Murrysville man, former port authority executive, named Westmoreland chamber director

The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce is bumping up its game with the creation of a new post this month.

Chamber officials announced that Dan DeBone, a longtime executive with the Port Authority of Allegheny County, was appointed as its new executive director.

DeBone, 54, of Murrysville, will assist Chamber President and CEO Chad Amond. Amond, 46, who was diagnosed last year with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a progressive neurological illness that robs individuals of speech, remains at the helm of the organization he has led since 2011.

Chamber officials stressed that Amond will continue to play a vital role in the organization that counts approximately 1,000 businesses and nonprofits on it membership rolls and is the second largest Chamber in Pennsylvania.

Amond said he will continue to work with the chamber as long as possible. He hailed the appointment of DeBone as executive director.

“He’s a great person and he works very hard,” Amond said.

DeBone, who was hired following an extensive national search, said he is excited to work and learn beside Amond.

“Chad and I spend more time out of the office than behind our desks. We visit the restaurants, we visit the businesses and we listen to people who are struggling to fill positions,” he said. “The best ideas come from the people who own the businesses in the community and live and work in Westmoreland County. It’s important that we continue to listen to their ideas and objectives, and it’s important that we continue to move those objectives forward.”

The new chamber executive, who grew up in Scott Township, brings an extensive background in government and community relations gained during a 26-year career with the port authority. During his tenure there, he moved through the ranks and did outreach with government and community leaders, elected officials and PennDOT on a variety of transportation initiatives.

DeBone’s appointment was well-timed, said Jim Smith, president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Economic Growth Connection and a chamber board member.

“His reputation is outstanding,” Smith said. “He is an expert in transportation. That was one of the most exciting aspects of (his appointment) because, with the new (federal) infrastructure bill, we’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance transportation initiatives for Westmoreland County.”

DeBone has lived in Murrysville for 17 years, where he and his wife, Cheri, raised their daughter Maria, 23, and son Dominic, 21.

During that time, he has been active with the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association, the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Transportation Revitalization Investment District Board and the National American Public Transportation Association.

But, he said, some of the most important lessons he learned came from working in his parents’ family-owned bar and restaurant in Bridgeville.

“In a family-owned business, I learned to work hard and how to treat and work with people,” DeBone said. “Whether you came in and turned a wrench or were a professional business person, I learned it was really about treating people well and learning to work together.”