The Council for Quality Growth mourns the passing of James J. Maran who served as a Council board member for 10 years and President & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce from 2003 to 2012. Previously, he served as an officer for Motorola, Inc. with extensive experience in both national and international assignments, Jim Maran retired after 31 years and was asked to lead the Gwinnett Chamber. After serving nearly ten years as President & CEO, Jim Maran retired from the Chamber at the end of 2012.
As provided by the Gwinnett Chamber, during his tenure he helped recruit Fortune 500 firms like Asbury Automotive and NCR Corp. and saw a bevy of other influential firms like Suniva Inc. and RockTenn Corp. to locate and/or expand in the county. Under his leadership, the award-winning public/private community & economic development initiative—Partnership Gwinnett was launched, the Chamber instituted an unprecedented 401K plan for its employees, business focus was shifted to position the Chamber as a regional organization, and several new programs and initiatives were launched to address the needs of a growing and diversifying business community.
After his retirement, Jim remained active as a business management consultant leveraging his national and international management experience to assist the business endeavors of his associates.
The Council and business community are thankful to Jim for his support and leadership, as well as his contributions over the past decades and extend our sincere condolences to his family.