Jackson Free Press

Sitting in a conference room at the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce wearing pearls and a kind smile, Cynthia Buchanan talks about her shift from the tobacco world to the community sector. After working for nine years at Brown and Williams, which was later bought out by R.J. Reynolds, Buchanan needed a change that would lead her to a more community-oriented field.

"I got burned out in sales. And of course the industry was ever-changing because of all the lawsuits. I wanted a career change. I wanted to do something different, something that had more community involvement," she says.

Now the vice president of the Chamber, Buchanan likes the change.

"I enjoy it because I learn so much about the community," she says. "It's good to just be involved and to know what is going on. Just to know that I am assisting or helping in some kind of way."

After moving to Jackson from Crystal Springs in 1989 to attend JSU, living in the capital city was the furthest thing from her mind. As the glamour of a larger city lured her, Jackson became just a gateway to the big city. "When I was in college, one of my dreams was that I had a desire to move to another city, a big city like Atlanta," she says.

But as fate would have it, Buchanan was offered a good job as a sales representative and stayed in Jackson to work for Brown and Williams, which was based in Louisville, Ky.

"Something just always kept me here. Jackson has a small-town feel, and I always enjoyed it here," Buchanan says.

Now with the Chamber, Buchanan works on many projects to help progress economic development in Jackson.

Bringing businesses together from around the city, Buchanan helped put on Red, White and Jackson, a celebration of Jackson's entrepreneurs, July 3. By getting business people in the same area in a laid-back atmosphere, people had the chance to relax before Independence Day and get to know some of the other businesses around the area.

Outside the Chamber, Buchanan is involved at Anderson United Methodist Church with United Methodist Women and other clubs. She is also a member of the Junior League of Jackson where she works with other community programs.

While Buchanan has gone places she hasn't expected, she is grateful to be where she is now. "I have met so many people that I would have never have come into contact with. I've built relationships that, if I wasn't here, I would have never made those relationships," Buchanan says. "I have grown professionally, and I've grown personally just from being here and learning about what goes on."

Previous Comments

ID

132052

Comment

I met Cynthia over the weekend. She's such a pleasure. Congrats on your achievements. L

Author

Queen601

Date

2008-07-14T11:08:13-06:00