New Chamber of Commerce President Hopes to Help Downtown Thrive

She's the new girl in town, the new kid on the block, a vivacious bundle of charm and business know-how, as well as the new president of the Rye Chamber of Commerce.

Among other things, Lisa Summa-Guarino, 38, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of Capital One Bank on Purchase Street, is determined to make today's Chamber-sponsored Annual Sidewalk Sale a successful event.

Summa-Guarino came to Capital One after working in a variety of positions. She majored in communications and public relations and minored in business at the College of New Rochelle. She also worked for a few local television stations and was working in a floral shop when a local bank executive came in and asked if she had ever thought about working at a bank. Summa-Guarino learned the business by first becoming a teller and worked her way up.

Her willingness to adapt has helped in her career, but will also be key in leading the Chamber.

She is so determined to put Rye on the tourism map as a prime "staycation" destination that she is distributing the Chamber's free map and visitor's guide to various area hotels such as the Rye Town Hilton and Marriott Courtyard in a bid to promote Rye's shopping, dining, recreation and cultural centers.

With a showman's flair that comes from her previous career in local television, Summa-Guarino wants to make sure that the Chamber and its 130 members–from Andy's Pure Food to Rags to YL Event Design-Floral Boutique–keep putting its best collective foot forward while continuing to attract new members.

Towards that end, she keeps in close contact with the membership, seeing that as part of her mission.

"I will continue to gather the voice of the Chamber members and communicate their message to City Hall and City Council," she told Patch. Among other things, she is pushing a petition drive that is circulating in opposition to any proposed parking increase for the downtown shopping district, she said.

She also said she sees an expansion of existing businesses despite the economic downturn and a multiple of empty storefronts in downtown Rye.

"We continue to see growth in Rye," she said, pointing to a recent influx of new business, including stores selling cosmetics, clothes, shoes, even physical fitness.

Summa-Guarino also sees the current "Staycation" climate as good for Rye as more and more people are looking to vacation closer to home as a way of saving a buck.

Sally Wright, a former Chamber president as well as an executive with the Rye YMCA, likes hearing that kind of talk. She calls Ms. Guarino "bright and energetic, someone who volunteers and realizes the importance of an active Chamber. Lisa brings a skill set to the job that will help the Chamber grow."

Summa-Guarino says walking the Rye walk is as important as talking the Chamber talk.

"It's important to be active, share your voice, connect with other merchants and give back to the community," she says.

"Lisa brings great communications skills to her job as Chamber president, and is an upbeat, fun person to be with, and that's so important," said Nicola Lopez, a relationship banker at Capital One where she works with Summa-Guarino.

Indeed, Summa-Guarino wasted no time getting involved with the Chamber, joining almost as soon as she assumed her Capital One position here last October, showing up at one of their regular Wednesday morning meetings.

She was impressed by the way the Chamber kept talking about a downtown business renaissance despite the economy, pointing to the recent openings of Benefit Cosmetics and Shoes'N'More, which took over the former Plaza Too space on Purchase Street when it closed after 23 years on Purchase Street. Weezie D, a new trendy clothing store, also has just opened in a portion of the long vacant Sam Goody's Purchase Street space, as did Body Focus, a physical fitness training center that moved into the old Panache clothing store after it closed this year.

Summa-Guarino is also looking to attract new blood to the Chamber.

She has wasted no time volunteering for various community activities and Chamber-sponsored events.

She did that by, among other things, helping promote the Chamber-sponsored Rye Farmers Market on Sundays. She also was instrument in getting Capital One to match the Chamber's $2000 college scholarship award to Peter O'Sullivan, a CVS employee who was one of seven candidates in the running for the scholarship awarded to college-bound seniors who display leadership and community service skills. 

Then there is the community table she set up at the entrance to the Capital One Bank, a treasure trove of community information. Items there range from magazines such as Westchester Family and the Westchester Parent Source Book to local newspapers to the Rye Visitors Guide, illustrated with historic pictures ranging from the Square House to Wainwright House, Playland and the Rye Arts Center, all of which coincide with Summa-Guarino's effort to make Rye a place where people not only want to live and do business, but also visit.

"We are looking to invite new visitors to Rye," she said. "Making Rye a destination by providing local hotels with our visitor guide and continuing to introduce new people to the area will help the community thrive and grow."