The Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce has named Richard (Richie) Veverka as its new executive director. Richie replaces John Barnes who announced in early January his retirement, which is set for April. In announcing his retirement, Barnes said that he and his wife, Vickie, are looking forward to travel and enjoying more time with their grandchildren.
Richie was selected for the executive director position after a two-month search of many qualified candidates. According to Matt Blind, the Chamber’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Richie has a wealth of experience, which includes operating a successful Kona Ice franchise, project management, web design, state government, and financial banking. In announcing the hire, Blind stated that board directors were very impressed with Richie’s social media marketing skills. Richie’s in-depth experience will be advantageous in advancing the Chamber’s business strategy of leveraging social media networks and platforms to market its members’ products and services.
In accepting the executive director position, Richie said, “The opportunity to serve the members of the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce is very exciting. I look forward to meeting our members very soon and sharing our strategy for promoting their businesses and contributing to their success.”
An entrepreneur since he was 18 years old, Richie continues to operate “Photography By RichieV,” a successful photography business through which he had sold hundreds of prints of local landscapes. Additionally, he owns a hugely successful Kona Ice franchise in the greater Raleigh area that is considered a model franchise in the Kona Ice system.
Richie has received several awards throughout his career including the Rhino Award of Excellence while at Fidelity Investments and the Governor’s Award for the development of the Extended Illness Leave Bank.
Richie has a son, Dylan, and daughter, Kaela. He is a graduate of Slippery Rock University in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Richard Veverka
Rveverka@franklin-chamber.org
(919) 496-3056
