WARNER ROBINS -- Community business members welcomed the new head of the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce at a reception Thursday.

Morgan Law, who served as executive director of the Houston County Development Authority for more than a decade, is no stranger to the local business community. He officially started his new role as president and chief executive officer of the chamber Monday.

“It’s an adjustment,” Law said, between mingling with chamber members at the organization’s Watson Boulevard building. “Having been at the Development Authority for 11 years and coming here, it’s a matter of getting a sense of being here and seeing how the staff works.”

He said it’s been eye-opening to see all of the events the chamber is involved in, and in the coming weeks he hopes to hit the ground running once he gets a feel for the operation. In his first few days, Law said, he has made one small, but fitting, change -- the ribbons used at chamber ribbon-cutting ceremonies will now be red, white and blue.

“We’re very fortunate to get him,” said Aura Lee Durham, senior vice president for the chamber. “There’s virtually no learning curve. He already knows all the players, so he can dive right in and continue building on some of the relationships we’ve built in the past.”

Law said the chamber’s top priority is doing everything it can to support the proposed Houston County special purpose local option sales tax, which residents will vote on March 6.

He also wants to focus on supporting Robins Air Force Base during this transitional time and enhancing customer service at the chamber building.

Law’s appointment as chamber president left a vacancy the Development Authority is searching to fill. The deadline to apply for the open executive director position is Feb. 10, he said.

In the meantime, as his former employer adjusts, Law said he has been “on immediate standby.”

Still, Durham called the appointment a “win-win for everybody.” On top of the chamber finding a qualified leader, we get to keep some good talent in the area,” she said.

Law previously led the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce for more than three years before landing in Houston County.

The chamber’s board of directors announced Law’s appointment in January, nearly three months after former president Ed Rodriguez left to head a chamber in Alabama.

To contact writer Caryn Grant, call 256-9751.