Minges stepping down as president of Stillwater Chamber of Commerce

Beau Simmons, Stillwater NewsPress, Okla.
·2 min read

Oct. 1—Justin Minges is resigning as CEO and President of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber announced the resignation Friday, saying it will be effective Oct. 28.

Minges was named Chamber president in December 2016, replacing Ted Allison. An Oklahoma State graduate, Minges had a background in financial services. He was named the 2013 Young Professional of the Year by the Chamber.

"I want to express my appreciation and respect for his commitment to enriching Stillwater's community by driving economic growth, supporting our business and recruiting quality jobs," Chamber board chair Justin Hazzard said through a press release.

Minges told the News Press that running the Chamber was a dream job, and in that time he was inspired by Stillwater entrepreneurs and business leaders. With that inspiration, he plans to work full time as owner/operator of Stillwater Marble Slab and Great American Cookie.

"I look up to entrepreneurs so much and I'm excited to join the club working full time our family's business," he said.

The Chamber credited Minges with helping Stillwater land USA Rare Earth, a plant that will manufacture powerful magnets from highly conductive and highly magnetic rare earth minerals that are used in almost every kind of modern electronic equipment.

"I owe all the team members who worked for the chamber over the last six years so much," Minges said. "They made the organization a special place to work! Together we helped hundreds of businesses achieve their goals and worked several projects that will impact our community for years (Boomer Lake Power Plant redevelopment, USA Rare Earth, COVID-19 grant programs, small grant program with Vibrant Stillwater, and several projects that are active in our pipeline — just to name a few."

Hazzard said Minges was a trusted resource with Stillwater's strategic partners "and was the driving force behind many economic development projects in our community."

Hazzard said he believed Minges was the Chamber's longest tenured CEO. The board will now begin a national recruiting process to find the next president, according to the news release.

"I will be cheering the chamber team on as a chamber and community member," Minges said. "I hope the board can find a dynamic leader to take the organization even farther than I could ever imagine. Whoever takes on the role in the future has a team in place that is talented and driven. They will do amazing things in the future."

The board has not named an interim president at this time.

"During the organization's transition the Board will step in to fill some of Minges' previous roles," according to the release.