Board Chair Troy Woods, President and CEO of TSYS, served as Chair of the Search Committee that worked with Waverly Partners, a national executive search firm, to identify qualified local, regional and national candidates.  “We are very excited about having Brian take the reins of the Chamber.  Columbus is very fortunate to have recruited someone with Brian’s vast and varied Chamber, business, political and military background and we are confident he will lead this Chamber forward,” said Woods.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to have served the Greater Dalton Chamber and community," said Anderson.  "However, Heather and I are excited about our new adventure in Columbus.  I saw this as an opportunity to lead a larger Chamber organization that, like the Greater Dalton Chamber, has achieved 5-Star Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber.”

Anderson has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. He then served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the United States Army prior to working within the Coca-Cola Company organization.  Before joining the Greater Dalton Chamber, Anderson worked for a beverage company in Dalton and served as the Chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners.

He has completed the Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development courses and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development course. Anderson also received his Institute of Organizational Management designation from the US Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Georgia Economic Developer's Association and the Southern Economic Development Council.

Anderson serves on the State Workforce Investment Board (appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2014) and the North Georgia Regional Commission Board (appointed by Lt Gov. Casey Cagle in 2009).  He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children: Douglas who recently married Abby Joyner and resides in Waukesha, WI and Sarah Whitney who is a Junior at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA.

The Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce is an energetic and visionary organization in the Columbus Region, committed to building a more prosperous community while preserving the democratic process.