DeLand Chamber head leaving for Holly Hill economic development job

Nick Conte Jr., executive director of the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce and Orange City Alliance, will step down from his role at the Chamber to take on a new job in Holly Hill starting July 11.

Conte, who took on his current role at the Chamber at the end of 2010, has accepted a position as economic-development and community-development area manager with the City of Holly Hill.

“I just really have always loved the economic-development side of what we do, so when we started the business-retention program in DeLand and Orange City, I got more interested in the field,” said Conte. “It was really just a more direct way to help a business grow, whether it’s a large thing with a lot of moving parts or just as simple as helping a business find another employee.”

“I guess more and more I felt that that was the kind of career I wanted to pursue,” he continued. “There’s nothing wrong with Chamber work, but that’s just what I wanted to pursue.”

During his tenure at the Chamber, Conte helped create business-retention programs with the cities of DeLand and Orange City. He launched the well-known West Volusia Means Business series of luncheons with speakers from various fields, along with the Females About Business series.

He also started the annual West Volusia State of the Region luncheons, featuring mayors from the West Volusia cities.

Conte also had a hand in creating two new Chamber committees: one for bicycle and trails advocacy, and one for the arts and culture community.

Conte, a Deltona resident, said he is excited about the challenges and opportunities the new job will bring.

“They need some help in their core area. This is going to be a lot of [Community Redevelopment Area] work,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of cool projects happening,”

While DeLand and Holly Hill are vastly different areas, Conte said, some of the experience he’s gotten from his time in West Volusia will help him in his new job.

The new job also brings Conte closer to his childhood hometown.

“I was born and raised in Daytona Beach, but I spent a lot of time in Holly Hill growing up, and they’ve got a lot of pride in who they are,” he said.

Sally Updike, currently the group’s operations manager, will become the Chamber’s interim executive director. The Chamber’s board will undertake a search for a permanent executive director over the next few months.

Despite his departure, Conte expects the Chamber to remain strong, and said members shouldn’t expect to see too much change.

— Anthony DeFeo, anthony@beacononlinenews.com