Mike Gaymon, a veteran chamber of commerce and economic development professional, has joined The Chason Group as a consultant for executive recruitment focusing on Alabama and other states. He will join the team of professionals to focus on executive recruiting for non-profit organizations.

The Chason Group, Inc. is an executive search firm specializing in talent recruitment for economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, foundations and non-profits.

“Mike’s knowledge of the industry sectors that we focus on is significant,” according to Tim Chason, founder of The Chason Group. “He has the capacity to evaluate situations and develop viable solutions very quickly. His contacts throughout the economic and chamber communities provide him an opportunity to continue his success of building valued organizations by identifying the right people to serve in leadership positions.”

A native of South Carolina, Gaymon graduated from Erskine College in 1972 with a BS Degree. He is also a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute for Organizational Management where he served as the Regents Chair for the Georgia Institute.

He began his chamber career in 1976 in Florence, S.C. Since then Mike has served as the president of chambers in North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia. He retired from the Greater Columbus Chamber in November of 2014 after 26.5 years as their president and chief executive officer.

Gaymon has been selected by his peers as the Georgia Chamber Executive of the Year, Georgia Tech’s Top Presenter for its Economic Development Course, US Chamber of Commerce’s top 5 national presenters and is one of the first Certified Chamber Executives of the Georgia Association of Chambers of Commerce. He is the only chamber executive to have been selected to lead the state chamber associations in both Alabama and Georgia. Gaymon was awarded the Noble Patrol of Armor by the US Cavalry & Armor Association in 2014 as an indication of his support to the military during his 38-year career and especially at Fort Benning since 1988. He is the only staff to have received the Jim Woodruff, Jr. Leadership Award given by the Columbus Chamber.

In 2014, Gaymon received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. His announced economic development accomplishments during his career exceed $5.3 billion dollars with nearly 60,000 new jobs being created or retained.

Gaymon also operates his own business called Attitude Plus where he delivers motivational presentations and keynote speeches. The entrepreneur is also a published author with his recent book “A View From The Backhoe” which is available on Amazon.

Mike is married to Sheila. They have 5 children and 7 grandchildren and 2 great grands. They currently live in Columbus Georgia.