Jeff Rea is the current president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, a role that he has held since September 2010. In his position, Rea represents the interests of more than 1,100 member businesses with more than 85,000 employees in North Central Indiana and Southwest Lower Michigan. Rea guides the Chamber efforts in their three strategic areas of focus: economic development, public policy/advocacy and destination marketing.Before coming to the Chamber, Rea served as Mayor of the City of Mishawaka, Ind. for 6-1/2 years. During his time as mayor, Rea guided Mishawaka to record economic growth, all while reducing the size of the city budget and the number of city employees. His focus on the efficiency of operations, process improvement and elimination of waste put the city in a strong financial position during difficult economic times.Prior to his time as mayor, Rea served as economic development director and city planner for Mishawaka, working to create the right environment for private investment and growth through a business-friendly approach. Rea comes from a family of small business owners, owning theTribe-O-Rea Drug Store in Mishawaka (53 years) and the Cumberland Pharmacy in Bourbon, Ind. (55 years). It is there where Rea learned at a very young age the value of small business and its importance to the success of the local economy.