Costa Mesa : Chamber of Commerce Executive to Leave Post

Nate Reade, the executive manager of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, announced he will retire June 30 after 10 years on the job.

Reade, 64, told a Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday that he is looking forward “to being able to watch Monday night football” and spending time with his family.

Although Reade said he was not under any pressure from chamber executives to retire, his decision to leave marks the changing of the guard at the chamber, as its members seek more influence on local governmental affairs.

Since a grass-roots campaign of local homeowners elected two “slow-growth candidates” to the five-member City Council in 1984, C. J. Segerstrom & Sons and other developers have had a harder time getting their projects approved.

A selection committee to find Reade’s replacement will be headed by Malcolm Ross, a Segerstrom executive and president of the chamber.

In a written statement, Ross said:”Nate Reade’s contribution to the city and the chamber membership, in an era of unprecedented growth, will be greatly missed.”

During Reade’s tenure, the chamber’s membership has climbed from 700 to 1,100 members. Reade, who also spent 16 years on the Costa Mesa Planning Commission, was honored in 1983 as Orange Coast College’s Outstanding Citizen and was named the 1986 Angel of the Year by the Harbor Key Club of Child Guidance of Orange County.