New Leader, Kristina Park, Aims High at Naples Chamber

Jeff lytle
The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce rings in the new year with a new CEO. Kristina Park comes from Pinellas County, where she was COO of a chamber called Amplify Clearwater, to succeed Michael Dalby, now working as a university fundraiser in Texas. Park agreed to a Q&A via email with Jeff Lytle for Life in Naples.
What is it about Naples and the chamber that attracted your attention?

Kristina Park
Naples has such a strong reputation for its beauty and signature warm hospitality, all of which I have found to be absolutely accurate. The livability of this community is quite rich as evidenced by the number of individuals and families like myself who are flocking to the area for the active lifestyle, quality schools and sense of community.
The chamber is well supported and positioned to protect the things that residents and visitors love about the destination, while growing to ensure prosperity for all.
Many of the pressing issues keeping Collier County business owners up at night are similar to the ones I’ve been working to help improve and solve for the last decade in Tampa Bay, such as affordable housing, workforce development, quality childcare, beach renourishment and the property insurance. I look forward to building on the strong foundation set by this organization in the community that supports it.
How should a chamber fit into the mix of government and civic organizations that help drive local communities?
By leading collaboration. Chambers of commerce are positioned at the ideal intersection of government, nonprofits and businesses. Through economic development, advocacy and workforce development we work together to drive toward a vision crafted by those who live and play there.
There are many examples of success through these collective impact models. They are so successful because they require a diverse set of voices at the table to build something that functions well for all. We look forward to serving as the organization to lead this collaboration and curate consensus to drive our community forward.
Affordable workforce housing is an issue in Collier County. Do you know of initiatives that have succeeded elsewhere that we could use here?
There are many models of success to explore. Whether employer-assisted housing, developer incentives, cooperative housing units or one of several other successful models, the key will be finding the right mix specifically suited to Collier County.
We can look to thought leaders in areas like Vail Valley, Colorado. They share these challenges and are very seasonal when they receive an influx of visitors and the needs for workers increase. Similarly, they have found a mix of solutions to fit their communities needs and have worked to improve it year over year.
Another example is in Tampa Bay. The Innovation District in St. Petersburg is working towards cooperative housing solutions in the healthcare space. There are companies like Diamond Age in Phoenix, 3D-printing homes to greatly reduce the cost of constructing a property, Move to Work creating new structures around federal funds, and Blue Hour Housing working in partnership with employers to convert underutilized spaces into workforce housing.
Make no mistake, these solutions are multi-layered and require a lot of moving parts including wraparound livability qualities like transportation, access to education and healthcare and more. I look forward to partnering with Collier County businessowners, elected officials, and others already working towards solutions in this space to find the right model to fit our needs.
Is it important to diversify our economy or can we keep on the Patho what already makes Collier so prosperous?
There is certainly a special mix that has made the area so successful and desirable to live and visit. There is opportunity to build on this success and continue to enhance it as the economy not only responds to trends but anticipates them to maximize the impact.
Such success allows development through a more “Rodeo Drive Effect.” This means we get to ask ourselves “Does this development fit our community culture?” We get to be selective to build the community that we want and need for now and into the future. In doing so, we invite a diverse set of perspectives into this conversation to ensure we are building prosperity for all.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Explore. I love getting outdoors, both by land and water and soaking up the area’s recreation offerings — visiting the beach, boating and exploring the area’s parks and playgrounds with my family. I am learning the game of golf and have been told I’m in the perfect place to learn pickleball as well.
How can the chamber connect with retirees who have loads of talent and want to volunteer?
This is one of the many areas that I am excited to optimize. There is an incredible brain trust of talented individuals across Collier County that have a lot of knowledge and expertise to offer the area’s growing businesses. I look forward to growing the engagement opportunities so we can match up these interested retirees with the community that would be enhanced by their expertise.
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