The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce shall be the preeminent leader of business in order to ensure the economic growth and vitality of our community. The St. Petersburg Area Chamber convenes key players through the region to ensure St. Pete is the best place to live, work and play, and facilitates programs and events to become a community for start-ups and entrepreneurs. The St. Petersburg Area Chamber also educates leaders, mobilizes members on local issues, provides networking and marketing opportunities and creates better ways for members to benefit from the natural St. Petersburg tourism destination. The chamber offers every member the sense of belonging to the city and business community.

Chris Steinocher, President & CEO, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce

Chris Steinocher is President and CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Chamber in February of 2011 and is responsible for the vision, strategic direction and overall operations of the Chamber. 

Prior to the Chamber,Chris was with the Tampa Bay Partnership as COO and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, a job he held for 17 years, helping start the regional economic development group. Chris was also the AVP of Marketing for Fortune Bank, a Tampa Bay based bank with 46 branch locations throughout. He has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and community development, most of which have been in the St. Petersburg region. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Emory University. His current post is a coming home of sorts for him as he was first employed at the Chamber nearly three decades ago. He’s been a resident of St. Petersburg for nearly 30 years along with his wife, Juli. They are the proud parents of two boys.

His professional goal with the Chamber is to ensure this city does everything it can to be so attractive to his two boys that they’ll never want to move to another market – after all, isn’t that every parent’s desire? His personal goal is to be the starting 2nd baseman for the Kids & Kubs softball team in the year 2039.