David Schaffert will leave the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce at the end of 2026, closing a 28-year run as president and CEO.

Schaffert, 61, told The Olympian on Tuesday, Sept. 1, that the organization is in a good place with its staff and board of directors.

"Twenty-eight years is a good run and a good time for me to personally step away," he said.

The departure opens a leadership search at the chamber, which serves Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater and counts about 1,400 business members.

The board met in July for its annual planning session and used that meeting to establish a recruitment plan for the next president and CEO, according to a chamber news release. The goal is to complete the transition by year's end.

When Schaffert started in August 1998, the chamber had about 700 members. Membership doubled under his watch.

He also built several programs that became fixtures of the local business calendar: Boss of the Year, which recognizes business leadership; Thurston Green Business, which honors environmentally friendly operations; and State of the Community, an annual forum for civic leaders across Thurston County.

Board chair Tessa Bradley said in a statement that Schaffert demonstrated deep commitment to the chamber's mission and helped position it as a leading voice for local business.

Schaffert said local entrepreneurship remains strong but pointed to three headwinds facing business owners: workforce shortages, shifting employee expectations and a regulatory environment he described as getting harder on small businesses.

The chamber's own 2026 Quality of Life Index, released Aug. 14, found the business-climate grade fell from 2.17 to 1.81, the largest drop among 20 categories measured, according to ThurstonTalk.

One of Schaffert's final projects as CEO is the 2026 Future of Work Summit, scheduled for Oct. 14 at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, according to MyNorthwest.

The half-day event focuses on workforce challenges and features a keynote by Jasmine Donovan, president and CEO of Dick's Drive-In. Tickets are $85.

Schaffert said he is retiring from the chamber but not necessarily from work. He has no second career lined up but plans to take his time figuring out what comes next.