Familiar face to take leadership helm at Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber

A longtime local businesswoman has been selected to head the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce after Dana Patterson, current executive director, leaves Dec. 15.

Debbie Rinckey, owner of Market Wise – an Eagle River-based firm specializing in marketing and social media management – was the clear choice from among the large field of candidates.

“We are excited to have Debbie Rinckey leading our operations. Her business background paired with her dedication to the community are a winning combination,” Colin Fay, CER chamber president, said over the weekend after the full chamber board met on Dec. 1 to approve the recommendation from the hiring committee which included Fay, Leslie Lance and Shawn Osborne. “The board of directors is excited for the future of the chamber and this community.”

So is Rinckey.

But for those familiar with her, that isn’t a big surprise.

In the past 21 years that Rinckey has lived in the Chugiak-Eagle River area, she has invested a great deal of her non-work hours in community service.

She takes off the entire week before the annual Bear Paw Festival to help set up events.

She has been on the chamber board for six years and on the executive board for two years as it secretary. She’s been a go-to volunteer with the chamber for the past 15 years regularly assisting Merry Braham, the chamber’s former special events director, with numerous annual events including the chamber’s fall auction, spring tea and summer golf tournament.

As such, she excused herself from participating in the chamber’s hiring process to replace Patterson more than two weeks ago when Patterson announced her departure.

Rinckey’s other community commitments include six years on the board of trustees for the Chugiak-Eagle River Foundation, past president and current membership director for the Eagle River Area Rotary, past communications director for the Chugiak-Eagle River Women in Business and past president of the Eagle River High School hockey team booster club.

She views herself as a bridge connecting the Chamber’s past – decades of leadership by Susie Gorski who retired in 2016 – with the chamber’s role in today’s volatile business market.

“I have been involved for many years so I feel I can bring a stability factor to the on-going and past chamber functions, but I also feel like I can bring a lot of energy and new experience to the table which will help reinvigorate the Chamber and how we can be a resource to the community,” Rinckey said. “I live here with my family and have for the past 21 years so I am really excited to be a part of it in this capacity.”

Rinckey said business owners and community members should expect to see her “out and about” spreading her vision for the chamber to increase its membership and better serve the needs of its members. She plans to host “Coffee with the Chamber” get-togethers for people to share concerns regarding the local business economy and their ideas to improve such.

Rinckey’s other past business experience includes working as an account executive with Alaska Public Media, as the resource development and marketing executive for NeighborWorks Anchorage and as an account executive with Morris Communications.

“The thing I love most about Chugiak Eagle River is the community itself. It’s a great place to live, work and play for all of our folks, young and old and I’d like the Chamber to continue to be a vital part of that,” Rinckey said. “I would like to improve the communications we have here at the Chamber to include more members of the community.”