New Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce president to focus on community, small business

SAGINAW, MI — In July, Eugene Seals, Jr. took the reigns as president and CEO of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, making him the first Black person to assume the role. Since May of 2021, Seals had been the chamber’s director of membership and sponsorship sales as well as director of the chamber’s Momentum program. Now as president and CEO, Seals said his goal is to make the chamber more reflective of the community and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses that lack access. Seals sat down with MLive’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Editor Bob Johnson to lay out his plan. Here’s what he said: What is your vision for Saginaw County? Seals: “The Chamber has been around for 161 years. I want us to have more of a county focus. We’ve been city-focused for a long time. We are trying to put a focus on small businesses as well. We also want to make sure our business community looks like the community we serve. We have maybe 5% African American businesses and almost no other minority ethnicity. White males were our major demographic. We want the chamber to be the chamber for everyone in the county so...