Jan. 11, 2007 — The membership of the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce has elected Chamber Vice President Omer ErSelcuk to be president/chairman of the chamber in 2007, succeeding outgoing 2006 President Diane Butler, according to a press release.
ErSelcuk is president/CEO of Seaborne Airlines and has served on the chamber's board of directors for the past two years. He was elected Thursday by the membership at the organization's annual meeting and business luncheon at Elizabeth's Restaurant.
ErSelcuk was the chamber's vice chairman of internal affairs and served on its executive, economic affairs and tourism/marketing committees in 2006. He previously served as chair of the chamber's economic affairs-macroeconomic policy & development committee.
ErSelcuk joined Seaborne Virgin Islands, Inc., in 2000 as chief marketing officer. He was named vice president of sales and service in 2006 and was elevated to president/CEO in 2006. He also serves on the board of Seaborne Virgin Islands, Inc.
Prior to joining Seaborne, he was sales and marketing manager from 1995 to 1999 for British Airways and manager of route planning and development from 1994 to 1995 for Dolphin Express Airlines.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Missouri . He also holds FAA licenses as a commercial pilot, flight instructor and flight engineer.
In addition to contributing his leadership to the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce, ErSelcuk is a board member of the V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association and former chair of its marketing committee. He also is a board member of the Boy Scouts of America (St. Croix).
At the meeting, the chamber also installed six new members to its 18-member board. They were elected by the membership in mailed, secret balloting last month. The six newly elected board members are:
–Dr. Ralph DeChabert, a retired physician and businessman
–Rose Frey, assistant vice president of First Bank
–Roland Groder, broker/owner of Re/Max St. Croix
–Noel Loftus, president of Floor Specialists, Inc.
–Stuart Logan, manager of Contract Services for Pinnacle Services
–David Nissman, former U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands and a business consultant
Also at the meeting, the membership ratified by more than a two-thirds (2/3) vote a set of new bylaws to replace the previous, outdated bylaws in their entirety. The new bylaws will enable the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce to conform to the accreditation standards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and meet the requirements for tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service.
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