Mar. 4-Stuart- Tim Collins of the Fairystone community of Patrick County has been named as the new Executive Director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce.

From the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce Date: March 4, 2013 “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” PATRICK COUNTY CHAMBER BOARD ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Board of Directors of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Collins as the Chamber’s new Executive Director. Collins will replace Tom Bishop, who announced his plans in December to retire. Collins, whose first official day is Monday March 4, will be introduced to the public, as he represents the Chamber, during the Fast Track trade show in Martinsville on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 5 and 6. Collins has spent the last 7 years employed by the Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG), as a Marketing and Advertising Consultant. With GLG, Collins specialized in developing and marketing non-profits. When asked about the new position Collins said, “My entire career I have been assisting organizations market their products and services, this position gives me an opportunity to combine those skills with a product I love, Patrick County. I know I am going to have some enormous shoes to fill, but I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. I want establish a vision for the Chamber that first and foremost serves the needs of its members and secondly brings about increased economic development that will benefit everyone in the County.” Collins is a lifelong resident of Patrick County and holds a Master’s Degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Collins has also served on several Advisory Boards including the Regional Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, The District and Council Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Virginia Museum of Natural History’s Community Nature Initiative. He is currently serving as the President of the Friends of Fairy Stone Park and as the LDS-BSA Relations Coordinator for the Blue Ridge Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Collins and his wife Janie, a middle school math teacher, reside in the Fairy Stone Park Community with their five children.