Wilheit: New state chamber chief picked

ATLANTA - George M. Israel III was named Monday the President and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the state&#39;s largest business organization. Israel, a former Mayor of Macon, currently serves as President and CEO of Secure Health Plans of Georgia, LLC of Macon.<br> <br> The 54-year-old native of Macon served as Macon mayor between 1979 and 1987. He has 23 years experience as a Chief Executive Officer with organizations consisting of between six and 1,100+ employees in the area of government, real estate sales management and development, property management and managed health care.<br> <br> &#34;We all felt like George had a unique set of talents that would be beneficial to the business climate of Georgia,&#34; said Wilheit, immediate past chairman of the state chamber. <br> <br> Wilheit added that the search committee started out with a list of 25-30 &#34;top quality&#34; candidates for the job, vacated by Lindsay Thomas in May when he stepped down to accept a job with Atlanta Gas Light.<br> <br> &#34;We narrowed it down to a very strong five candidates and had to make a tough decision,&#34; Wilheit said.