GULF SHORES, AL - Edward M. Rodriguez, President of the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce in Warner Robins, GA, has been named President/CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Chamber Chairman Joe McCarron following a meeting of the Chamber Board.

"The Search Committee has completed a lengthy and diligent search process for a new President, and our Board and Chamber staff is looking forward to a long relationship with great leadership and new opportunities for our Chamber members," McCarron said. "We are pleased to announce he will take over the duties of President on Nov. 1."

Rodriguez has been with the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, the largest chamber in Middle Georgia, since 2007 and has helped guide the Chamber through a re-branding (the organization was formerly known as the Warner Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce.) The chamber is comprised of more than 1,100 businesses in the counties of Bibb, Houston, and Peach, with most of its members coming from Warner Robins and Macon.

A Florida native, he has worked in the chamber of commerce profession since his school years. He earned his Bachelors degree at Florida Southern College in Lakeland and his Masters degree at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

He is also a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM) at the University of Georgia, the Georgia Academy for Regional Economic & Leadership Development, and holds the Georgia Certified Chamber of Commerce Executive distinction (GCCE).

At Warner Robins, Rodriguez helped the Chamber become Re-Accredited with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and helped to expand the Chamber's role in Education and Governmental Affairs by creating several new events and by establishing a non-profit 501(c) 3 educational foundation.

Rodriguez, who has lived in Amelia Island, Fla., most of his life, has also served as CEO of the Amelia Island Chamber in Fernandina Beach and its former economic development affiliate, the Nassau County Committee of 100.

At Amelia Island, his Chamber responsibilities also included administrative duties for the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council, which the Chamber helped to create. He has also served as a Director of Membership and Communications at the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber and as a Vice President of Communications for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He also served as a founding partner of a Florida-based consulting firm that conducted membership campaigns and retreats for more than 200 chambers of commerce in 14 states.

During his years as a business owner (and in between his chamber assignments), he was involved in Florida politics, serving as the elected Republican State Committeeman in Nassau County, Fla., and also served as a Co-Chair in Jeb Bush's campaigns for Governor, as well as serving as a Co-Chair in his county for the George W. Bush campaign in 2000.

He has been active in the Warner Robins Rotary Club and serves on the media team at Harvest United Methodist Church. He enjoys any and all water-related sports and is particularly happy to be returning to a coastal environment.