From the Intern Desk: Wico van Genderen
Welcome back to our fall blog series, From the Intern Desk! This blog series will continue to feature our current staff members. Our next featured staff member is Wico van Genderen. Wico is the President/Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber and has been with the Chamber for four and a half years. Wico began life at the Chamber on June 23rd, 2014. A fun fact about Wico is that he received his undergraduate degree in Constitutional Law and Business at Rutgers University. He went on to Drexel University for his Master’s in Business and Management Information System (MIS).
Wico’s life at the Chamber began when he retired from his global corporate jobs at IBM and Diebold. He ran a company in China, but he wanted to get back to the community. Wico’s father-in-law was from this area and he was Wico’s mentor. Since working at the Chamber, he has been able to take his corporate background and apply it to the region.
Question and Answer Time!
I had the opportunity sit down with Wico and learn more about his life and position here at the Chamber of Commerce.
What has been your most positive experience from working here?
“The most positive experience is obviously the people! It is not surprising because we are grounded in data that the people in this region are hard working. The labor force around here is very good and positive and I have been able to stay connected with them.”
Can you summarize your typical work day?
“I meet with a lot of people, many who are either business or academic leaders. I also spend a lot of time with students when I teach classes. We have many activities in the evenings along with business meetings. There are also community meetings happening throughout the day. I become an advocate for businesses and the work force in the area along with economic development. It makes the job fun.”
What advice would you give a student interested in interning at the Chamber?
“Live life to the fullest and learn as if you will live forever. Education or a skill set is such a key factor that can take you anywhere. You have choices and one of them is an internship. You get a flavor of the business world and can look for mentorship while here. Always remember to be passionate about what you do and have fun doing it.”
What are the other staff members like?“We are all family here. We have a combination of amazing expertise within our staff. They know what they are doing and they are doing a great job. We have a really good team atmosphere, which creates a very nice dynamic. Everyone has a role here that is important to the Chamber.”
What has been your biggest take-away(s) from working here?
“The people, as well as the Chamber, have incredible opportunity in the area. What this team created in the last 4 to 5 years has brought our Chamber up to date. We like to focus on the young professionals in this year. One reason is we have a young and passionate team here at the Chamber that inspire me. A great thing too is that the entire staff works together with our interns.”
What do you love the most about working here at the Chamber?
“I know that I am repeating myself, but I love working with the people at the Chamber. The team is amazing and it is great how different the job always is day to day. It is never boring.”
Interesting Facts Time!
While we were talking, Wico also gave me more insight into his life. He loves his kids. Any time he can spend time with his kids, Wico takes it. His daughter is in California and his son lives in New York. They keep him well grounded. He also loves to spend time in Ocean City, New Jersey.
A really cool fact about Wico is that he has been to all 50 states and every continent except Antarctica. In his free time, Wico spends as much time with his wife as he possibly can. They have been married for 37 years now and the met in the ninth grade.
Wico is on all the internal boards inside the Chamber. Outside the Chamber, he is a part of eight boards. The boards are Leadership Wilkes-Barre Board, Foundation of Free Enterprise, Shine Advisory Board K-12, LCCC Foundation, Penn’s Northeast, The Institute of Public Policy and Economic Development, The Diamond City Partnership, FM Kirby Center, and Wilkes University Business School Advisory Board.
Connect with Wico and keep up to date on his latest Chamber accomplishment on LinkedIn!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wicovangenderen/
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