As Pat Pomeroy prepared for her final day on the job as president and CEO of the Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, she vividly recalled her first.
“I went to City Hall and went to every office and introduced myself,” said Pomeroy, who for the past 23 years led the chamber through periods of dramatic change and growth. “I said I’m here because this is important, and we need to work together. It was from that day, I knew that this was going to be a good chamber, and we were going to work well with the city, which we have.”
Pomeroy retired from her post as president and CEO of the chamber at the end of 2023. During her time, the Greater Mauldin Chamber grew from 60 businesses to 375, reflecting the population, industrial and business growth of Mauldin itself along with neighboring Greenville and Simpsonville.
As Pomeroy got started in her new job in 2000, the Nashville, Tennessee, native said she was prepared to work with city officials and local business owners to enhance the business community.
She made sure new business owners took care to get proper state and local licenses, permits, and other requirements in order to give them a better chance to succeed before they ever joined the chamber. She worked with several mayors and countless city leaders, and set a positive tone early with members of the chamber.
“I went to every business owner and said, ‘If you’re not happy with the chamber, I’ll give you your money back,'” she said. “I said ‘it’s going to be good,’ and nobody has ever asked for their money back.”
J.R. Charles, who was hired in 2022 as community development director by the city of Mauldin, said Pomeroy’s legacy in the city had long been secured when he arrived.
“She carried the chamber through some difficult times, not the least of which were the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Charles said in an email. “She has surrounded herself with solid board leadership and shepherded the chamber to where it is today.”
Pomeroy makes her exit just as Mauldin works to redevelop its city center near the intersection of North Main Street and East Butler Road, and as the major BridgeWay Station development opens along Interstate 385.
“I think the future of downtown is bright,” she said. “It’s something the city has longed for for as long as I can remember. … The vision (BridgeWay Station developer Phil Hughes) had is amazing, and they’re fulfilling that vision.”
After 23 years, Pomeroy said she was still happy to begin work each day.
“I’ve been there so long, everybody is so responsive, and I think that’s helped me a lot,” she said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot since I’ve been there. I’ve learned a lot more about government than I thought I knew, and I’ve learned a lot about people.
Pomeroy said she may not be saying goodbye to her long list of colleagues and friends in Mauldin quite yet. She is considering an offer to work as a consultant for the chamber during its transition to a new leader.
“They’re working on (hiring a successor) now, but I think I would love to do that,” Pomeroy said.
