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She may be a Baltimore native and a Hagerstown resident, but Kerry Turner has come to feel at home at the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce.

"I fell in love with the Mount Airy chamber," said Turner, 32, the group's new president. "I think it's a great organization with great people."

Turner, who holds a bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism management from Virginia Tech, is circulation service manager at the Frederick News-Post. When she joined the paper eight years ago, she sold advertising, including in Mount Airy. She joined the chamber soon thereafter and has been a member for the last seven years. She succeeds Aaron Khan as president.

Khan called Turner a "real go-getter" who has "never been afraid to come up with new ideas."

"Kerry correctly recognizes that the organization's strength comes from its volunteers," Khan said.

Turner has served on the chamber's board and on multiple committees, including the committee for its annual expo, which she described as a "business event with a community feel." Besides business vendors, the expo hosts Operation Kidsafe, a nationwide fingerprinting identification service for children, and the American Red Cross, which holds a blood drive there.

Turner noted the growth of the Mount Airy chamber from when she joined, with its membership increasing from about 50 to more than 300. Turner attributed the rapid growth to the fact that the chamber has members from Frederick, Carroll and Montgomery counties and that it offers affordable benefits to members.

The Mount Airy chamber also works closely with the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, Turner said, holding one or two joint networking events a year. Also, the Mount Airy chamber sends a representative to Frederick County chamber meetings.

M. Richard Adams, CEO of the Frederick County chamber, said in an e-mail to The Gazette that his organization has always had a good relationship with the Mount Airy chamber and added that it was the first local chamber to establish a partnership with the Frederick chamber.

"We look forward to working with Kerry and will continue to offer our support to the Mount Airy chamber," Adams said.

Turner said the Mount Airy chamber also works in a similar capacity with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber has several new members who are starting up businesses as a second career, Turner said.

"You have to go back to the basics; you can't assume costumers are going to walk through the door," Turner said of small businesses. "Retail everywhere is down," Turner said, including the Mount Airy region.

However, retailers have said sales began to pick up late last year and last month, she said.

The chamber also participated in a "20 on the 20th" promotion that was held throughout Carroll County on Dec. 20, when local shoppers were encouraged to spend $20 at a local business, Turner said.

Turner said she feels "very strongly" about the ability to grow a business through an all-volunteer organization such as the Mount Airy chamber.

"It's exciting to me to be able to help lead other businesses to be successful," she said.

E-mail Chris Huntemann at chuntemann@gazette.net.