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CALENDAR
ApriL
6economic DeveLopment committee
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Lynn Dickerson Topic: Downtown Ballpark *Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30 A.M.
7Ag AwAre Luncheon - 25th AnnuAL
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Location: MJC ACE Ag Pavilion *Register & Sponsorship online
7riSing profeSSionALS mixer
5:30PM-7:00PM Papapolloni Mediterranean Bistro 2501 McHenry Ave, Modesto, CA 95350 *In Person, Register on website
14 tech connect
*In person & Zoom 12:00 P.M. Register on website
15 government reLAtionS counciL
Jody Hayes, Stanislaus County CEO Topic: Stanislaus 2030 *In person & Zoom 11:30 A.M. Register on website
19 women in buSineSS 5:30-7:00pm Mixer Location TBD *In Person, Register on website
20 member’S mix & mingLe
Stonefire Pizza by MidiCi 3401 Dale Rd. Modesto 5:30PM-7:00PM
21 StAniSLAuS green teAm
Bryan Eagle, CEO Glanris *In person & Zoom 12:00 P.M. Register on website
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4economic DeveLopment committee - tbD
*Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30 A.M.
5riSing profeSSionALS
8:00AM-9:00AM Rise and Shine with CEO’s *In Person, Register on website
12 tech connect
*In person & Zoom 2:00 P.M. Register on website
12 member’S mix & mingLe
The Park at Modesto Independent Living Community 2832 Healthcare Way, Modesto 5:30PM-7:00PM
17 women in buSineSS
8:00 AM-9:00 AM Coffee Connect Location TBD *In Person, Register on website
19 StAniSLAuS green teAm
Valerie Thorsen, San Joaquin Valley Program Manager CALSTART *In person & Zoom 12:00 P.M. Register on website
20 government reLAtionS counciL
Joe Lopez, Modesto City Manager Topic: Modesto City Finances & the Future *In person & Zoom 11:30 A.M. Register on website
*See website for more detail. Find Zoom Registry links and more at www.modchamber.org Please note that calendar events and details are subject to change.
By Todd Aaronson, CEO Visit Modesto
When the team at Visit Modesto analyzes the impact of Tourism in Modesto, we don’t just look at how many hotel rooms were occupied on a given day, or month, we look at a whole suite of data. Our metrics cover how long visitors stay in the market ranging from two hours to overnight. The metrics consider not just daily spending but spending in restaurants, retail shops, entertainment venues and even transportation/ fuel spending in our market. We even review where visitors come from who spend the most money per day.
Why do we do that? So, we can efficiently spend our marketing dollars on the audiences that bring the most value to the local market and impact multiple sectors of the travel industry. That all translates into taxes and jobs. The more we can drive tourism spending in our market, the more we can bring new dollars and new taxes to the local economy.
For instance, right now we can tell you the following about the Almond Blossom Cruise impact on February of 2022 in the local economy; • Total Visitors in February to Modesto was up 26,000 over January of 2022. Over 25% of those visitors had ‘long day trips’ in Modesto with the majority of the remaining percentage of visitors staying overnight.
• Top regions for Visitor spending were SF/East Bay, Greater Sacramento, Los Angeles and the Fresno region…in that order!
• The majority of spending is on transportation (gas) and food related services
Why is all this so important to the team at Visit Modesto? Because in the year preceding the pandemic over 6,000 local jobs were in the hospitality industry (hotel, dining, entertainment) with a local economic impact of over $500M per year. That’s half a billion dollars of revenue plus taxes in the local economy! So, tourism plays a major role locally for so many families and businesses.
Bottom line? Our days at Visit Modesto are focused on what makes a difference to families and businesses locally based upon data and the impact our industry has on the local economy. We’re all in this together and at Visit Modesto we want to make sure our efforts day in and day out pave the way for continued growth, progress, and prosperity for Modesto! Spread the word because tourism has an impact on all of our livelihoods.
• Hotel revenue for February was 20% higher in 2022 than in 2021 even though occupancy was down by 2%. That means better quality revenue for local hotel operators which enables these businesses to increase spending on labor, training, services and more. This is all due to high demand on peak nights and our local operators being able to increase the average rate.
ANNOUNCEMENT Modesto Irrigation District Promotes Jimi Netniss to Assistant General Manager of Finance
Modesto Irrigation District has promoted Jimi Netniss to serve as the District’s next Assistant General Manager of Finance. Netniss succeeds Scott Van Vuren who has served as AGM of Finance since 2013 and is retiring this week following a 24-year tenure with MID.
Netniss joined MID in 2001 as a Programmer in the Information Technology Department. He was promoted to Budget and Rates Administrator in the Finance Division in 2006 and has served as the Risk and Pricing Administrator for the last eight years. He has been responsible for overseeing MID’s budget of more than $400 million, managing pricing policies and developing and administering MID’s risk management program for hedging power and fuel costs.
“Jimi has navigated MID through numerous projects and advised on a variety of policies and I’m proud to recognize his leadership through this appointment,” said MID General Manager Bill Schwandt. “His strategic vision and financial savvy will continue to successfully serve the District and our customers.
In addition to establishing guidelines, reviewing and analyzing financial issues for MID and managing the Finance team, Netniss will oversee the activities and operations of the District’s Customer Service, Energy Services, Safety and General Services departments. These activities and operations include treasury, payroll, accounts payable, investments, retirement funds, budget and rates, customer services, energy efficiency and rebates, employee safety programs and general services (risk and property, environmental compliance, purchasing, fleet and building services). His appointment to AGM of Finance was effective March 7.
Netniss received a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in finance from California State University, Stanislaus.
