Less than 18 months after he was named CEO of the Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce, Jeff Sandford is out. Sandford left the chamber after a recent meeting of the chamber board, according to the Gaston Gazette. Retired Firestone executive Fred Padgett will serve as interim CEO. George Ratchford, chamber chairman, told the Gazette that the board would conduct a nationwide search for a new CEO. Sandford came to the job from the Texarkana USA Chamber and started work in Gastonia in December 2014.…