BELFAST — The executive director of the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce is announcing his retirement and departure from the Chamber at the end of July. For nearly four years on the job, Steve Ryan has been a presence around Waldo County as the Chamber has increased its membership and helped businesses tackle challenges, including the ones associated with the pandemic of 2020.

“I’m pleased that we have built a great team of staff to run the Chamber, a strong Board to oversee and direct, and an effective set of processes to promote our Members and the region,” said Ryan, in a Chamber news release. “I tried numerous ideas that went nowhere as well, such as a shared e-commerce site, a local Small Business Conference scuttled by COVID and an online local restaurant delivery service. But it was all driven by my desire to support our local businesses!”

The Board of Directors has begun the search for the next executive director for a June 1 target start date. Chamber member relations representative Sandy Patrick and operations manager Scott Smith will over see the continuity of services while the transition takes place this summer.

The Belfast Area Chamber’s goal is to support economic prosperity across Waldo County through networking, education and promotion of the region and its businesses.

More information is at www.BelfastMaine.org.