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ChambertheConnection
A bimonthly newsletter of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, Visitor & Convention Bureau, and Economic Development Commission
By Tim Ritchie, Home Motors, Chamber Board ChairWelcome to the inaugural edition of the ChamberConnec-
tion, the newest way for the Chamber of Commerce to engage with its members and the broader community! We are ex-cited about our partnership with the Santa Maria Times and the opportunity it gives us to tell the story of the Santa Maria Valley economy.
Our members shared with us that they rely on the Chamber as a source of information for and about business. Chamber-Connection will be an important tool for us to use in meeting that need.
Members – and the community at large – will be able to use this publication to stay up-to-date on issues that are important to the health of our local economy. You will learn about the successes of our local businesses. You’ll read about the pro-grams and events that the Chamber uses to deliver information and highlight what’s right about our town. You’ll also be able
to learn about emerging trends and other important develop-
ments that will impact your business directly.
ChamberConnection is one of a suite of communication
tools that the Chamber, along with its visitors’ bureau, and
economic development commission, uses to stay in touch with
our members. In addition to this insert, the Chamber also
maintains an online news site, SantaMariaChamberNews.com,
which features articles of importance to businesses as well as
updates from Chamber members. Members also receive regu-
lar email updates via the ChamberDigest. Finally, the Chamber
is active with social media with updates appearing on Face-
book (fb.com/smvcc) and Twitter (twitter.com/smvcc).
We’d love your feedback as we continue to re� ne Chamber-
Connection going forward. Please let us know how we’re
doing!
Chamber Making More Connections
Ribbon Cutting
Town Center Gallery“Celebrate the Harvest of the Santa Maria Valley” muralMcClelland Street (across from the Santa Maria Library)
Santa Maria
Ribbon Cutting
Fit Body Boot Camp1777 S. Broadway
Santa Maria
Ribbon Cutting
InSPArations130 E. Clark Ave.
Old Orcutt
Ribbon Cutting
Santa Maria Downtown TrolleyCity of Santa Maria
Public Works/Transit Department
Ribbon Cutting
Figueroa Mountain BrewingCompany Taproom
560-B BetteraviaSanta Maria
Ribbon Cutting
ITECH Solutions811 El Capitan Way, Ste. 110
San Luis Obispo
GROUNDBREAKING • GRAND OPENING • RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES
■ Chuck E. Cheese Debora Templeton (805) 614-6801 2254 S. Bradley Road www.chuckecheese.com
■ Elizabeth Ruiz, Independent Web Designer (805) 242-3628 Grover Beach www.websiteniptuck.com
■ Fit Body Boot Camp Sue La Coe (805) 287-9240 1777 S. Broadway www.� tbodysm.com
■ Lineage Logistics Nicole Frontella (805) 760-1644 1349 W. La Brea Ave. www.lineagelogistics.com
■ Old Town Mexican Café Dina Rangel (805) 937-5000 140 E. Clark Ave. Old Orcutt [email protected]
■ Patterson Realty Kesha Toler 805.544.7000 2648 Industrial Parkway #100 www.pattersonrealty.com
■ Santa Maria All-American Wrestling Anthony Dakuras (805) 406-0830 600 W. Enos www.facebook.com/pages/ Santa-Maria-All-American- Wrestling/472702189535131
■ Santa Maria Burgers Mike & Sandy Dionisiou (805) 928-0811 1785 S Broadway
■ SCORE San Luis Obispo Lorna Whiteaker 805 547-0779 4251 S. Higuera St. Ste. 800 sanluisobispo.score.org
■ Yoga for Mankind, LLC Vicki Forman (805) 680-6542 130 N. Broadway, Ste B Old Orcutt www.yogaformankind.com
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce was pleased to welcome the following businesses as new members during the months of November & December. We appreciate their vote of con� dence in our ability to add value to their business and to create a strong local economy together!
When searching for products or services, we would recommend that the community visit and seek out these Chamber member businesses � rst. More information on these, along with many other quali� ed businesses, can be found in our membership directory online at www.santamaria.com
Welcome New Members!
■ Adam Bros. Farming, Inc.
■ Central City Towing & Auto, Inc.
■ Charter Brokerage & Investments Company
■ Coastal Voices
■ Cornerstone Real Estate - Bunny Maxim
■ Dan Blough Construction, Inc
■ Good Samaritan Shelter, Inc.
■ Gray Electrical Consulting & Engineering, LLC
■ Greka Energy
■ Halsell Builders
■ Hardy Diagnostics
■ iCracked - Pete Adame
■ InSPArations
■ Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems
■ Juliet’s Salon
■ Kiwanis Club Of SM
■ Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards
■ Norcast Communications
■ Olivera Properties LLC
■ Overland Security Services, LLC
■ Plus Property Management
■ PRP
■ Rancho Gardens Apartments
■ Ravatt Albrecht & Associates, Inc.
■ Richard J. Healy, DDS
■ Riverbench Vineyard & Winery
■ Santa Barbara Family Care Center
■ Santa Barbara Transportation
■ Santa Maria Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram
■ Santa Maria Civic Theatre
■ Santa Maria Energy LLC
■ Santa Maria Ford Lincoln
■ Santa Maria Motorcycles
■ Santa Maria Police Council, Inc
■ Santa Maria TimesSanta Maria Valley Youth & Family Center
■ SM Tire, Inc.
■ Spencers Market
■ St. Mary of the Assumption School
■ Stonegate Mortgage
■ Subway-Vishuen Global Promoters
■ Taggart Quality Consulting
■ Telecare SM Act
■ The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
■ Toastmasters, International
■ Tom Dougherty
■ Tomooka Brothers Ptr
■ Ultrex Business Solutions
■ United Launch Alliance
■ Valley Yellow Pages
■ Work, Inc.
Renewing Members
January 2015
Chamber of Commerce Updating Programs for 2015
The Chamber is committed to providing current information to our members that will help them improve their business success. Programs like the Business Com-mittee, Membership Luncheons, and Manufacturers Association have served as key venues to in-form, educate, and raise aware-ness.
For 2015, the Chamber is up-dating these three programs to increase their effectiveness and to allow members to better tar-get their engagement around themes that they � nd most valu-able. Here’s a preview of each of our educational/informational programs for 2015.
Business Development Series. Formerly known as the business committee, these events will focus on educating and informing local businesses about current topics and trends that will directly im-pact their business and bottom line. Topics being planned for 2015 include an update on new laws, a report from the City Man-ager, a dialogue about how busi-nesses in Santa Maria can bridge the language and cultural gaps that exist in our community, tips on how to protect your business from cyber-crime and fraud, ideas on improving customer service experiences in our businesses, and a new annual economic fore-cast focused on trends that will impact Santa Maria. Business De-velopment Series sessions will be held on the third Wednesday of each month (note the new day of the week).
Industry Awareness Series. Formerly known as the Manufac-turers Association, this program will continue to offer sessions along two themes. The � rst will be the continuation of the popular manufacturer tours which allow local businesses to become famil-iar with companies that are man-ufacturing product here in our community. Additional, periodic update sessions which directly impact the economic competitive-ness of our community will also be scheduled under this brand. Typically, Industry Awareness Se-ries programs will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
Chamber Member Lunches. This series will continue and serve as the Chamber’s opportu-nity to recognize and highlight segments of our community that help to make Santa Maria the place where we want to live and do business. Popular sessions like the Police Awards, Principal for a Day, Tourism Update, and Salute to Veterans will continue to highlight the schedule. Chamber Member Lunches are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
For program details and sched-ules, please visit www.santamaria.com and watch your email for up-dates!
2 / January 2015 / ChamberConnection
By Glenn Morris, ACE, Chamber CEOAs we launch into a new year, there seems to be
growing evidence that optimism is once more in order. From a business and economic standpoint, 2014 was a pretty good year and one that we can build on for the future. Based on reports from many of our mem-bers, and backed up by the data we’re seeing, the year just completed was � nally one to celebrate.
Based on tax receipts, it appears that our retail businesses saw healthy increases this year. 2014 is also going to turn out to be a very strong year for our hospitality and visitor-serving businesses. While the job market still needs attention, the num-bers are at least headed in the right direction as local businesses expand once again and cautiously add staff to help deliver for their customers.
At the same time that there appear to be strong reasons for optimism about the local economy in 2015, we recognize that we still have challenges that need to be addressed and there are both risks and opportunities ahead of us.
As mentioned before, employment levels continue to lag in our part of the county and too many of those who are work-ing are under-employed or working less than they would like. Ironically, as more of the baby-boomer generation retire, we will face challenges ensuring that a well-trained and effective workforce is ready to take their place and lead our communi-ty’s organizations going forward. This will require us to � nd ways to provide more educational opportunities in our region and to ensure that those offerings are well coordinated with the needs of our local businesses. Finally, we need to work to ensure that any economic wins are shared by all in our com-munity and that we address the divisions which exist due to
ethnicity, language, or educational attainment.The good news is that the Santa Maria Valley has the
assets to capitalize on economic opportunities in the next several years. We are one of the only communi-ties along the Central Coast with both the land and the
will to grow. Our quality of life, coupled with a growing workforce and a business friendly lead-ership, will make us increasingly attractive to re-gional businesses looking to expand. These assets also put us in a great position to take advantage of the growing trend towards self-employment … if you can work anywhere, where could be better than here?
The Chamber of Commerce, along with its visi-tors’ bureau and economic development commis-
sion, are committed to making sure Santa Maria is ready to respond to both the challenges and the opportunities which lie ahead. We continue to work to position ourselves as an effective agent for our business community.
The Chamber recently welcomed two new members to its board of directors, Dr. Kevin Walthers from Hancock College and Jean-Luc Garon from the Historic Santa Maria Inn. In addition to being strong leaders in our community, these two appointments strengthen our relationships with a key local industry and a critical economic development partner.
Additionally, the Chamber continues to evaluate our pro-grams and services with an eye toward maximizing the value we deliver for our members. We will continue to engage in dialogue with our members, community leaders, and partners to ensure we are working together to make 2015 a truly ban-ner year for the Santa Maria Valley!
We’re excited about the prospects for 2015 …. Let’s Go!
2015 - Let’s Go!
Glenn MorrisChamber Chief
Executive O� cer
Community Bank of Santa Maria has announced the pur-chase of the building at 2739 Santa Maria Way in Santa Maria. This new, 22,600 square-foot, location will become the bank’s headquarters this summer, as well as its fourth full-service branch.
Vicki Forman of Yoga for Man-kind has been asked by Yoga Alli-ance to teach a Yoga class for their Business of Yoga Conference in Los Angeles this summer. This is a high honor and teachers from all over the world will be in atten-dance.
Moxie Café was honored to receive the Sun’s Reader’s Poll “Best New Business” award and the “Best Meal for the Money” award. The Café also received an award for its unique drought tolerant landscaping from “Santa Maria Beautiful.” Also, the hours for the café have been extended to 7pm to include din-ner.
The SLO Chapter of the National SCORE organization will now be providing service in Santa Maria. Their new satel-lite of� ce, located at MIYB Spaces, will bring a more conve-nient location to Santa Maria based clients and provide them with a superior level of monitoring. For details and appoint-ments, visit sanluisobispo.score.org or call (805) 547-0779.
After nearly 15 years as General Manager of Local Copies, Etc., Sandy Stewart has announced her retire-ment. James Jepsen, who has worked with Sandy since 1991, has been cho-sen to � ll this role. Mary Kay Dahl-gren has also been internally pro-moted to Production Manager and Kyle Kinnison to Lead Graphic Spe-cialist.
In December, CoastHills Credit Union Foundation presented a
check in the amount of $75,000 to the Mission Hope Cancer Research Center bringing their total four-year contributions to the Center to over $280,000.
Culligan Water has opened a new retail store in Grover Beach located 1050 W. Grand Avenue. Their stores in Santa Maria and Paso Robles remain open. All retail locations offer self-serve � ll stations and water is available in bulk.
Local educators and their children started the New Year with a giving spirit but delivering gifts and toys to kids in the pe-diatric unit at Marian Regional Medical Center. Martha Ro-driguez, a member of the group stated, “we want to teach our children at a young age how to give back. There are children in the hospital that need cheering up and we are happy to be able to help brighten their day.” This is their second year doing this and plan to continue the tradition next year.
GOODNEWS!
By Gina Keough, DirectorSanta Maria Visitor and Convention Bureau
Twice annually, the Santa Ma-ria Valley Visitor and Conven-tion Bureau (VCB) offers event organizers the opportunity to apply for marketing assistance in support of their events, pro-grams and proj-ects through the Special Projects Grant (SPG) pro-gram. The goal of this program is to increase overnight stays in the Santa Maria Valley.
This month, nearly $30,000 was allocated to six local organizations in sponsorship for events hosted in the Santa Maria Valley in the coming months. Recipients include: Santa Maria FairparkStrawberry Festival April 24-26, 2015Santa Barbara County Fair July 15-19, 2015Elks RecreationElks Rodeo and Parade May 28-31, 2015West Coast KustomsCruisin’ Nationals May 22-24, 2015Bent Axles Car ClubJuly 18, 2015The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria ValleyTour & Taste of the Santa Maria Valley Sept. 5, 2015Dunes CenterTen Commandments Film and Artifacts Exhibit (under con-struction)
These applicants met the cri-teria for the Special Projects Grant program, which includes:
■ The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce will be named as a sponsor of the event/project;
■ The event/project must be held in the Santa Maria Valley;
■ One application must be submitted per event or project;
■ Event/project must be promoted/use for promotion in our target mar-kets to increase overnight stays in our city. Preference is given those held September-May;
■ Planners may request up to $3,000, but funding is not guaran-teed;
■ Sponsorship funds may be used for: market-ing, graphic design, print-ing, radio/print/online advertising or tournament fees. Funding is not to be used for giveaways or
prizes.We express our sincere
thanks to these organiza-tions for supporting tourism which brings millions in rev-enue to our city. Please sup-port their efforts by assisting in the promotion of these events either through your at-
tendance or just helping to spread the word. A monthly cal-endar is available from the Visitor and Convention Bureau for just this purpose. If you would like to join the mailing list or request more
information about the SPG program, please email [email protected].
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANT PROGRAM
Members of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce may submit their good news to for future publication to
Do you have good news to share?
CHAMBER STAFFPresident & CEOGlenn Morris, ACE 928-2403 [email protected]
VP, Chamber OperationsTerri Oneschuck 925-2403 [email protected]
Director, Economic DevelopmentDave Cross 925-2403 [email protected]
Director, Visitor & Convention BureauGina Keough 928-2403 [email protected]
Marketing & Communications ManagerMarcy Maretti 925-2403 [email protected]
Membership ManagerCara Martinez 925-2403 [email protected]
Events & Special Projects ManagerJennifer Harrison 925-2403 [email protected]
Member/Client Services CoordinatorTerri Paniagua 925-2403 [email protected]
Administrative Support CoordinatorPatricia Horta 925-2403 [email protected]
2014-2015 OFFICERSChairman of the BoardTim RitcheHome Motors
Chairman Elect/TreasurerEddie MurrayThe Murray Group - Morgan Stanley
Vice ChairmanCameron StephensSM Tire
Past ChairmanDonna RandolphState Farm Insurance
Board of DirectorsDr. Ray ArensdorfArensdorf Chiropractic
Trent BenedettiBenedetti & Associates
Donna CrossNext Day Signs
Jean-Luc GaronHistoric Santa Maria Inn
Elizabeth GarzaHeritage Oaks Bank
Peggy GreerSanta Barbara County Education
George MajoueKnights of Columbus
Dan PankratzOne Way Board Shop
Hugh Ra� ertyCoastHills Federal Credit Union
Tim RooneyRooney’s Irish Pub
Kathy SimasSanta Barbara Foundation
Debi TestaTesta Catering
John TunnellTunnell Roofi ng
Erika WeberVTC Enterprises
Dr. Kevin WalthersAllan Hancock College
Tim WoodburyWoody’s Butcher Block
The ChamberConnection is the o� cial bimonthly publication of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, 614 S Broadway, Santa Maria, CA 9345-5111, (805) 925-2403. Send corrections or good news submissions to [email protected]
Chamber Connection / January 2015 / 3
The EDC organizes and facilitate tours and forums that raise awareness of local industry and manufacturing, which is es-sential for local employment and economic wellbeing.
All events start at 7:30 a.m. unless otherwise indicated.There is no cost, but you must RSVP to register@santamaria.
com or call (805) 925-2403 ext 817Note: These events �ll up early. ■ Tuesday, Jan 27, 2015 - 7:30 am
Images Screen Printing520 Farnel Road, Santa MariaFounded in 1987, Images Screen Printing is a local small busi-ness is owned by John & Michelle Vandermuelen. The compa-ny specializes in screen printing, embroidery and promotional products. The company’s capabilities include heat-transfer production and pressing, automated folding and bagging, tag-ging, relabeling, color matching and in-house digitizing.
■ Tuesday, Feb 24, 2015 – 7:30 a.m.Lineage Logistics1349 West La Brea Avenue, Santa MariaLineage Logistics, the second largest (and fastest growing) re-frigerated warehouse network in the world, of�cially opened the doors on its new, 216,000 square-foot, state-of-the art, LEED-certi�ed cold storage and food processing facility in Santa Maria on September 24, 2014,. The facility has created more than 250 new jobs on-site and at adjacent food process-ing facilities.
■ Tuesday, March 24, 2015 -7:30 a.m.Santa Maria Valley RailroadSanta Maria Fair Park – Fountain Pavilion937 South Thornburg Street, Santa MariaThe Santa Maria Valley Railroad, serving the Santa Maria Val-ley’s rail transportation needs since 1911, provides the most ef�cient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly method to transport products to any location in the continental United States. Products can also be transported to Canada and Mexico and to the ports for overseas delivery.
■ And Coming April 15, 2015:4th Annual Vandenberg Air Force Base Small Business Outreach EventSanta Maria Fairpark - Convention Center -937 South Thorn-burg Street, Santa MariaThis year, the expanded event will include companies show-casing their products as well as information for businesses wanting to provide their services and products to the Air Force Base, the government, and large contractors.Santa Maria Merchants CommitteeThe Santa Maria Merchants Committee, chaired by Dr. Anne Cremarosa, owner of MIYB Spaces, is a group dedicated to helping local merchants and businesses to become more suc-cessful and create a vibrant shopping experience. The commit-tee has a focus on, but is not limited to, Santa Maria’s down-town, and welcomes your involvement.The Santa Maria Merchants Committee meets on the Third Thursday of each month at 7:30 a.m.Location: MIYB Spaces, 429 East Main Street, Santa Maria
The Economic Development Commission ended 2014 on a high note by providing as-sistance that contributed to Columbia Children’s Center being allowed to stay in their current location at 840 E. Stow-ell Road. The EDC developed a parking agreement, with the property owner’s concurrence, that the Community Develop-ment Department supported and the Planning Commis-sion approved. This saved jobs and preserved an important resource in child care that is already in great demand in Santa Maria.
The EDC has been working with other businesses as well as they go through the process of permitting or licensing. This is a valuable resource available at no charge, as well as other similar services that include business start-up and relocation information.
At the Chamber of Commerce, the EDC works to attract new companies to our region. We market Santa Maria and the Santa Maria Public Airport through advertising and outreach. We set up meetings with appropriate departments and agencies. We offer many types of assistance to facilitate the process of busi-ness relocation and expansion in our area.
Looking forward to 2015, the EDC is providing a sched-ule of tours of factories and local facilities. These tours highlight the diversity and importance of industry in our area. The EDC will also soon be publishing the results of an important local economic sur-vey. As in the past, we will continue to work with local agencies to connect our avail-able workforce to our employ-ers, highlighted by a large, re-gional job fair later this year, sponsored by the EDC and Chamber.
For local businesses, make sure you participate in our 4th Annual Vandenberg Air Force Base Outreach Event in Santa Maria on April 15. This year will be larger than ever with more exhibits, dynamic speakers, and an opportunity for businesses to display their product or service. If you want to expand your market by doing business with Vandenberg, the government, and with large contractors, this is the event for you!
For more information, feel free to contact Dave Cross, Eco-nomic Development Director, at the Santa Maria Valley Cham-ber of Commerce. (805) 925-2403 ext 817 or e-mail to [email protected].
Business ConfidenceSurvey
The Economic Develop-ment Commission and the Chamber of Commerce have a survey which is used to com-pile local economic data and to determine the economic outlook in the Santa Maria Valley.
We urge all businesses, agencies and organizations to complete this survey. The re-sults will be used to track im-portant economic indicators. The results of the survey will be presented, published and available in March.
You can access the Business Con�dence Survey at http://www.santamariaedc.com.
Santa Maria Downtown Trolley
You may have noticed this new addition to the City of Santa Maria’s Transit Program on the streets of Santa Maria over the holidays! Two brand new buses that resemble the trolleys of yester-year, com-plete with authentic bell and rich mahogany and brass in-terior, were placed in service to provide service to and from key shopping areas in Santa Maria.
Now that the holidays are over, the City of Santa Maria Transportation Department will be working with the Santa Maria Merchants Com-mittee to determine a perma-nent route for the Downtown Trolley, with the overall pur-pose of enhancing the down-town area for the bene�t of our merchants and the overall community.
The two trolleys were pro-vided by a grant from the federal government, speci�-cally for the downtown area of Santa Maria. Each is a full-sized bus, capable of car-rying 24 seated passengers and 10 standing. The trolley is equipped to accommodate passengers with disabilities and there is a lift and room for two mobility devices.
Santa BarbaraCounty EnergyWatch Partnership
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is the administrator for the Santa Barbara County Energy Watch Partnership. This partnership is sponsored by PG&E and Southern California Gas. With the Chamber of Commerce’s assistance, this partnership has helped over 300 local businesses become more en-ergy ef�cient and save on en-ergy bills in the process. The average business saves over $1,600 annually on energy costs. Local non-pro�ts like the Elks Club and Boys and Girls Club have also bene�t-ted from our program.
To get an energy audit and see what the partner-ship can do for you, simply contact Dave Cross at (805) 925-2403 ext 817 or e-mail to [email protected] .
4 / January 2015 / ChamberConnection
Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum
February 19th, 5-7pm
Chamber Mixer
$16.00
Vandenberg Air Force BasePacific Coast Club
February 18th, 12pm
Joint Chamber Luncheon
$20.00Sponsor an officer for $20
Santa Maria Elks Lodge
January 28th, 12pm
Police Awards Luncheon
eatured hamber vents!ECFdon’t miss these
CALENDAR - MARCH 2015Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
8
15
22
29
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
CALENDAR - FEBRUARY 2015Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
8
15
22
2
9
16
23
3
10
17
24
4
11
18
25
5
12
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6
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Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Principal for a Day LuncheonElk’s Lodge12:00 pm
Transportation Committee
Veteran’s Memorial Hall12:00 pm
Transportation Committee
Location TBD12:00 pm
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Santa MariaMerchants CommitteeMIYB Spaces - 7:30 am
MixerLocation TBD - 5:00 pm
VCB MeetingNatural History Museum
10:00 amBusiness
Development ForumFairpark Fountain Pavilion
11:30 am
Santa Maria Merchants Committee
MIYB Spaces 7:30 amMixer
SM Valley Discovery Museum - 5:00 pm
Joint Lunchwith the Lompoc
ChamberVAFB - Paci� c Coast Club
12:00 pm
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
Breakfast ClubCoco’s Restaurant
8:00 am
IndustryForum
Fairpark Fountain Pavilion - 7:30 am
Ambassador’s MeetingLocation TDB - 11:30 am
Business Development Forum
Fairpark Fountain Pavilion11:30 am
Manufacturer’s TourLineage Logistics
7:30 amAmbassador’s Meeting
Location TBD11:30 am
SantaMaria.com will be brand new as of February 2!
SNEAKPEAK!
Chamber MembersReport Strong ROI
Recently, the Chamber asked its members how we were doing on their behalf. We also asked them what they wanted us to make our highest priority.
We are grateful for the feedback which we received from members. Over 80% of our members reported that the value they received equaled or exceeded their cost of membership. 40% of our members indicated the value was double or greater that of their cost.
When asked to rank the importance of various areas the Chamber works in, � ve key areas stood out with more than 90% of members indicating each were “Ex-tremely Important.” These included
• Attract New Jobs – 93%• Retain/Expand Existing Jobs – 91%• Promote the Community – 91%• Inform/Educate Businesses about Current Issues – 90%• Help Build Business Net works – 90%
Chamber Members Report Strong ROI Recently, the Chamber asked its members how we were doing on their behalf. We also asked them what they wanted us to make our highest priority. We are grateful for the feedback which we received from members. Over 80% of our members reported that the value they received equaled or exceeded their cost of membership. 40% of our members indicated the value was double or greater that of their cost.
(from chart1.xlsx) When asked to rank the importance of various areas the Chamber works in, five key areas stood out with more than 90% of members indicating each were “Extremely Important.” These included
Attract New Jobs – 93% Retain/Expand Existing Jobs – 91% Promote the Community – 91% Inform/Educate Businesses about Current Issues – 90% Help Build Business Networks – 90%
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
Less than theInvestment
Equal to theInvestment
Double theInvestment
More than Doublethe Investment
Membership Value
The Chamber is a proud partner of 805 Connect – a new, regional business network designed to provide a single point for businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, educators, economic development agencies and service organizations to connect and collaborate. Extend your visibility as a member beyond the Santa Maria Valley to the entire 805 region at zero extra cost with 805Connect.com.
