Creating a Sustainable Chamber Funding Model with Clint Nessmith, RDG

So let's, let's dive right in.

So you started like right out of college with the chamber of commerce.

Your, your first job out of college was with the Metro Atlanta chamber.

You worked on the Ford Atlanta campaign at that time.

So.

What did that experience teach you about chambers and economic development?

Yeah, that's a great place to start because that's certainly how I got connected to our company, Resource Development Group, which merged earlier this year with Convergent Nonprofit Solutions.

So now we're known as RDG, a convergent company.

But yes, I was fresh out of Georgia Southern University.

I was essentially the executive assistant to Rob Radcliffe and Mike Truviano, who founded Resource Development Group.

And it was my duty to schedule meetings and give them MapQuest directions, because that .

Yeah, right.

And then just help sort of monitor everything.

But it was great.

In that the Metro Atlanta Chamber then and now is one of the top performing chambers in the country.

And the Ford Atlanta campaign, many may not know this, is the oldest economic development special fund campaign in the country.

It actually started in the 20s.

Now, it wasn't.

consistent, but, you know, kind of came and went throughout the years.

But, um, I, you know, being on the front line, working not only with that chamber and that team and working with Rob and Mike was like jumping me into the deep end.

And, uh, what was, what was, it was great because it really gave me the ability to see a very high performing organization from an economic development standpoint, from a chamber standpoint.

which I've clearly built on that over my 23 years of being with this company.