HAMILTON — If a trivia game existed for Butler County, Mel Less would win every round. He knows more about the area than most politicians, yet he has never been elected to public office.

        The president and chief operating officer of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce says he is informed because he attends council meetings and serves on community boards.

        Come July, however, that commitment will end when Mr. Less retires after nine years of helping business and government interact better.

        Mr. Less predicts a brightening future for Hamilton, despite the economic setbacks that have occurred in the last five years.

        “The nightmare is opening the newspaper and seeing, "So and So Shutting Down,' ” he said. “We've had to step up our marketing program and fill the gap with smaller businesses. We've done everything we can to help — even putting magnetic signs on our cars to tell about the chamber.”

        Mr. Less, 65, was born in Detroit, and earned a degree in marketing at Wayne State University. He started his career at Bendix in Detroit, and in 1967 came to Hamilton to work at the Mosler Safe Co.

        “Hamilton was a wonderful location after coming from the inner city,” he said.

        In 1993, after 26 years in marketing at Mosler, Mr. Less heard about a job opening at the chamber. He applied, and, to his surprise, was hired.

        “I think one thing they saw in me was I was active in the community and business,” he said. “But I knew nothing about chambers. I had to come in here and learn it, especially the leadership part.”

        He learned quickly, and helped the 600-member group develop and promote new programs such as Rediscover Hamilton.

        “It has a lot of potential,” he said. “We have some areas of town that are struggling, such as Route 4. So we got this organization together to help. We'll do things to improve the appearance of the area and attract new businesses.”

        Hamilton is limited in its ability to expand because of the unavailability of large tracts of empty land.

        “It's no secret why West Chester has grown so large — it's near Interstate 75 and it has had vacant land,” he said.

        Councilman Richard Holzberger admires Mr. Less for his knowledge and attending every Hamilton council meeting.

        “Mel has been a great ambassador for the city and chamber,” Mr. Holzberger said. “He has been very effective in communicating between all groups, and his leaving is going to be a void.”

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