Carol Wilder-Tamme keeps the the Darien Chamber of Commerce moving forward.

Photo Credit: Contributed Photo

Contributed Photo

Photo Credit:

Before Carol Wilder-Tamme took the top post, the Darien Chamber of Commerce was burning through presidents at a rate of about one every 18 months. Tamme found her niche and just passed her seventh year in the position.

“In that time, the job has changed so dramatically. When I came in everything was computerized, but the type of retail we had in Darien and the size of the retail district was miniscule. To keep everything fresh and up to pace in the chamber, we really had to make a lot of changes,” Tamme said in the quiet offices while May showers poured down outside.

Those changes have included updates to the website and reaching out through social media. Tamme tries to post on Facebook twice a day and keeps track of the chamber members through Facebook and LinkedIn. She prefers the latter for its more businesslike presentation.

Tamme’s route to the chamber was circuitous, she says. She’s a trained and educated dietician. She’s worked extensively in Indonesia and has pictures scattered around her office of her times there. When not running the chamber, Tamme advises people on nutritional matters. Instead of working on site though, she leverages the Internet to remotely specialize in compliance reviews of menus.

Tamme said she is particularly proud of the scholarships offered by the Darien Chamber of Commerce. There is one for a Darien High School student and one for the child or employee of a member of the chamber. This year, the high school scholarships went to Taiki Miki, Mark Rosenbloom Jr. and Andrew Hurn.

Restaurant growth and an expansion in home-based businesses mark the Darien scene, according to Tamme. She said they are signs of changes in the local economy. “We may have arrived at a new normal,” she said. “The good old days of 2007 are gone, and it’s going to be awhile before we are dancing in the streets.”