A Message From The President & CEO

By Trish Christensen Celebrating ServiCe

As I write this, we are experiencing yet another rainy day here in Modesto. What a season we have and are having. Impressive snowpack, swollen rivers, water, water, water. A few days ago, I was at the streetlight in front of the Stanislaus Farm Bureau office on L Street. I noticed that in their window near their “Pray for Rain” sign, was a new sign which read “Thanks for the Rain”. Such a great reminder to be thankful and appreciate the value of a rich water table this spring.

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce has been running at maximum capacity! The 26th Annual Ag Aware Luncheon is taking place Thursday, April 20th at the ACE Ag Pavilion on the MJC West campus. This agriculture focused scholarship funding event will benefit our local high school FFA programs. We hope you consider sponsoring a table or buying a ticket. The meal prepared by the MJC crew never disappoints, and the speakers for this one are going to be impressive. More information will be found in this edition.

Our Members’ Only “Meet Your Elected Officials” Social is just around the corner. We are thrilled with the response we have had from the group of elected leaders we invited. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our members in attendance to interact with a broad mix of dignitaries from: Congress, Senate, Assembly, County Supervisors, City Council, County School, Community College, Modesto and Turlock Irrigation. This is going to be an incredible experience for all.

We are currently expanding our Welcome Team program and engagement. The list of businesses going through their California Green Business Network Stanislaus check list is humming. Our Women in Business Network is thriving and the Women in Business Impact Committee is preparing our next mini conference to lift up a group of women in one of the Center for Human Services programs.

Our Rising Professionals Network is eagerly anticipating the next Rise and Shine with CEO’s breakfast. Sponsorship to both Women in Business, Rising Professionals, and Stanislaus Green Team is always open. If you would like to offer support to these great programs, please contact me.

I have to comment on our local multi chamber mixer held at Boomers mid-March. We loved being a part of the evening. Seven Chambers were represented and about 100 individuals were present. It was a great, and cold, evening! Thank you to Boomers for hosting us! This event set the stage to plan for a regional multi chamber mixer set for late June.

This one will be held at Del Rio Country Club and will be hosted by Kaiser Permanente. We anticipate this bringing together chamber and chamber member representation from across the Central Valley. All are welcome so please consider joining us.

There are many additional things coming up for us, so please analyze the calendar page. A couple are special unique ways for us to engage in community. We will have our booth set up on Earth Day so please stop by. We also chose to sign up to host a project on Love Modesto Saturday. If you enjoy some general yard work and gardening, please sign up to participate with us at Ryan’s (Dickerson) Fountain. It is a special place to spend some time in and for our community.

Thank you for following us and engaging with us.

With warm regards~

Trish

Each member of the Chamber is important, no matter the size of business. We desire for local businesses and organizations to succeed and thrive. To reach this goal we provide exposure, opportunities to engage with Regional Electeds and community partners, as well as networking with businesses and organizations across industries. We work to better our community by providing up-to-date education and training, certifying qualifying businesses as Green, and providing advocacy on City, State, and Federal levels. The Chamber is a family of dedicated professionals striving to make a difference in their business and way of life. Whatever your business needs are, we invite you to join us.

To execute our adopted mission we have developed an acronym that helps keep us focused. That acronym is “CARES: Community, Advocacy, Relationships, Education and Service.”

C - Community

At its heart, the Modesto Chamber is a community of like-minded business owners who share the vision for enjoying a thriving economy and creating and maintaining our community as a vibrant place to live, work and play. With over 100 years of history and experience in the Greater Modesto Area, we understand what it means to be a business owner and customer in our community, with featured events such as local and regional forums, Ag Aware, Harvest Luncheon, and Family Day. Chamber members get the opportunity to actively engage in and influence the community they live and work in.

A - Advocacy

The Modesto Chamber supports local businesses and is an active advocate for the common interest of its members. The Chamber has an Economic Development Committee and a Government Relations Council. These advocacy committees are dedicated and proactive in representing our members and community. They work to address business initiatives and relieve the regulatory burdens businesses face may face. The Chamber is also honored to certify local businesses and organizations through our California Green Business Network Stanislaus Program. Through this we create more conscientious and sustainable ways of life while lowering the cost of doing business for our community and future generations.

R - Relationships

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce specializes in building relationships and serving as the nexus to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies. With over a dozen Committees, Programs, and Events in which our members can participate, the Chamber offers ample opportunity to meet and connect with other business owners in our community. As a relational organization, the Chamber works with its members to ensure the opportunity to connect and grow in every niche and industry to help build and cultivate long-lasting relationships among business owners and community partners alike.

E - Education

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce values education and offers members the opportunity to stay on the leading edge with new and emerging information and training that will set your business apart from the rest. In partnership with Modesto Junior College, the Chamber is pleased to offer an assortment of trainings applicable to any business or industry for credited completion through our Chamber University platform. Our Chamber also works with members to provide a platform to speak to their own industry expertise and invite other members to learn from those leading our local industries.

S - Service

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce offers its members a wide range of opportunities to promote and engage their business across industry and community lines. The Chamber Weekly E-Blast, Website, and our Progress Magazine provide opportunities to advertise and promote your business, keep up to date with articles about local businesses in our community, and stay in the loop about up-and-coming Chamber and community events. Our Chamber also offers indemand materials, such as Member contact list, Federal and State compliance posters, export document services, and so much more. Chamber members can also personalize their business profile within our website and have access to our Member-Only Information Center, where members can connect with other members, boost their social media presence, promote job postings, public events, and member-to-member discounts.

Mission stateMent executive coMMittee

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to serving the greater Modesto Area, regional businesses and community prosperity through advocacy, collaboration, access to leaders, economic development, connectivity and business education.

Chairman - Michael Gaffney, PG&E

Past Chairman - Steve Rank, Rank Investigations and Protection, Inc.

Vice Chair, External Operations - Michael Moradian

Jr. - Peace of Mind Pest Control

Vice Chair, Internal Operations, Treasurer - Patricia

Gillum Pat Gillum CPA

Chairperson Elect - Kirstie Boyett Zacharias, Executive Director at American Leadership ForumGreat Valley Chapter board of directors

Garrett Ardis- Huff Construction Company Inc.

Brad Blakeley, Edward Jones Investments

David Halvorson Jr.

Debra Hendricks - Debra Hendricks Consulting

Amy Jefferies - Gianelli Nielsen

Warren Kirk, Doctors Medical Center

Rachell Le Viege - Lift-A-Hand Home Care Agency

Eric Mangal, Grimbleby Coleman CPAS Inc.

Brian McDermott

Kymber Miller- Sysco Central California Inc.

Peggy O'Donnell, Mid-Valley Productions

Edgar Perez - F&M Bank

Jason Pineda, Freshpoint Inc.

Bill Robinson, Principal Financial Group

Kari Santos - I.J. Larsen Pumps

DeJeune Shelton- Modesto Junior College

Madhu Singh, Bank of Stockton

John Villines- Modesto Gospel Mission

President & CEO

Trish Christensen

Modesto Chamber of Commerce tchristensen@modchamber.org

Publisher: Modesto Chamber of Commerce

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© Copyright 2021 Modesto Chamber of Commerce. Some parts of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted, however, we require that permission be obtained in writing. 209.577.5757, Progress@ModChamber.org staff:

Administrative Assistant, Stephen Shaw

Sustainability Coordinator, Jolene Camarena

Events Coordinator, Felicia Lopez

Membership Coordinator, Lizeth Rocha Staff Accountant, Jaime Lastra

Modesto ChaMber of CoMMerCe I ModChaMber.org