Chamber Picks New President

The Orange County Chamber of Commerce said Friday it has chosen Kenneth E. Moore to succeed Lucien D. Truhill, who retired June 15 after 30 years as president and chief executive of one of the county’s oldest and largest trade organizations.

Moore, 48, is executive vice president of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, where he has worked closely with that state’s government and industrial development organizations in the last 16 years to keep businesses in Oklahoma.

His Orange County job will entail similar responsibilities when he starts work in October, said Leland E. Oliver, chairman of the chamber’s selection committee.

In the last two years, the county has lost a number of companies and jobs to other states as a result of rising housing costs, a higher standard of living and tough state and county environmental regulations. One of the chamber’s goals is to dissuade companies from leaving as well as to lure out-of-state companies to move into the area.

Moore said he visited Orange County on three occasions for interviews in the last three months before he was finally offered the position two weeks ago. His acceptance ends the trade group’s seven-month search.

Truhill said Friday that he plans to work part time as an economic development consultant.

“I’m not interested in actively pursuing business, but if somebody has a job that I find interesting, I might do it,” he said.