VERO BEACH — At its recent 2016 annual meeting, the Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce elected Robert McCabe as its President and Chief Executive Officer. He brings an extensive business background to the Vero Beach Chamber with CEO and CFO positions managing the operations of a variety of businesses in a number of industries domestically and internationally.
Furthermore, he has led other business organizations, serving as Chairman of the Genesee County (Flint, Michigan) Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Genesee County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a board member of the Genesee County Economic Growth Alliance. He was also Chairman of City of Cortland, Ohio’s By-Law Review Commission.
McCabe is also currently Vice Chair of Finance and Treasurer of the Treasure Coast Chapter of SCORE presenting workshops and mentoring people interested in starting-up or growing their own small business. SCORE was established by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Working with the Vero Beach Chamber’s Board of Directors, McCabe has set some aggressive goals for 2016, the Chamber’s third year of operation, to emphasize the Chamber’s motto “Think Vero First”.
McCabe grew up in Cambridge, Mass., and went to Cornell University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA in finance. At Cornell he played ice hockey and then became assistant varsity coach and business manager when the team won NCAA national championships in 1967 and 1970.
He began a 32-year career with General Motors Corporation in its New York City treasurer’s office rising to membership on the corporation’s top one hundred key executives group. A wide variety of assignments at GM took him to six continents managing various aspects of businesses ranging from automotive manufacturing and assembly, appliance manufacturing, after market service, electronics manufacturing and sales, to designing, manufacturing and sales of off-highway earthmoving equipment, this assignment while based in Scotland, UK.
Although GM had no facilities in Florida, one of McCabe’s responsibilities often took him to the Sunshine State over several years when he was selected to lead the GM team negotiating with the Walt Disney organization for sponsorship of the company’s “World of Motion” pavilion at EPCOT. After finalizing the sponsorship agreement, McCabe was GM’s contract administrator during the construction of EPCOT.
Following GM, McCabe was Managing Director of a turnaround managing consulting firm. In this position he was appointed CEO or CFO of a number of domestic and international businesses to determine their viability and in several cases eventually to manage the dissolution of the firms for the benefit of his clients.
Planning is well-underway at the Chamber for the first of this year’s signature events – the Vero Beach Pirate Festival to be held July 29-31, which is expected to attract 20,000 visitors to the city after last year’s very successful inaugural event. This will be followed by the Vero Beach Veterans Parade on Nov. 11, and then the Vero Beach Christmas Boat Parade in December.
Another major goal is the establishment of the Vero Beach Economic Development Council to collect and disseminate economic data specific to the City of Vero Beach and provide a forum to review key issues impacting the vitality of the local business community.
