The Fountain Hills Chamber starts a search today, May 15, for a new president and CEO to replace Scott Soldat-Valenzuela.

He submitted his resignation April 10 to the board of directors, saying that he was moving to the Fort Collins area in Colorado.

In a prepared press release from her company, Knoodle, board chair Rosaria Cain said “The Chamber’s vision for the future is innovative and we want to find the best qualified person to lead our organization.

“We want to find someone to move the current vision forward and add his or her own take on things. This is a critical decision.”

The board is moving forward with remodeling its 20-year-old building at Verde River Drive and Palisades Blvd, and adding about 4,500 square feet of space to the facility.

An adjacent empty lot was purchased for $70,000 for the expansion. An architect and contractor have been acquired for the project.

The new center will feature co-working space, leased offices, expanded conference rooms and a new town visitor center, according to the press release.

Cain said the board is open to consider all qualified applicants locally, regionally and nationally.

A profile of qualifications for the position can be viewed beginning today on the Chamber’s website, fhchamber.com, or indeed.com.

Candidates with previous chamber and non-profit experience will be considered along with individuals who have an established track record of advocating on behalf of the local business community.

“The ideal person may reside in Fountain Hills or the Phoenix metro area and we hope they will consider applying,” said incoming chair LeeAnn Torkelson, a town resident.

The new CEO is expected to take the helm at the end of August.

Before accepting the local Chamber position in October 2014 to replace the late Frank Ferrara, Soldat-Valenzuela was president/CEO of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce for three years.