
Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Nan Baldwin, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s new CEO, at the Riverchase Galleria.
As 2024 draws to a close, we’re highlighting some of the top newsmakers along the 280 corridor from this year as part of our Newsmaker of the Year series. Today, we’re announcing one of our finalists: Nanette “Nan” Baldwin. We chose Nan Baldwin because of the vision she laid out for Hoover when she first took her new position at the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce that she would work to build bridges out in the community amongst a wide spectrum of groups that reflects the growth of Hoover. Check out our feature on Baldwin from July.
Nanette “Nan” Baldwin, the newly appointed CEO of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, said she’s bringing a commitment to community engagement into her new role.
With over 21 years of experience from the Birmingham Business Alliance and the Metropolitan Development Board, Baldwin said she wants to help drive economic growth and foster a thriving business environment in Hoover. She wants to enhance Hoover’s business landscape through strategic initiatives, collaboration and inclusivity.
“My vision is to elevate the chamber by providing programming for small businesses, networking opportunities and advocating for all businesses through public policy initiatives,” Baldwin said. “The chamber’s role is to support the city in attracting, recruiting and retaining businesses in Hoover and work in concert with the city’s economic development division.”
Baldwin said she’s on board with the chamber’s three-pronged, five-year joint strategic plan with the city of Hoover, titled “Elevate Hoover.”
The first goal aims to increase public awareness and marketing to showcase Hoover as a community and municipality within the Birmingham region, as well as promoting entrepreneurs and small and mid-size businesses and encouraging people to live, work and play in Hoover.
The second goal is to “be the voice of business” in Hoover and includes creating a legislative agenda with Hoover-centric priorities for the 2025 legislative session.
The third goal is to cultivate relationships with organizations to create a viable workforce. Baldwin plans to leverage advocacy, exposure and strategic partnerships.
“We envision partnering with organizations like the Small Business Administration to offer educational opportunities about various programs, services and funding opportunities,” she said. “By advocating for businesses, we can address issues that hinder their growth.”
The Birmingham native holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in public and private management from Birmingham-Southern College. She is also a 2017 graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management.
“IOM teaches you all the elements of running a chamber. … I believe it adequately prepared me for this role,” Baldwin said. “My primary leadership principle is one of teamwork and partnership. The chamber will work as a team with other organizations to provide services for businesses in Hoover to make us stronger.”
Baldwin discussed the chamber’s role in workforce development. “We want to create pipelines with two-year colleges and stronger connections with Hoover City Schools to bridge the gap between businesses and educational institutions. This alignment will address the skills needed by many of the businesses,” she said.
Baldwin also strives to ensure the Hoover chamber reflects the city’s diverse demographics. “Hoover is a melting pot, and I want the chamber to mirror that,” she said.
She wants the chamber to understand all the various communities in Hoover, engage with their leaders and invite them to the table, she said.
Inclusivity also is very important, Baldwin said. “We want to ensure all communities have access to programming and opportunities,” she said.
For example, if the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama is hosting a seminar, she wants the Hoover chamber to be involved so that it can inform its Hispanic counterparts and other businesses of valuable resources, she said.