Jon Maynard
Courtesy Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce
After serving 10 months as vice president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, Jon Maynard will take over as president and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Foundation on Jan. 1.
Maynard will succeed Max Hipp, who announced his retirement in September after 25 years with the chamber.
“I feel very welcomed by the community,” Maynard said. “Having been asked to carry on a successful legacy left by Max is an overwhelming honor. I have known Max for many years, and he has done a tremendous job of growing our community in a positive way.”
Upon retiring, Hipp reflected on his past 25 years with the chamber and all that it has accomplished.
“Our mission or program of work has changed substantially during my years here,” he said. “In the beginning we were lightly staffed and concentrated mostly on organization; with the EDF, we developed a more formal Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, a public-private partnership.”
According to Hipp, the Chamber of Commerce is a membership services organization focused primarily on helping its members advertise, providing them opportunities for networking and developing overall quality of life. The Economic Development Foundation works mainly on longer-term projects that will have a positive effect on the Oxford community.
The two goals Hipp set early on were to improve the image of the Chamber of Commerce and to be as effective as possible in positively influencing growth in the community.
“By common measures such as community participation in our activities, number of members and the growth in jobs and the tax base, I believe we have been successful in reaching those goals,” Hipp said.
In the 10 months Maynard has been with the organization, he has had the opportunity to work on economic development projects, interact directly with boards, businesses and local governing bodies and develop regional relationships with the economic development community.
Randy Leister, chairman of the foundation, praised the job Hipp has done during his time and said the foundation made the right choice for his successor.
“Max has served this community extremely well in his 25 years at the helm,” Leister said. “Jon has the experience in economic development and the passion for the community that Max has had all along. We have found the right replacement for Max, and the right individual to lead this organization into the next decade.”
When asked about his goals for the future, Maynard said the chamber and foundation hope to bring about change in the areas of organizational growth, employment growth in the community, success in targeted business sectors and success in workforce development.
Maynard also has longtime goals, including the development of both small and large businesses.
“We require different tools for different jobs,” he said. “The chamber and EDF are excellent at utilizing the tools of the community to get the task accomplished.”
Maynard said that while Oxford should be open to new businesses and new styles of business, the city needs to make sure it does not lose sight of what makes Oxford unique.
“Oxford and Lafayette County can support growth in retail, small business and large industry equally well,” he said. “As we move forward, the complication will be growing our community without growing away from the charm and tradition that is Oxford. I believe that this is crucial to our success.”
Jordan Bankhead, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, believes Maynard has what it takes to attract new business to the area.
“Jon has really moved the ball forward since he arrived almost a year ago. Our efforts to cultivate small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit in Oxford have never been better,” Bankhead said. “Jon understands that we need to attract new business to our area, but in order to be sustainable, we have to build business from within. I think he will be very effective as our new CEO.”
Maynard said the foundation and the chamber could not survive without the direct support from the city of Oxford, Lafayette County, North Mississippi Electric Power Association and The University of Mississippi.
“The last part of the puzzle is our membership in both the chamber and EDF,” Maynard said. “Without the support of individuals and businesses in our community, we would not be relevant or helpful to anyone.”
Hipp said that being a city with a prestigious university results in a high quality of place for both the city and university.
“Oxford as a university town has all the bells and whistles a town our size without a university would not have,” he said. “Many other communities of our size do not have their share of services and the degree of professional occupations that we have. I do not know of many communities our size that have our attractiveness for both business and visitors.”
-Kayla Carpenter
krcarpen@go.olemiss.edu
