Boulder Economic Council taps new executive director

This story has been updated.

BOULDER — Scott Sternberg, the former president of the American arm of Finnish sensor maker Vaisala Inc., was hired as the new head of the Boulder Economic Council.

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In a statement Wednesday morning, the Boulder Chamber said Sterberg will come on immediately to lead the group as it devises strategies for economic recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The Boulder Economic Council is a subsidiary that manages the Boulder Chamber’s economic development efforts. Its last leader was Clif Harald, who left the position in March after nine years to focus on his private consulting business.

Sternberg most recently ran his own consulting firm in Louisville, and was president of Vaisala’s U.S. arm in Louisville from 2011 to 2017. He also previously worked in marketing and business development for niche product engineering firm Roper Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ROP) from 1998 to 2004.

He previously sat on the boards of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, CO-LABS Inc. and Colorado State University’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability.

In an interview with BizWest, Sternberg said he took the job after years in the corporate world because he wanted to do “high impact” work.

“This for me gives me an opportunity to take my skill set, my experience, and and really roll my sleeves up and start working as part of the solution to what these businesses are challenged with,” he said.

Boulder Chamber president John Tayer said Sternberg’s hire comes as the Chamber looks to support local companies during the current pandemic and during the recovery, including both struggling small businesses and tech giants like Google and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) that have experienced huge levels of growth as the pandemic forced much of everyday life online.

“We have the opportunity to do better, to create a more resilient, or more equitable economy as a consequence of the response to COVID-19,” he said.