Chamber Names Executive Director

By JIM KEVLIN

The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, June 17, announced the appointment of Matt Hazzard as interim executive director, and Chamber President Ken Meifert said he and the board expect that he will fill the position long term.

“Matt has a great combination: Long affinity with the community, having grown up here, and the real-world experience to lead the chamber to bigger and greater things,” said Meifert, who is also vice president/development at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Remarking on President Obama’s visit last month and the Fodor’s Travel ranking of Cooperstown as the eighth best small town to live in nationally, Hazzard said, “There’s a lot of good opportunity to piggyback on.”

He replaces Pat Szarpa, executive director since April 2012, who had resigned the Tuesday before.

A CCS graduate, Hazzard received a bachelor’s from SUNY Cortland in business economics and sports management, where he played basketball and baseball. During college, he served as a programming and education intern at the Hall of Fame in 2003.

After graduation, he served a two-year fellowship with the United States Golf Association. (Monday the 16th, he’d completed a round of the Leatherstocking Golf Course with a 73.)

Hazzard then joined the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association as the director of memorabilia for Major League Alumni Marketing, the MLBPAA’s for-profit subsidiary. During his eight -year tenure, gross revenue for this new business venture grew to more than $3 million.

He and wife Stephanie, who is Hall of Fame education director, live in Cooperstown with their son, Paxton. His parents are Ed and Patricia Hazzard, who have won the Clark Sports Center’s Fetterman Award for their involvement with youth.

“As a native of Cooperstown,” Hazzard said in the chamber press release, “I am honored to take on this role. I have worked with many other chambers throughout the country in my previous positions and understand the positive impact they can have on a community. I truly look forward to working hand-in-hand with all business owners to not only help them achieve their own goals, but also those of our entire community,” he said.

“The board looks forward to working with Matt, as he leads our efforts during this transition to support member businesses and our local economy overall,” Meifert.