HEYBURN, Idaho (KLIX) – The Mini-Cassia Area Chamber of Commerce has appointed a new president and CEO.

Burley resident Penne Main will start her new position on Wednesday. Main comes from an extensive career in media sales and broadcasting, but said she is excited about new challenges and opportunities that await her as she transitions into her new leadership role.

“I think one of the things I am most excited about it is being able to serve the community that has been so much a part of my life for more than 20 years,” she said in an interview on Monday, her last day as account executive for Townsquare Media in Twin Falls.

Main has for years been traveling from Cassia County to Twin Falls for her job. In recent days she said she won’t miss the 70-plus mile trip to and from work. Working closer to home is a blessing, she said – though quickly admitting that she’ll miss the people she’s worked with at the cluster of radio stations, from colleagues to clients.

“Hands down,” she said, the most memorable experiences of her sales and broadcasting career “has been the relationships I’ve been gifted with over the past 35-plus years …. That to me is what has most influenced my life and career. To me, it’s all about relationships.”

Even though she’ll miss the experiences as a sales rep, she knows she’ll have new and just as positive experiences at the chamber. She comes to the position already familiar with many people in the community.

"The board is excited to have Penne as the head of the chamber team,” Chamber Board Chairwoman Stephanie Curtis says. “Her deep roots in this area along with her skills and experience will be great assets to our members and we are confident in her abilities to lead the chamber and its membership.”

When asked what her goals are as director, Main said she plans to take some time getting more versed in her new responsibilities but one goal is to grow the number of chamber members. She is excited to promote the Mini-Cassia area not only to the rest of southern Idaho but on a more wide-reaching scale.

She said she wants to make the chamber a resource for businesses, which includes training and networking, and to promote “on a more global scale the benefits of doing business in Mini-Cassia.”

Besides working as a sales rep for Townsquare Media, which owns four radio stations in the valley including News Radio 1310, Main also worked for KMVT and Lee Broadcasting. She also served on a number of boards and committees, including the United Way of Magic Valley, Paint Magic and the Burley Centennial Committee, and currently is on the advisory board of the Crisis Center for South Central Idaho.

Chamber Board Chairwoman Stephanie Curtis said in a prepared statement that the board members are confident that Main is the right person to pursue the interests of the chamber and support community initiatives.

"The board is excited to have Penne as the head of the chamber team,” Curtis said. “Her deep roots in this area along with her skills and experience will be great assets to our members and we are confident in her abilities to lead the chamber and its membership.”

Main said she is excited to get to work.

“There are so many exciting things happening in the Mini-Cassia area,” she said. “And personally, just to be back home is wonderful to me. I look forward to reconnecting with city, county and business leaders as well as elected officials and to get a good read on the business community and share the chamber’s vision.”

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