The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce Chelsea Clark-Bešić as its new Membership Coordinator, a position that has been open since Kristin Miller moved from that position to the Chamber President role in September 2022.
Membership Coordinator Chelsea Clark-Bešić
Chelsea has a long and varied career that has well-prepared her for her new role with the Chamber. She forged an 18-year career in the guitar industry — eventually working for two of the world’s leaders in guitar manufacturing. She’s managed repair shops; consulted for small manufacturers; owned her own repair shop, Guitars and Caffeine, in Los Angeles; and was the first woman to work as a builder in Fender’s Custom Shop. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and she has spoken at many conferences regarding her business and technical approaches.
In September of 2021 she decided to resign and take a sabbatical from the guitar world. While doing so, she and her family moved back to the Athens area, where she became active with the Athens Area Chamber while promoting her online business, We Welcome LLC — a welcome box business focused on promoting local artisanal products. In addition to regularly attending Chamber events, Chelsea was a featured presenter at the 2022 Athens Area Women’s+ Summit.
The Chamber looks to a bright future with a well-rounded staff, according to President Kristin Miller: “Chelsea is a perfect fit for this role. She brings a lot of energy and passion to our team. As a small business owner and Chamber member, she knows and appreciates the work we do. I am so grateful to have her round out our team and I know that our members will enjoy working with her as much as I already do.”
With the Athens Area Chamber now fully staffed, we look forward to moving full steam ahead to strengthen The Chamber and truly make this the Year of Our Members.