For the past 23 years, only one number has mattered to Dick Rush: 2,000.

That’s about the number of members in The State Chamber of Oklahoma, the nation’s first accredited state chamber of commerce.

Now, as the chamber’s president and CEO prepares to retire after nearly a quarter decade of service, a new number looms on Rush’s horizon: 8.

The man who has helped put Oklahoma business on the map will chart a new course March 31 – one that will take him across the country to spend time with his eight grandchildren.

“They’re the love of my life,” Rush says. “They’re scattered all over the United States.”

A regular at the State Capitol and in Washington, D.C., he will venture to Portland, Ore., to see four grandkids and his oldest daughter. Two more grandchildren wait deep in the heart of Atlanta with Rush’s middle daughter, and two more with his son in Longmont, Colo.

PILGRIMAGES
Somewhere along the way, a few flies will invariably hit the water as he revisits one of his truest passions: fishing. It’s definitely on the agenda for Rush, who has made two pilgrimages to Alaska and Canada to wet his line. From there, who knows?

“My path beyond this is not yet charted, but I have no doubt something will be there when the time is correct for it to be there. It’s always been that way. I’ve been so blessed throughout this career I’ve had,” he says. “I really don’t think I’m going to be too far away from this mission. It’s been in my blood so long, and I don’t twiddle well.”

Looking back, Rush is proud of how the state’s business climate has changed and how much the chamber has grown. When he took over, The State Chamber had an annual operating budget of $485,000 and a staff of five.

Armed with those numbers, the chamber had to compete against states such as Florida, Michigan, Illinois and California – some of which have chamber budgets reaching the $40 million mark.

Now, the chamber’s budget has burgeoned to $4 million with a staff of 22, including 11 registered lobbyists.

“I’m most proud the business leadership of this state has really had a clarity of vision in understanding the importance of a strong state chamber of commerce,” he says.

Rush turns 65 on April 2. With his retirement effective March 31, he says it was the Oklahoma business community that chose the course of the chamber, not him.

“They stepped up and said, ‘Yes, we will invest in your mission,’” he says. “We’ve taken that vision and sold it to them on the basis that we’re going to do this, and if we don’t, we’ll send you your money back. We’ve had a money-back guarantee since I’ve been here and we’ve never had to turn back a dime. Our deeds and our words match.”