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Wednesday, September 07, 2022Chamber's Visitors Bureau and Economic Development Commission See Resurgence in Local Economic Activity
Part of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber’s mission is to be a “Champion for a stronger Santa Maria Valley”. The Chamber’s Visitors Bureau and Economic Development Commission play a key role in championing the local community by helping grow existing businesses, bringing new development to town, and increasing tourism in the Santa Maria Valley. In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, both programs made significant strides in these areas. “We’ve been really active in our partnership with the City of Satna Maria on
Wednesday, September 07, 2022Chamber Ambassador of the Quarter: Paula Fuller
Congratulations to Paula Fuller, who was recently awarded Chamber Ambassador of the Quarter for the 2nd quarter of 2022! Paula relocated to Santa Maria in 2005. A native to the area of Vandenberg AFB, she attended local schools since the 2nd grade when her father was stationed at Vandenberg. She's worked in the Self- Storage industry since 2004 Paula enjoys working with the community and helping people in need of Self-Storage or RV/Boat parking. She also enjoys being an Ambassador, has since January of
Wednesday, September 07, 2022Looking to Hire? Be a Part of the Paid Student Internship Program!
Prepare our future workforce, while benefiting your own workplace through Partners in Education's Paid Student Internship program! There are a number of students who have gone through a job readiness training program and are ready to be hired! Your $800 investment in Partners in Education's paid student internship program gets you 80 hours of work from a local student looking for job experience. You will get to interview and select the intern that is the best fit for your business. Partners in Education
Wednesday, August 10, 2022Community Leadership & Service to be Celebrated at Chamber’s Annual Awards Gala 2022
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber’s 2022 Annual Awards Gala will celebrate community excellence and honor the individuals, organizations and businesses who have shown their commitment to making a positive impact on the Santa Maria Valley community. The awards ceremony will take place September 1st from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Veterans’ Memorial Center in Santa Maria. “The Chamber is thrilled to once again gather with our community and celebrate a few of the individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations
Wednesday, August 10, 2022All Aboard! Wine Taste, #SantaMariaStyle on the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley
This summer, Santa Maria Valley invites you to leave the driving to someone else and explore local wineries and tasting rooms on the Santa Maria Wine Trolley. Starting at Costa de Oro Winery, wine trolley participants can explore Santa Maria Valley at their own pace, without feeling rushed or on someone else's agenda. While the entire route takes approximately 60 minutes, passengers can step on and off at their convenience. A complete schedule of the Wine Trolley's stops is available online. Decals on the
Thursday, June 02, 2022Chamber Welcomes New Leadership to Military Affairs Committee
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee helps the organization maintain an active relationship with the command structure at Vandenberg Space Force Base, providing sponsorship for airmen and employee recognition programs, facilitating interaction with local community and base leadership, and in general acting as a connector between the base and town. Additionally, the Chamber supports many veterans-related programs and organizations and annually hosts a program at the local Freedom
Thursday, June 02, 2022Chamber Ambassador of the Quarter: Priscilla Smith, Realtor, eXp Realty
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber Ambassador Committee serves as the public relations arm of the Chamber. Chamber Ambassadors assist at Chamber functions and help promote the Chamber to prospective members and the community as a whole. We are excited to recognize Priscilla Smith as the Ambassador of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2022 (January - March). Here's a little more information about Priscilla: My name is Priscilla Smith, your local Realtor and Resource go-to. I was born and raised here in
Thursday, June 02, 2022Santa Maria Valley Chamber Remains Active in Busy Legislative Season
Among the services provided by the Chamber for our members, one of the most important is our participation in the legislative process. On behalf of local employers, the Chamber is part of several regional and statewide coalitions that attempt to educate lawmakers and regulators about the likely impacts of proposed new rules on the ability of employers to operate and provide jobs in our community. While the Chamber doesn’t take a support or oppose position on all proposed legislation, we continue working
Thursday, May 05, 2022Chamber Expands Efforts to Connect with Hispanic Businesses
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber strives to be a catalyst, convener and champion for all local businesses in the Santa Maria Valley. Recently, the organization has begun a targeted effort to better assist Hispanic businesses in the local community. “We recognize that a large portion of the business community is Hispanic, and we want to make sure our organization is providing the tools and resources they need to remain successful in Santa Maria,” explained Glenn Morris, President/CEO for the Santa Maria
Thursday, May 05, 2022Get to Know the Chamber's Newest Employee: David Hernandez, Hispanic Business Outreach and Service Representative
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber is excited to welcome David Hernandez, the new Hispanic Business Outreach and Service Representative for the Chamber. In this newly created position, done in partnership with the Economic Business Collaborative's Small Business Development Center, Hernandez will assist the Chamber with improving engagement with, and services to, the Hispanic business community. Hernandez will also assist the Economic Development Collaborative as their Small Business Development Center Client
Thursday, May 05, 2022Chamber Supports CalChamber Positions on 2022 ''Job Killer'' Bill List
Over the course of the last two weeks, the California Chamber of Commerce released and has been building its 2022 job killer list. After its latest additions, the CalChamber job killer list includes a total of 15 bills, including two carry-over proposals from 2021, and CalChamber expects to add several more bills to the list in the coming weeks. “California companies are the economic engine that drives innovation and job creation in our state and are responsible for the record revenues the state is
Friday, April 01, 2022Santa Maria Valley Springs into Event Season
Spring in the Santa Maria Valley means the start to an exciting events season! After a few years of lockdowns and COVID restrictions, the community is gearing up for a full season of local events fun for tourists and visitors alike. “The major events held in the Santa Maria Valley really offer something for everyone,” explained Jennifer Harrison, Tourism Director for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. “From the car show to the strawberry festival, these events are a huge economic driver for our
Friday, April 01, 2022Congratulations Chamber Ambassador of the Quarter: Leona Doidge
The Chamber Ambassador Committee is excited to recognize Leona Doidge as Ambassador of the Quarter for the 4th quarter of 2021! Here's a little about Leona: "Hi my name is Leona Doidge and I enjoy meeting and working with all of the people that make this community great. My involvement with the Ambassador Committee has allowed me to meet and learn about new businesses in our area, support their efforts to thrive and give back to our community. We have close to 20 Ambassadors with the SMVCC. The
Friday, April 01, 2022Remote Work Reminder: Keep Your Remote Work Policy Up To Date
Prior to 2020, the number of employees working remotely or in a “hybrid” manner — a combination of in-office and remote work — was steadily on the rise. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit full-force in spring 2020, the number of remote workers exploded. It’s been a long road since then, and with face covering and workplace safety rules relaxing, many companies may finally be bringing their employees back to the workplace — whether full time or hybrid — while some may keep remote work in place. Either way,
Thursday, March 10, 2022Legislative Session Off to a Fast Start
Ben Golombek, Executive Vice President, CalChamber Both houses of the State Legislature recently wrapped up their work on 2-year bills that had a January 31st deadline to pass their house of origin. The Chamber Advocacy team was focused on a number of significant bills that would impact both our members as well as the larger California economy. Through a lot of hard work and collaboration we were incredibly successful ahead of this legislative deadline, and I wanted to outline some of our recent
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Thursday, March 10, 2022Leadership Santa Maria Valley - Class of 2021 Completes Their Legacy Project!
Leadership Santa Maria Valley (LSMV) is a community leadership development program designed to expand the community’s civic leadership. Through a ten-month program of monthly, daylong workshops and seminars, participants engage in discussions with experts and key decision-makers in areas of vital concern to the Santa Maria Valley. Spending time together in a small class atmosphere, individuals have an unprecedented opportunity to examine social and economic changes, and their impact on the Santa Maria
Tuesday, February 01, 2022Local Non-Profits Play Critical Role as Economic Driver in the Santa Maria Valley
Santa Maria is fortunate to be home to numerous non-profits. From serving the disadvantaged to providing resources forsmall businesses, there are countless ways these organizations give back to those in need. While many see the value non-profits give to the populations they serve directly, our non-profits also have a direct impact on the local business community and, by extension, the economic health of the Santa Maria Valley community. We spoke with a few local organizations about how the important work
Monday, January 10, 2022Local Leaders Predict Competitive Labor Market, Flexible Work Environments on the Horizon for 2022
2021 was another challenging year, but we once again saw our community rise to the occasion. We applaud our local businesses and organizations for their continued resiliency and support for one another as we navigate the "new normal" brought on by the pandemic. As we wrap up the year, we asked some local leaders to weigh in on what they feel is in store for 2022. We asked, " What do you see as the greatest opportunity, challenge or trend that will impact businesses in Northern Santa Barbara County over
Monday, January 10, 2022Leadership Santa Maria Valley: A day at Vandenberg Space Force Base
On Friday, December 3rd, the Leadership class got to tour Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). Our guide was Lieutenant Darras and he put together a wonderful day. We started with a briefing given to us by Colonel Kris Barcomb, a Vice Commander on the Base. We learned that VSFB hosts both military and civilian operations. Col. Barcomb shared with us about the operations and launches that have happened during 2021 and a glimpse into what is to come in 2022. He also joined us at lunch to share more about the
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Wednesday, September 29, 2021Chamber Launches ''Santa Maria Next'' Program to Highlight Local Students Excelling in Career Pathways
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber has partnered with the Santa Barbara County Education Office on "Santa Maria Next", a program that highlights the career readiness training offered in high school career pathways and recognizes students who are excelling in these various pathways. "As a champion for a strong local community, we know that local workforce development is a critical part of a vibrant community," explained Glenn Morris, President/CEO of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber. "Santa Maria Next gives us
