Richards leads chamber’s board

Mike Richards, manager of the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, is the new chairman of the county Chamber of Commerce’s board of trustees.

He took over from Jamie LaCouture at the chamber’s 45th annual meeting and anniversary celebration Feb. 20.

Richards joined the chamber’s board after becoming the fairgrounds manager in early 2020. He served as the board’s secretary and treasurer, then was asked to become vice chairman last year.

He retired as Newton’s police chief to take the job at the fairgrounds after more than 30 years on the force.

As chairman, Richards runs board meetings and works closely with Tammie Horsfield, who has been the chamber’s president for 35 years.

The board chairman attends all chamber events and encourages businesses to participate in the organization.

Only four businesses have been chamber members since its founding as the Kittatinny Recreation and Tourist Association in 1970: the New Jersey Herald, Perona Farms, Space Farms Zoo & Museum and the Sussex County Fairgrounds.

“Being one of those four and now having their manager of the fairgrounds (me) become the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is pretty neat,” Richards said.

The chamber promotes the county at tourism and business functions and provides a networking platform for local businesses and organizations to promote themselves.

“From all walks of life and all types of businesses, it gets everyone together so that the world kind of becomes smaller,” he said. “From folks up Vernon to Hopatcong in the south part of Sussex County, all get these opportunities to get to know each other.”

Business owners may not know someone who can assist them with a problem, but as chamber members, they may be only a couple handshakes away from someone who could help them or become their next client, he pointed out.

Fairgrounds manager

Richards took the fairgrounds job because his connections to that organization run deep.

He volunteered there when he was a boy because his grandfather, Walter Richards, was running the fairgrounds. The Richards Building there is named for his grandfather.

An additional attraction was Richards’ love for helping nonprofit organizations succeed.

One of chamber’s biggest annual events is Sussex County Day, which is held at the fairgrounds in September and includes local governments, nonprofits and school groups in addition to businesses.

When Richards is not working with the chamber or the fairgrounds, he can be found beekeeping. The hobby started when his son was a teenager and expressed interest in it.

The two bonded over it, and beekeeping has become a family affair.

They now have nine hives and collect honey that they sell to friends and family.

Now Richards’ four children are grown up, he has been shifting his focus to celebrating 30 years of marriage with his wife, Lexi.