Co-Founder of Cambridge Business Incubator Becomes Haverhill Chamber CEO

Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dougan Sherwood. (Courtesy file photograph.)

Dougan Sherwood is the new president and CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. (Courtesy photograph.)

Dougan Sherwood, co-founder of the Cambridge Innovation Center, has been hired as the new president and CEO of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce.

Sherwood, who succeeds Beverly Donovan as the business organization’s chief, comes to the Chamber in a renewed collaboration with the Greater Haverhill Foundation, one of the developers of Harbor Place, downtown.

“Haverhill has so much to offer and so much going for it,” said Sherwood in a statement Friday. “Strong manufacturing, a downtown with great structures, a beautiful waterfront and a wonderful community and quality of life. Add to this smart investment in new developments and the commitment of UMass Lowell, there’s a lot of good stuff going on that we can build from.  I can’t wait to be a part of it all.”

Dougan spent the past decade as a senior member of Cambridge Innovation Center, provider of workspaces, co-working space and laboratories for startup businesses. “His work in Kendall Square and in other cities throughout the United States and abroad have given him a broad set of experiences and a unique skill set that he believes can be applied just as well in Haverhill as it can in other future forward cities,” said a statement.

The Greater Haverhill Foundation will help pay Sherwood’s salary. The Haverhill Chamber and Greater Haverhill Foundation worked together previously on major projects and economic development initiatives, including a shared executive agreement. The recent search for a Chamber president sparked discussions of reviving the collaboration.

The Chamber and Foundation listed the following coals for its new collaboration:

1) Initiate strategies to recruit new businesses to Haverhill

2) Investigate and implement strategies to promote existing Haverhill Business retention/expansion

3) Work to address identified local needs and confirm the value of Chamber membership and involvement, based upon a recent GHF business park company survey

4) Develop and initiate City of Haverhill image marketing and promotional efforts

5) Create and facilitate an impactful downtown Haverhill waterfront calendar of current and expanded programming

6) Facilitate the successful relocation of the Farmers Market to downtown

7) Implement strategies for the promotion and development of Haverhill as an active recreational inland harbor

8) Recruit and lease prospects for existing available Harbor Place commercial/retail space and other downtown Haverhill sites