THE YORK COUNTY REGIONAL CHAMBER ANNOUNCES
NEW PRESIDENT & CEO
The York County Regional Chamber is pleased to announce that Dean Faile, IOM, CCEC, has been selected as the Chamber’s new President & CEO. Faile, a seasoned chamber executive, has a solid track record of implementing new programs and strategies and has successfully led the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce in Lancaster, South Carolina since 2007.
Faile is a York County native and is a product of the Rock Hill School District. He graduated from Catawba High School and went on to earn a B.S. in Business Administration from Winthrop University.
For 17 years, Faile was a small business owner in Rock Hill and started his chamber career serving as the senior vice-president of the York County Regional Chamber from 2004-2007.
On Friday, April 30th, the Chamber’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve Faile for the position after a sub-committee made up of members of the chamber conducted an extensive nationwide search. Mike Geddings, Immediate Past-Chair of the Chamber served as the chair of the committee. Additional members of the search committee were Dr. Kimberly Faust, Jerry Helms, Marc Howie and April Simpkins. The chamber retained Anissa Starnes of Swingbridge Partners, LLC, who specializes in chamber executive searches to provide oversight for the national search. Faile will begin work officially on June 14th, 2021. Faile and his family will be relocating to York County.
Under Faile’s leadership, the Lancaster Chamber saw an increase of the organization’s budget by more than 200% and the Chamber led impactful community efforts for change, including the $199 million school bond referendum, three capital sales tax referendums and two Sunday alcohol sales referendums. One of his proudest accomplishments during his tenure with the Lancaster Chamber was forging a partnership with the Lancaster County School District to begin the Lancaster County Youth Leadership Program for high school students. This program is now a collaborative effort with USC Lancaster and provides students with dual enrollment course credits. He was also instrumental in raising more than $350,000 to implement the national character-building platform, Franklin Covey’s Leader-in-Me educational program, in three elementary schools.
Faile currently serves as a member of the Board of Director’s for the Carolinas’ Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, an organization he chaired in 2019. He is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management program, and in 2015, he was elected to serve as Chairman of the Southeast site held at the University of Georgia. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Upper Palmetto YMCA and is a member of the Lancaster County Economic Advisory Board.
Chair of the search committee, Mike Geddings, said, "We received more than 80 applicants from more than 20 different states. Dean Faile was the ideal choice. He brings with him a wealth of chamber management experience, and his knowledge of this region and commitment to York County was evident in his interviews. He is an expert at engaging in political affairs, managing innovative marketing and communications practices and building partnerships with key stakeholders in his community. With his exceptional background and experience, coupled with his own experience of being a business owner, he is uniquely positioned to represent every business in York County.”
Amy Faulkenberry, Chair of the Board of Directors stated, “We are pleased to welcome Dean and his family back to York County and feel that his leadership style, passion for our area and personal business experience, will allow him to immediately make a positive impact at the Chamber and lead us, successfully, into the future. Dean is an experienced organization leader, a creative professional, and a proven leader.”
As the Chamber’s President & CEO, Faile will oversee the staff and will report to the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The President & CEO is responsible for providing overall leadership and management to the membership, board, staff, and volunteers in executing the respective missions of the chamber organization, along with financial management, marketing, membership development and fundraising, and overall office operations. The President & CEO executes the annual business plan to meet the objectives of the approved Strategic Plan.
“I am both honored and humbled to be asked to lead one of the top business organizations in South Carolina. My family and I are excited to return to York County, reconnect with friends and reengage in our home community,” said Faile. “The opportunity to lead the first Chamber I began this chapter of my career is indeed special. As a former local business owner, I was an active chamber member, community volunteer, and served on the staff of the chamber for four years before assuming the role of President and CEO of the Lancaster County Chamber. The chamber’s work is vital to the region’s business community, and I look forward to working with the chamber’s board, business members, volunteers, and staff to grow the organization and to ensure the livelihood of local businesses in York County. It is a critical time right now for businesses of all sizes, and the Chamber should be a resource and an advocate for all of them. I could not be more excited to continue my career here.”
Faile will succeed Rob Youngblood, who retired in January of this year. Youngblood had been with the chamber for almost 19 years.
