Hall steps down at Portland chamber, looks to 'next chapter'

Chris Hall, who resigned Wednesday as CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he had considered making the move over the past six months.

Hall, 59, had been CEO of the chamber since early 2013 and has spent much of his career advocating for businesses. Hall had been with the chamber for a decade, including six years as senior vice president. Prior to that he was at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.

“I’ve been doing chamber work for 27 years straight. I was at the state chamber for 17 years and came to Portland in 2007,” he told Mainebiz. “As a team, we’ve accomplished a lot,” citing Portland voters’ rejection in 2015 of a referendum that would have increased the city’s minimum wage to $15. The chamber campaigned against the increase, saying it would hurt businesses.

“But 10 years is a long time in one place,” he added. “I’m looking forward to new challenges.”

For the future, he said he is considering different options in the private sector, but would not specify what.

“I’d like to write another chapter,” he said. “I always asked people who came to me [for advice], ‘What’s your passion?’ Portland is a place of niches. It’s where people come to create things and make things. You don’t come here for a cookie-cutter job.”

Hall’s resignation was announced in an email Wednesday sent out to chamber members and signed by James Erwin, chair of the chamber. “The Presidents Council met this morning and voted to accept his resignation. We thank Chris for his years of service to the chamber,” Erwin wrote.

Quincy Hentzel will serve as Interim CEO and step down as president of the Portland Community Chamber, a volunteer position. Her first day of work will be Feb. 13.

“We anticipate beginning a search for a permanent CEO in the near future. In the meantime, all Chamber events and functions will continue as scheduled,” Erwin’s email said.

The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce is an umbrella organization serving Portland and the surrounding communities of South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Cumberland, Scarborough, Westbrook and Gorham.

In an email to Mainebiz, Erwin said: “The chamber thanks Chris for his service and wishes him well in his next chapter. We do intend to do a search, the scope of which will be determined by the regional chamber’s board … The board is very grateful for Quincy’s willingness to step into this role, and we intend to continue with all of the organization’s events and initiatives, as scheduled.”