AMHERST — Ribbon-cuttings for two new businesses opening in the Mill District in North Amherst this week will help complete Jacob Robinson’s service as executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.
Robinson sent a letter to members and friends of the chamber last Wednesday saying that he would be stepping down from the position, which he has held since April 2024, and moving on to work for the community development team at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
“Leaving the chamber is bittersweet, but this new role will allow me to continue serving the region from a different place within the same landscape,” Robinson wrote.
Robinson, of Belchertown, previously worked as program director for West Roxbury Main Streets and succeeded Claudia Pazmany at the chamber, which serves more than 400 members in Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Shutesbury, Pelham, Leverett and Sunderland.
Robinson wrote that he saw his tenure as an opportunity to connect people and ideas across businesses, institutions, municipalities and the wider community, through ongoing programs like the Legislative Breakfast, Lunch & Learn, the A+ Awards, Gift Card Match Day and the Lighting of the Merry Maple.
He thanked members, volunteers and partners, specifically praising Polina Potochevska, the chamber’s marketing and events coordinator, for her creativity and care.
Board President Kishore Parmar and the executive committee will lead the search for Robinson’s successor. Parmar wrote in his message that the chamber will continue to serve members and the community during this time.
“We would first like to thank Jacob for his tremendous work and the effort he has put in his term as our executive director,” Parmar wrote.
Robinson remembered the ribbon-cutting for the Emily Dickinson Museum’s reconstructed Carriage House as an important moment in his tenure, when he read a line from her poem “Hope is the thing with feathers.”
“Hope is central to community building, but it is not passive,” he wrote. “It means tending relationships, making room for new ideas and believing that what we plant together can grow beyond us.”
The upcoming ribbon-cuttings for Salt Flower Shop and Tilted Orbit Arcade on Oct. 16 are appropriate for his final day.
“Celebrating two new businesses putting down roots is a fitting way to close this chapter,” Robinson wrote.
