PAED’s board,” she said. “Of course, the thing I will miss the most is seeing my friend on a daily basis for those spontaneous moments of laughter.”
Dautrich’s 25 year career with the chamber started in 1999 when she returned to the organization. She had previously worked with the chamber as a college intern, and then again when she was in between teaching jobs.
