Sharon McMahon, longtime Noblesville Chamber of Commerce president, announces retirement
When Sharon McMahon took over as Noblesville Chamber of Commerce president in 2001, the office was at 54 S. Ninth St. – the home of the former G.C. Murphy five-and-dime store. McMahon, 64, remembers the store and its huge candy counter from when she was a little girl.
“I used to beg for candy,” she said, adding that her favorites were the multicolored bonbons. “I walked in the door my first day (as president) and my office was only steps from the candy counter where I used to ogle the bonbons when I was five years old. It was a very warm and comforting feeling at the same time.”
Since then, McMahon has overseen the city’s chamber through peaks and valleys in the economy, helped increase the business landscape in Noblesville and moved the offices to 601 E. Conner St. in August 2006.
On Jan. 13, McMahon announced her retirement effective Feb. 28.
“The chamber profession is amazing. There are few other professions which give one such a rich and diverse experience of meeting and working with diverse personalities. At the same time, it’s a profession that requires a great deal of oneself. A lot is expected and it really encompasses a great deal of your life and time,” she said.
While her job is “very rewarding and satisfying,” McMahon said her decision to retire allows her to pursue other interests.
“My decision was to focus on other projects and activities and say goodbye to a position that’s meant a lot to me over the years. I’ve gained the respect of the community and business community. I feel comfortable going on to other things,” she said.
McMahon began her chamber career as the Fishers president in 1994. Prior to that, she worked in nonprofit management for 30 years.
“I was familiar with being a director of a nonprofit,” she said. “At that time there were only 8,000 people in Fishers and 100 members of the chamber. It was an exciting opportunity.”
After seven years in Fishers, McMahon took over the Noblesville chamber in 2001.
“Noblesville is my town,” she said. “I personally have such an affinity to how important the business community is to the health of a community.”
When she began, McMahon said the city had just created its economic development department (most development was drawn through the Hamilton County Alliance) and the chamber was more involved in tourism.
“We’re in a very rapidly changing economic environment. When I started, people were still faxing. People were just starting to use e-mail on a regular basis,” she said. “We didn’t have development at Corporate Campus, Ind. 37 or 146th Street. Our boundaries have changed and grown.”
Change has been constant in business and the chamber’s history. During her time, the organization has launched its successful “Lunch and Learn” series, grown its young professionals group and created the annual Taste of Business.
“Eighty businesses come together to meet each other and see what the other businesses do, make eye-to-eye connections and form business relationships,” McMahon said. “It’s also a place for the public in an hour-and-a-half to two hours to visit 80 businesses. It’s a win-win in so many respects and it continues to grow.”
McMahon said she won’t mind not have early morning meetings – although she is a self-described morning person – but will miss “the interaction with chamber members on a regular basis.” During her tenure, the chamber’s 75th anniversary gala in 2010 stands out as one of McMahon’s favorite memories.
“It was such a milestone,” she said. “I heard from so many chamber directors from across the country. It was something I will never forget. The event and the turnout of people were amazing, as was knowing how much the community appreciated the chamber.”
McMahon said her position will be posted on the Indiana Chamber Executives Association Website and Chamber Board Chairman John Paris will name a search committee.
“The chamber’s board of directors and staff will continue to provide excellent leadership for our many chamber business members from Noblesville and throughout Hamilton County,” she said. “The Noblesville chamber has served our community since 1935 will continue to be the voice of business in Noblesville.”
“The most important component of collaboration between city efforts and chamber efforts is communication. The chamber can help the city and the city can help the chamber. We can all work together if we communicate,” McMahon said. “We have one thing in common at the top of our lists, we love Noblesville.”
McMahon is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management at Notre Dame and Duke University’s Nonprofit Management Program, as well as the Hamilton County Leadership Academy and Ball State University’s Economic Development Course and Training Consultant Institute.
Meet Sharon McMahon
Age: 64
Hometown/residence: Noblesville
Family: Husband, Bruce; three adult children and four grandsons
Hobbies: McMahon is a certified fitness instructor and enjoys genealogy research and traveling.
Her favorite thing about Noblesville is its people. “The people here are unique. They’re in a very fast-paced world, but the people I know, I encounter in Noblesville, are very caring and supportive of their community.”
Quote: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
