Last of three Chamber of Commerce staff members leaves

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce, which has been operating without an executive director for two months, lost its last remaining staff member this week.

Tara Hunt, who served as the Chamber’s events and marketing coordinator the last two years, said Monday that she has resigned, effective Friday. Her departure follows the April layoff of Thomas Tornatore, membership and business development coordinator, and the early November departure of Executive Director Tony LoPiccolo, who Hunt said was terminated.

Like all Chambers of Commerce, the Menifee Chamber was put at a severe disadvantage by COVID-19 restrictions on personal contact – the lifeblood of such organizations in supporting local businesses. But moving forward at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic without a single staff member is an especially daunting task.

In an interview with Menifee 24/7, Hunt said she was asked by members of the Chamber Board of Directors last week how she saw her role moving forward in the new year. After laying out her goals, Hunt said that she believed she deserved a raise, including retroactive compensation for the last two months in which she ran the Chamber staff alone.

Without a positive response, Hunt said she gave notice Jan. 4, adding that she would like to stay if there was room for salary negotiation. In a meeting this Monday, Hunt said she was informed by new Chamber Board Chair Carrie Tate Meyer and First Vice Chair Kirk Skorpanich that her resignation was accepted.

“I was told they wanted a fresh start,” Hunt said.

“I know there have been a lot of changes since COVID-19,” she added. “George [Outgoing Board Chair George Mills] left, then they let Tony go. There were a lot of new board members coming in. During this time, I took on a lot of responsibility. It was a lot of extra work, and I was not compensated.

“It was a huge punch to the gut. After everything I have done to build relationships in the business community … I know the new board members have a lot of great ideas, but they’ve got to take care of the people who have held things together.”

Tate Meyer and Skorpanich did not respond to media inquiries on Monday. Hours after the requests were made, a mass email was sent out and a notice posted on the Chamber website that the Chamber “has opened its search to hire an outstanding leader to serve as the Chamber’s Executive Director beginning February 2021.” Skorpanich was listed as chairperson of the search committee.

There was no mention of whether Hunt’s position would be filled. In fact, Hunt said, few people in the local business community were aware that LoPiccolo was no longer the executive director.

“There was no closeout letter or anything to Chamber members about Tony,” Hunt said. “I still get calls asking for Tony, and when I inform them, they say, ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me?’ I brought it up to the board, but they said there is not usually an announcement made when someone is terminated.”

Hunt does not dispute that the COVID-19 pandemic played a huge role in the Chamber’s struggles over the last year. She estimated that the Chamber had an all-time membership high of about 350 a year ago, but now has only about 230. With business income decreasing during the pandemic, many businesses chose not to renew their memberships.

While understanding their reasoning, Hunt said she believes more outreach could’ve been done on the part of the Chamber—including board members -- to struggling businesses.

“The fact the Chamber was closed for 12 days over the holidays was hurtful,” she said, referring to the Board’s decision to close the office. “It was a slow time, but there still needs to be some kind of communication with the members. At a crucial time like that, business owners want to see you. They want to tell you their stories. Before, I was the only one doing that, at least after Tony left.”

Hunt said that she never received a raise during her two years with the Chamber. She said her hours were cut from 40 hours per week to 20 hours at the start of the pandemic, then increased to 30 hours when Tornatore was laid off. When LoPiccolo left, she was bumped back up to 40 hours, when “they told me to run the Chamber with the help of the Board.”

Hunt said she and LoPiccolo “did the best we could” during the pandemic, visiting business owners personally or virtually and making sure they were aware of business grant opportunities and webinars that might help them. She said she was not involved with the Chamber’s finances, but that “there was talk that we needed to do something, and if we didn’t, they weren’t sure what would happen to the Chamber.”

In addition to membership fees and business sponsorships, the Chamber of Commerce receives funding through a memorandum of understanding with the City of Menifee. The City’s contribution for the current fiscal year, as approved by the City Council last July, is $45,000. Much of those funds were designated to be used for workshops, seminars and city events that were modified to become virtual events because of COVID-19.

The person hired to replace LoPiccolo as executive director will become the Chamber’s sixth administrator to serve in that position since 2015.

“I truly loved the Chamber,” Hunt said. “I would’ve retired from the Chamber. But having to do the work of three people … I believe I deserved better.”