A Welcome Addition

Susan Gregory's path to the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce

By KATHRYN WILEY » Photos by CAROLE SHEPARDSON

Susan Gregory first came to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau as a child. She and her parents would make the trek up from St. Petersburg, Florida, to visit her grandparents' vacation home in Glenville. They bought property above the Hamburg Baptist Church cemetery on Hwy 107 in a neighborhood overlooking the lake. At the time, Lake Glenville was Thorpe Reservoir and had not gained status as an upscale waterfront community. It was more of a sleepy fishing retreat with scattered cabins along its shore.

The cabin in Glenville stayed in the family, and Gregory’s trips to the plateau continued into adulthood. By 2017, she was visiting during winters with the idea of perhaps making it her permanent home. “I wanted to be realistic and make sure I really liked it. And I loved it.” However, how she would transition from being an attorney in St. Petersburg, FL, to a full-time resident on the plateau was not clear.

Then, in early winter 2020, she and her parents were here together as her father recovered from a medical procedure.  The world as they knew it would be shut down in a matter of days. The COVID-19 virus would soon reach pandemic proportions, and they were among the most vulnerable. She has asthma, and her parents due to their age. They decided to wait it out here. Gregory says, “I describe it as the frog in a pot of boiling water. You think it’s just going to blow over.” Weeks turned into months, then years, as she settled into caring for her parents and working remotely.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Susan Gregory is a Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce (CACC) Leadership Cashiers Class of 2022 graduate. “I had found this wonderful combination of being in the place I loved my whole life and a way to learn about it from within.” She was tapped to join the Chamber’s board of directors and began to connect with other community leaders and participate in efforts to guide development in Cashiers. She felt driven to help develop lines of communication between all groups of stakeholders, share information and ideas, and decide the best way forward together.

Her work as a volunteer led to Gregory becoming an employee of the Chamber late in the summer of 2023 when Thomas Taulbee was promoted after Stephanie Edwards resigned. Gregory was hired to replace him as Visitor Center Manager. She was happy to be working for a well-known and respected colleague and felt they would work well together. But it was not to be. He died unexpectedly only 47 days later, devastating the community and leaving Gregory without the partner and mentor she anticipated working with for years. A few weeks later, she lost her mother too.

It was not until early the following year that the Chamber could complete its search for new leadership. Not surprisingly, she was chosen as Executive Director to continue the work she feels so passionate about. Her background in law and non-profits is a compelling combination, but perhaps her love for the area is as important. She cares deeply about small businesses, the environment, sustainable development, and a vibrant community.

She sees many opportunities for the business community that the Chamber can help facilitate. Whether leading the charge or supporting others, she wants to do more and says she is inspired by how many people get involved and care about their neighbors. Being an effective leader in all of this is a goal she works hard to accomplish.

It is interesting to watch Gregory formulate new ideas in real-time. For instance, we discussed her hope to develop an internship program to help the Chamber of Commerce staff the visitor center and the organization’s many initiatives. Gregory also likes the idea of the Chamber leading the business community in creating internships. She said, “I’m kicking the framework around right now. How would that look?”

She is currently very busy with the Chamber’s new website. It has many new features, and she is excited about programming it to maximize its functionality. She sees it as a robust tool for members but also for promoting the area to visitors, new business ventures and people considering purchasing a home. For residents, she wants it to be full of meaningful information about their community.

Around Cashiers, Susan Gregory is a welcome addition who can be relied on for her calm demeanor and analytical approach to solving problems and moving projects forward. On a personal level, she hopes to own a small farm someday, maybe with a creek running through it and a quiet place to write. Chances are, she will find a way and do it very well.