Columbus wasn’t really on Jerald Mitchell’s radar before he became the first Black president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce four years ago.
Mitchell was vice president of economic development for the Atlanta Beltline Inc., when he began having conversations about the position in Columbus.
“I’m learning about all the things that are happening in Columbus and realizing this is a really cool community that should have been on my radar,” Mitchell told the Ledger-Enquirer.
As he got deeper into the process of taking the job, the global COVID-19 pandemic happened.
When the pandemic began, Mitchell felt strongly that he shouldn’t leave the Atlanta Beltline and declined the job at the Chamber of Commerce.
But as the initial months of the pandemic passed, and he understood more about how COVID-19 would affect the world, Mitchell decided to give Columbus a shot.
“What brought me to Columbus — and to this job — was just the sheer opportunity,” he said. “There was a need to advance economically and to begin to build a strong foundation for economic growth.”