Chamber of Commerce head stepping down to focus her energy

by Josh Van Dyke

Deb Ogorzaly will no longer be serving Wauconda as the executive director of its Chamber of Commerce, but it is not because there is no more work to do there.  Just the opposite, in fact: There is too much work for one person to handle that job as well as well as acting as the Economic Development Coordinator of Wauconda.

Since she was hired by the village in 2004, Ogorzaly has divided her time between both jobs.  She has acted as a sort of liaison, mediating between the business community and the Village Board while also trying to bring new businesses into town.  As the town grew, her time became more and more stretched between the two positions.

Her efforts seem to have paid off.  When she started her work she had the goal of doubling the membership of the Chamber of Commerce. 

Deb's just done a great job of getting the chamber name out there," said Wauconda Park District Director Nancy Burton.

Unfortunately more businesses mean a heavier workload and Ogorzaly doesn't feel she can squeeze both jobs into a week anymore.

"The chamber has grown, and the needs of the village have grown for economic development, and it just has gotten to the point where I couldn't meet my own expectations for both jobs," she said.  

Her efforts have largely focused on reaching out to businesses in order to not only bring new ones in but also make sure the ones already in Wauconda stay.  To do this she has met with business owners and kept in close contact with vacant land owners in town. 

large part of her duties is basically "selling" Wauconda to potential businesses.  She said that though Wauconda does have a relatively small population--a bit too small for many national retailers--the community has other advantages to draw in smaller businesses.

"We have a community with above-average incomes, with expendable income, we have excellent sites available, we have high traffic on Route 12 and 176," Ogorzaly said.

She also said that a cooperative government that works to streamline the process has also been an important factor.  The current head of that government thinks that the woman herself has also been a beneficial factor.

"She's very thorough, looking forward to any kind of business opportunities," said Wauconda Mayor Mark F. Knigge.  "She'll be an asset to our new economic development group."

A new executive director for the chamber of commerce  has not been chosen as of this time.