Her Community. Her Voice.
Amy Nord’s outgoing personality and networking skills come in handy as the executive director of the Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Being at the Chamber, you need to be an outgoing person and have the ability to connect with others,” she says. “My days are never the same, and that’s what makes this job so amazing. I love meeting new people and learning more about the businesses in our area and how I can help them be successful.”
Nord and her team serve as advocates for business owners and employers in Belvidere.
“Our main priority is to represent and promote our members, provide valuable networking opportunities and host community events that attract people to our area,” she says.
Born and raised in Belvidere, Nord’s path to the top of the Chamber came with twists and turns. She began working in retail management, a role she held for 15 years. She then worked for a national running company as a market development manager and became a local Realtor before joining Growth Dimensions, Boone County’s economic development organization.
Nord had never held a title of executive director, so she was both nervous and excited about the opportunity to grow her career at the Chamber.
“I asked myself if I could make that jump,” she says. “You don’t know unless you try.”
Nord gave it a shot, and four years later she’s thriving in her role. She looks forward to her job each day.
“One of my favorite things to do after an event is scroll through all of the Facebook posts to read people’s comments about how they didn’t know this store was downtown or that place had food,” Nord says. “Every time we have an event downtown and we attract new people, they’re rediscovering the retail businesses and the great food downtown. That’s my job.”
Nord also gives back to her community by working with several boards and organizations in the area, including the Belvidere Township Park District board, OSF Community Advisory Board, The Workforce Connection board, Growth Dimensions board and the Cosmopolitan Club of Belvidere.
“This is home, and we want to make it a great place,” says Nord, a mother of two daughters. “I want to give back to my community by promoting our local businesses and organizations and through volunteering on various boards. I’ve never been the type of person to rely on other people to make changes. If you want to see positive change, you need to be a part of the change.”