Brooklyn's Progress Express
Volume 1, Issue 2

Peter M. Meyer was named board chair of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at its 2008 Annual Membership Meeting on Sept. 24. The Brooklyn's Progress Express caught up with Mr. Meyer, who is president of NYC Markets for Commerce Bank, to ask about his plans to lead the Brooklyn Chamber into the future.

Progress Express: What will you bring to Brooklyn Chamber as Board Chair?

Peter Meyer: I think I have a pretty diverse background or knowledge in Brooklyn.
I went to high school, then college then graduate school here. I’ve worked all over Brooklyn as a banker. So you’re always talking to small businesses and I had a lot of interactions with a lot of neighborhoods. I think I first joined the Chamber in 1989 or 1990, so I’ve seen where we were, I’ve seen where we came to. I think I am well positioned to take what we’ve done in the past have the experience and tie it to what we want to do in the future.

PE: What are some of your priorities coming in?

PM: I think that my priority is really to deliver the vision by working with Carl Hum and the staff, the executive board and the board of directors and really connect the Members to what their vision is. That also means connecting with the rest of the community.

PE: Looking ahead, what do you anticipate will be your legacy?

PM: I’m hoping my legacy is that I helped the Chamber make the transition to this new century we’re in, the new Brooklyn.

PE: How would you like to see the Chamber grow?

PM: The first word that comes to mind is balance. We have a lot of new large companies that are in Brooklyn, and we need to connect to them to the community. I’m a very big believer that particularly large corporations have a responsibility to the community to serve. And the by-product of getting involved is that we create a better business environment.

PE: Out of all the economic development, civic groups and social groups in Brooklyn, what makes the Brooklyn Chamber stand out?

PM: I think the fact that we’re not just an economic development, we’re the voice of the business community. We can partner with economic development organizations, but we are really a voice through advocacy.

PE: What does Brooklyn offer someone looking to do business here?

PM: Well I’m very biased: I truly believe that Brooklyn is the most fabulous place in the world. We’ve got such a diverse population and such a diverse business community and from an industry perspective, we cover really the whole gamut.

PE: Given the current economic situation, do you see new challenges?

PM: I think we’ve got huge challenges ahead of us. It’s one of the reasons why I think that the Chamber really has to get front and center and become the voice for not only the business community, but pretty much everything that’s Brooklyn.

PE: Did you have any advice for business to weather this?

PM: I think that the thing to remember is that, “this too shall pass,” it always does. That doesn’t really tell people anything about how to live through it, though but right now, companies have to go back to their business mind and see what works. They need to avoid over-stretching. Having a plan on how to survive through this and going back to what made you successful in the first place is probably a good place to start, and then coming out on the other side stronger. I think that applies to small businesses as well as large businesses.

PE: What advice would you give to someone looking to do business in Brooklyn?

PM: The first thing I’d think is to join the Chamber. I think it’s very important to connect with the community that you want to sell to.

PE: Were you at all motivated to become Board Chair?

PM: I’m honored to do it. So many people I saw as icons in the Brooklyn community held this position. I think there’s tremendous responsibility that comes with it and my role in my day job has changed and I’ve taken on more responsibility. I think that these things don’t happen when you might want them to happen, they happen because they should happen. Commerce Bank didn’t exist here six years ago, but it does now. The Chamber really helped us do that.

PE: Considering that you started out as a teller in a bank, did you envision this position for yourself?

PM: I didn’t really. I think we can all maybe have a dream, but to think 30 years later or close to it, I’d be president of a bank, I’d be in Brooklyn and I’d be the Chair of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, it is sort of a dream come true. To be able to accomplish what I’ve accomplished with my teammates at Commerce Bank, I feel this is sort of a position I grew into.

- Interview conducted by Jill D'Amico and Bryant Glover