After years of recruiting multi-million dollar industries to the area, Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Peggy Smith is turning her attention to the community’s future growth in a new role with the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.

Smith will be filing her retirement with the City of Cullman in the coming days and accepting a contract position with the chamber to lead the effort of a five-year plan for community growth named Converging for Success. The plan identifies several areas of concern in the community, from drawing and retaining more young professionals to having a larger variety of housing, entertainment, greater entrepreneurship, education and marketing of the area’s assets. The announcement was made Thursday night by chamber President and CEO Leah Bolin at the organization’s 74th Annual Meeting and Gala.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about for some time,” Smith said. “I think having a plan that looks at the whole community is important. This will allow us to analyze areas such as housing, for example, and how to recruit and maintain our best and brightest to remain here.”

Smith said she expected a 30- to 45-day period to pass for her retirement to become effective. While she will maintain an office at the chamber, she will continue to be available to the city as needed for economic development. Her position with the chamber will be through a contract agreement.

Her longtime assistant director, Dale Greer, said Smith’s successful career in economic development and strategic planning should serve the chamber and the community well.

“There’s not a better person you could find to lead an initiative like this,” Greer said. “What I see out of this is a great partnership. I think we get better guidance and a fill a gap in some of our efforts in the community through her experience, ability and leadership in this role. It’s a win-win for us and the community.”

The Cullman area has experienced a surge in industrial and retail growth in recent years. While unemployment is low and businesses continue to arrive in the area, there has been concern over the availability of different ranges of housing, attracting higher paying jobs, and maintaining growth steadily.