The Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce has a new director with some new ideas for 2016.

Mary Ingersoll accepted the Board’s offer to serve as Director beginning in January. The Director position was part of a restructure for the organization.

“They’re looking for me to be working for the chamber 20-hours a week but less in the office and more out in the community talking to business owners, chamber members, and others to talk about what we want the community to be and become into the future and what role the chamber can play in that,” Ingersoll said. “I’m really committed to making Savannah the best place that it can possibly be.”

Ingersoll said she’s a Savannah resident and a business owner. She said she hopes to fill the vacant business spaces around the county.

“I don’t think there’s a defined type of business that I’m looking for,” Ingersoll said. “For instance the Sonic restaurant in town closed several months ago so that’s a vacant space. Rather than type of business I think more wanting to fill the vacant spaces that we have around town. There are quite a few great retail and commercial spaces in Savannah as well as in greater Andrew County and we’d love to have those full and flourishing with whatever type of business someone would be interested in doing here.”

She said she wants to work towards strengthening the chamber’s presence.

“My initial directive is to build what we have and to then start to shape what is that going to look like in the future,” Ingersoll said. “I don’t have any specific new event that I’m going to be doing or anything like that. I’m really taking a pulse right now. My first three months here are going to be out talking to the membership and talking to people who aren’t members. Maybe they were and have fallen off or never joined the chamber and finding out why and what they hope to see the chamber doing. It’s really about planning here over the next 90 days.”