The Chamber is excited to announce the appointment of Ralph Staffins as the new Covington/Newton County Chamber President. Staffins will succeed Hunter Hall who has decided to pursue opportunities in the private sector.

Staffins is currently serving as the Executive Director for Forward McDuffie in Thomson/McDuffie County. Chamber Chairman, Dan Murphy speaking on behalf of the Board said, “ We are excited about Ralph, he exactly fits the profile of the leader we were looking for: strong work ethic, great relationship builder, aggressive philosophy of Economic Development, successful past Chamber leadership experience, and deep local roots.” Murphy went on to say, “One thing that stood out to Chair Elect, Hillary Edgar and the Search Committee about Ralph is the McDuffie Chamber is structured similar to ours- they have Tourism, Economic Development, and the Chamber all under one roof. That is very uncommon in Georgia but we believe very valuable experience for his new role here in Covington.”

“I am thrilled to be a part of such a great community and a progressive economic development minded organization. Having grown up through the 10th grade in Newton County, this is like a homecoming for me. I look forward to me and my family becoming an integral part of Covington and Newton County. There are great possibilitiesin all areas of the Covington-Newton Chamber of Commerce, including membership, economic development, tourism, and the Main Street program. I want to thank the Chamber Board of Directors for this opportunity and cannot wait to start the new position later this month.” said new Chamber President, Ralph Staffins.

Ralph will be introduced at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner on January 15th and will begin on January 26th.

Murphy went on to say, “The current team at the Chamber has the full confidence of the Board. Tourism, Main Street, Economic Development, and the Chamber Membership Programs are each led and staffed by extremely capable and competent individuals. Ralph will be inheriting a very professional and talented group of people.”

After nearly five years, Chamber President Hunter Hall made the decision to transition to the private sector. He said, “The Chamber position has been a great experience for me and I am very grateful to the Board of Directors for the opportunity to have served the membership since April 2010.” Hall will be joining the staff of Chamber member Kelly Products Inc. (KPI), a locally owned and operated company based in Covington. He will function in the role of business development for KPI.

Murphy said, “We are excited for Hunter and his family as he begins a new and exciting stage of his career and that he will be staying in the community; however we are sad for the Chamber to lose a very qualified and effective leader. Hunter has done an extraordinary job for our community and we are proud to have served with him. He has the full admiration, respect and gratitude of the entire board. His contributions are many and will be long lasting. Among his team’s many achievements are: more than doubling Tourism activity; the successful transition of Main Street to the Chamber; significant strides in Economic Development – especially at Stanton Springs; and most importantly effectively and creatively serving the current members of the Chamber. We wish Hunter all the best.”