Foster Edwards in 2015 after announcing his retirement from the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. His new job at the San Patricio Economic Development Corp. takes him across the Harbor Bridge, seen just over Edwards’ shoulder. Photo by Carrie Robertson Meyer/Third Coast Photo
Much like Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, Corpus Christi Chamber President Foster Edwards just can’t seem to retire. At least not yet. Both men resigned their leadership positions with Oct. 31 end dates. Both have agreed to stay on longer until replacements can be found.
Locally, the chamber is about half way through the process of finding a new president, said Gabe Guerra, Chairman of the Board of Directors. With the help of a third-party consulting firm, board members could have a short list of candidates as early as next week, Guerra told Corpus Christi Business News.
“We will have someone here no later than 60 days from now,” Guerra said. “It could be as early as the next 45 days.”
Until then, Edwards agreed to continue to serve.
“Of course, if something else comes up for Foster, we’ll have to do something,” Guerra said. “He said he would give us plenty of notice.”
Edwards certainly gave plenty of notice when he first tendered his resignation in May. Six months wasn’t long enough, however, for what Guerra described as a nationwide search.
“In casting a wide net, we want to make sure we have a wide array of applicants with different backgrounds and experience,” he said when the search first began in late spring.
Edwards has served as chamber president for the last six plus years. Since he came on board, membership has more than doubled in size from 400 members to a little more than 1,100 today.
“The economy is good,” Edwards said. “We’ve become a large chamber.”
His list of achievements also includes setting up a Southside Business Council with its own office, improving the finances, the programs and the advocacy in both the state and national capitals. A true diplomat, he makes sure to share the credit.
“It’s not just me,” he said. “It’s a group effort. It’s all of us together.”
As for Edwards’ future, at 67 years old, he says he’s not ready to just stop working and is perfectly happy to stay on a bit longer.
“I want to serve the chamber and make sure there’s a smooth transition,” he said. “I feel fine about it.”
As for comparing his own situation to that that of Speaker Boehner, Edwards was quick to say their reasons for leaving were nothing alike.
“Please don’t compare this situation to that,” he said with a laugh. “Thank goodness I’m don’t have to mess with Congress.”
Edwards did say he had a few prospects he was considering for when he can finally turn over his office.
“I’m not ready to talk about them yet, but I’ve got a couple of things working,” he said.
Better hurry up, Board of Directors!
