Chamber’s executive director leaves for job near Grand Canyon
Ramona Chamber of Commerce is looking for a new executive director to replace Robert “Dr. Bob” Argyelan, who has accepted a job in Arizona.
Argyelan, a Ramona resident, became the executive director in November 2013. In his new role, he will be the chief executive officer and president of the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce, responsible for promotion of tourism in the area, working with local businesses, and focusing on economic development, from light industry to retail, to increase the job market there.
“It’s a lot more comprehensive than it is here,” he said.
Argyelan’s last day at the Ramona Chamber is Friday, Aug. 28. Although he will start his new job in Williams on Sept. 1, his family will stay in Ramona until their home is sold, he said.
Looking forward to the move, Argyelan said, “It’s beautiful country up there. I’ll have four seasons again.”
A chiropractor with a background in fine arts, Argyelan has a lengthy list of accomplishments in professional, community and cultural developments. Originally from New Jersey, “just a subway ride from Manhattan,” Argyelan was exposed early to the museums and the culture of New York City. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute and a Master of Arts from New Jersey City University where he taught in the Fine Arts Department for 10 years. He obtained a grant to create a Department of Cultural Affairs for Jersey City, where he served as deputy director for 15 years.
He returned to college to earn a second bachelor’s degree and then his doctorate of chiropractic degree before moving to San Diego in January 1991. He and his family moved to Ramona in 1999.
In a special thanks to chamber members, ambassadors, event sponsors and volunteers, Argyelan wrote, “The strength of the chamber is rooted in your involvement, your generosity, and your willingness to offer ideas, solutions, and effort. When an organization’s product is the service it provides, and that service is borne of the efforts of the many who are actively involved, then we have much to be thankful for with respect to the Ramona Chamber of Commerce.
“I strongly urge each and every one of you to be involved, to voice your thoughts, to have your ideas acted upon. I urge you to volunteer for committees, become an ambassador, run for a position on the board of directors.”
The chamber reflects “your hopes, your ambitions, your desires to transform our community into becoming the greatest place to live and work,” he continued. “If you are a member, I thank you for that while encouraging you to recruit another business into membership. You both will benefit.”
He called his new job a wonderful opportunity for him while also providing his family financial security. While he looks forward to the challenges it will no doubt present, he said he will “miss interacting with the many people in the Ramona business community I have come to know, respect and think fondly of. In each of you there is greatness, and I wish nothing more than that it has the opportunity to fully be expressed. I thank you all deeply for how you have touched my life.”
Ramona Chamber of Commerce is seeking applicants who are capable of multiple office administrative duties, interacting with the public, fundraising, business development, membership retention and tourism.