LEWISTON— David P. Lacki may have spent the past two decades working in Buffalo, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t familiar with the surroundings that are the focus of his new job as president of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce.

His sister-in-law, Margaret “Peg” Lacki, runs the theater department at Niagara University, and his sister, Gertrude Lacki, is a Franciscan nun at Stella Niagara.

“We’ve been coming to the area since I was 5 . . . ,” said Lacki, now 52, who started his new job last week. “I started [in the tourist trades] as a Niagara Falls tour guide, so I’ve come full circle.”

Lacki left his position as director of tourism for the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau to head the Chamber, the kind of post he has wanted for a long time.

He had worked for 23 years in Buffalo and has long appreciated the idea of selling all of Western New York as a travel destination.

“Regionalism is the way to go,” he said. “I think this Chamber is one of the few Cham-

bers which understands regionalism, partnerships and working together. I remember when a lot of these attractions started, and I’ve been promoting them for over 20 years.”

Lacki has taken charge of the four-person staff of the Lower River Chamber, which represents business interests in Lewiston, Youngstown, Porter, Ransomville and Sanborn.

Cara Turner, who had been serving as interim president, will return to her position as director of marketing. Former President Sandy Hays Mies will remain as a consultant until September.

Salary figures were not made available.

Lacki took over at the beginning of a midyear summer membership drive. He said he already sees great potential for growth. The Chamber stands at 410 members and also will be looking outside the immediate area.

“When you show leadership, people will jump on the train,” Lacki told The Buffalo News last week. “Even if you are part of another Chamber, we are certainly going to support you.”

He said now that passports are required to enter Canada, tour operators will be looking for more things to do on the American side after they visit Niagara Falls.

“There is a whole sort of trend of Americana and agriculture,” Lacki said. “Another thing I’d like to do is work with other regions, like the Finger Lakes and Chautauqua. There’s a tremendous number of ways to go here, and that’s what lured me to this position.”

He said he is a strong believer in regionalism, and while his primary market will be the Niagara River region, he will look for ways to promote the region to Buffalo, Rochester and, in 2010, Southern Ontario and Toronto.

“The festivals really run themselves, and we are not really in the festival business per se, but our job is selling and marketing the festivals so people from outside the area come in,” Lacki said. “Our customer is the sophisticated traveler, not really [into] Ferris wheels. We are a little more culturally based, with American history at Fort Niagara, the Underground Railroad movement, geology.

“Kids don’t really study that until early high school. It’s all targeted. The days of shotgun marketing are over. It’s too expensive. That’s why the Internet is so interesting. It focuses down to a specific niche interest.”

He said one of the things on his “to do list” may to be change the group’s name and change the name of the “northofthefalls” Web site. Lacki said he would like to see the word “Lower” taken out the Chamber name and see the word “Niagara” be put back into the Web site.

“North of what falls? You’ve got to get the word Niagara in when people are searching online. If we could become the Niagara River Chamber of Commerce I would be really happy,” Lacki said.

Lacki, who lives in Kenmore with his wife, Susan, said that in Buffalo the re-emergence as a cultural center with access to Niagara Falls was something that he worked on. He said the Lewiston area will fit right into this marketing.

“We have 17 colleges and universities within 50 miles of here,” he said. “We have two schools right here.”

Lacki said agri-tourism also is big, and growing.

“I love Lewiston,” he said. “I really wanted the opportunity to run this thing.”

Lacki said he thinks that’s what the board liked about him is that he brought a different perspective, but also really understood the area.

He started at the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce before the Buffalo Convention and Visitors Bureau existed, and he said he understands Chamber mentality. He worked previous to that as a tour operator in Lake Placid and Lake George. He also served for the past 20 years as the director of the Greater Niagara Region, a co-op in tourism groups in Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties.

Lacki said the timing of his departure from the Buffalo CVB during the agency’s recent shake-up had nothing to do with the resignation of Rich Geiger.

Erie County Executive Chris Collins has pushed for change in the agency.

Several board members, including Chairwoman Jennifer Parker, also resigned when Drew Cerza, National Chicken Wing Festival Festival founder, was named Geiger’s interim replacement.

Parker confirmed that Lacki had been looking for a position since last year but is good friends with Cerza.

“He’s always has had aspirations for more,” Parker said. “Now, we should be able to work together as a whole region.”