Chamber Connection (May 2023)

CHAMBER CONNECTION

WEEKEND WINE TASTING, #SANTAMARIASTYLE

Wine lovers rejoice, as the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley is gearing up for its annual spring launch! Leave the driving to someone else and explore Santa Maria Valley wineries, tasting rooms, eateries, and more on the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley.

Launching on May 13th and rolling through until November 26th, the charming, old-fashioned trolley allows visitors to explore Santa Maria Valley at their own pace, and offers a fun and convenient way to explore Santa Maria Valley’s wine country. The route begins at Costa de Oro winery, and takes approximately 60 minutes. While riding the trolley, passengers get to take in the beauty of the Santa Maria Valley in bloom, and can hop on and hop off at planned stop at their convenience.

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Above: The Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley will launch its 2023 season on May 13th, offering locals and travelers a budget-friendly chance to explore the Santa Maria Valley wine country.

IN THIS ISSUE

LEADERSHIP SANTA MARIA VALLEY: SUSTAINABILITY & NATURAL RESOURCES P.3

LOCAL LEADERS WEIGH IN: SANTA MARIA VALLEY DEVELOPMENT P.4

CHAMBER IN ACTION P.5

MEMBERSHIP CORNER P.6

MONTHLY FEATURED BUSINESSES P.7

SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHAMBER MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee

Chairman: Sandra Dickerson, Your People Professionals

Chairman-Elect: Paul Cook, CoastHills Credit Union

Vice Chairman: Shannon Seifert, Santa Maria Valley YMCA

Vice Chairman: Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts

Past Chairman: Danny Deveraux, Calportland

Board Members

Sue Andersen, Marian Regional Medical Center

Dominick Barry, Quintron Systems, Inc.

Michael Boyer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast

Ron Cossa, Tolman & Wiker

Insurance

Donna Denham, Santa Maria Country Club

Karen Fothergill, Andre, Morris & Buttery

Gina Gluyas, Realtor, Better Homes And Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties

Emily Kitts, Naughty Oak Brewing Company

David Leroy, Toyota Of Santa Maria

David Merlo, Glenn Burdette

Luke Ontiveros, Santa Maria Bonita School District

Tere Paredes, Maya Restaurant

Era Polly, Era Polly Real Estate

Max Tucker, Best Western Plus Big America

Kevin G. Walthers, Allan Hancock College

Tim Williams, Digital West

Interested in Chamber volunteer leadership opportunities? Contact Molly Schiff, Director of Member & Community Engagement, at molly@santamaria.com to learn more about open positions on our committees.

CONTINUED - WEEKEND WINE TASTING, #SANTAMARIASTYLE

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This year’s stops include: Costa de Oro, also located next to a fan favorite barbecue stop – Cool Hand Luke’s; Cottonwood Canyon Winery; Two stops in charming Old Orcutt, where passengers can not only explore wine tasting rooms such as Steller’s Cellar and El Viñero, but also breweries such as Naughty Oak Brewing Company and Blast 825 Brewery, and other delicious restaurants; and the newest stop this year, the Santa Maria Public Market, offering a multitude of food, wine, and beer options.

“We are once again excited to have the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley hitting the road this year,” Jennifer Harrison, Santa Maria Valley’s Tourism Director said. “Not only can passengers explore and experience many of our local wineries, but it also is a fun way to get a full taste of Santa Maria Valley, from our local breweries, eateries, and shops!”

HOURS OF OPERATION:

The Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley runs Saturdays and Sundays, May 13th –November 26th (including Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday).

10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., step on and step off at your convenience

COST:

Cost is $15 per person in advance and $18 per person at the trolley. Tickets cover trolley transportation only.

Purchase tickets in advance at the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and Visitors Bureau located at 614 S. Broadway in Santa Maria.

Whether you are looking for a full taste of Santa Maria Valley or simply looking to enjoy Santa Maria Valley’s wine country, the Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley offers the perfect way to explore the region #SantaMariaStyle.

Scan to learn more about the 2023 trolley.

Pictured above: The Santa Maria Valley Wine Trolley is a good option for those excited to explore local wineries and tasting rooms this summer.

LEADERSHIP SANTA MARIA VALLEY EXPLORES TOPICS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

On Friday, April 14, 2023, the Leadership Santa Maria Valley class of 2023 embarked on another Topic Day, this time, centered around Sustainability and Natural Resources.

Starting off the day, the class met excited to travel to their first stop, Engel & Gray (E&G), where they were able to tour the facilities and learn about some of the composting efforts taking place right here in Santa Maria. Among many topics, the class learned about recycling efforts, agricultural waste, and even the process for building an ideal environment for microbes to work and break down bacteria. So much takes place at E&G– the class left enriched and certainly thankful for Mr. Bob Engel and his team’s hospitality.

In green fashion, the class commuted to their second stop in two vehicles just east of town at the Santa Maria landfill. A truly spectacular sight, the class learned about the orchestration of landfill practices and some of the challenges facing the landfill; specifically, space limitations whereby capacity will likely be exceeded by 2028. However, solutions are in place and expansion efforts are well underway with land having been purchased at Los Flores ranch back in 2006.

The class headed back to the CoastHills Credit Union Board Room where they were able to have a “Lunch and Learn” session with PG&E’s Chris Benjamin,

Director - Corporate Sustainability. Mr. Benjamin and his team presented the class with some of the incredible efforts taking place at PG&E to provide safe, reliable, affordable and most importantly, clean energy to its customers. He touched on many topics– educating the class on some statewide clean energy goals, PG&E’s role, and even some of the things the class, as individuals, can do to support the efforts. Visit guide.pge.com to learn more.

After a short break – the class was joined by Mark Funkhouser – Director of Sustainability / Custodial Services, Facilities Department at Chumash Casino Resort. Mr. Funkhouser provided the class with an incredibly

insightful window at how Chumash Casino underwent their journey to become the first casino in the world to earn TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) Zero Waste certification from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Mark touched on some of strategies and operational changes that he and the team implemented to achieve this goal, and provided insight as to how other organizations can also make progress towards a smaller carbon footprint.

Pictured above: LSMV class members visit the Engel & Gray during their Sustainability and Nautral Resources topic day in April.

Edwin Hwang, CPA VP of Finance, CoastHills Credit Union

LOCAL LEADERS WEIGH IN: DEVELOPING SANTA MARIA VALLEY

Each month, we’re asking our local leaders to weigh in on a timely topic. This month, we’re talking about the development of the Santa Maria Valley. We asked: “Santa Maria and the surrounding areas are planning for where and how anticipated growth would happen. We also need to think about how to make the community attractive to businesses and families. What do you think the Santa Maria Valley needs to be the community of choice for business and residents?”

“The Santa Maria Valley is well positioned to be a community of choice for residents of the central coast. It’s no secret that one of our biggest challenges in housing. If the city and county can find ways to build housing for working families, our community will see robust growth. Most of the infrastructure is in place: Marian Regional Medical Center is one of the nation’s top hospitals, our K-12 schools are solid and getting better every year, and Allan Hancock College is setting records for the number of graduates produced every year. ”

- Dr. Kevin Walthers Superintendent/President, Allan Hancock College

“As someone who was born and raised in the Santa Maria Valley and has lived in a number of larger cities, I can attest that we have our own unique culture and blend of communities that make it a special place to call home. In order to make it even more attractive to businesses and residents, we need to focus on building and expanding these elements. By focusing on building a strong community, providing education and training opportunities, and improving the quality of life for our residents, we can transform the Santa Maria Valley into a thriving hub that is not only a great place for people to call home but attracts and births businesses as well.”

- Ignacio Moreno President, Santa Maria Public Airport District

“Personally, I think we need more areas where housing and business are intermixed and you can walk from home to restaurants and coffee shops. I see other cities really embracing the outdoor, walking areas with attractive shops and restaurants. From a healthcare perspective, we need to grow our hospital and our physician base so that we can take care of a growing community.”

- Sue Andersen President & CEO, Marian Medical Regional Center

Scan to read more responses.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION & BE FEATURED ON CHAMBER SOCIAL MEDIA!

What are your thoughts on the Development of the Santa Maria Valley? How can our community become more attractive? Share your input by sending an email to isabel@santamaria.com, and we may feature you on our social media channels!

CHAMBER IN ACTION

1. Over 650 guests gathered in celebration of the 2023 Annual Strawberry Industry Recognition Dinner, raising over $6,000 for the Strawberry Commission Scholarship Fund. This year Luis Chavez, President of L&G Farming, Inc. received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

2. The Hispanic Business Committee hosted a mini-mixer event for 45 local Hispanic business owners to network and access resources.

3. In partnership with the Santa Barbara County Education Office, the Chamber hosted its most recent “Teacher Tours” day centered around the transportation industry for local high school CTE teachers to connect with local businesses.

4. Spring 2022 Junior CEO graduate, Lyla (age 12) of Lyla’s Luscious Lathers successfully continues her business launched through the Junior CEO program. Lyla is shown selling her products at a Street Market event in Nipomo .

5. Chamber Staff (David Hernandez and Suzanne Singh) taught two sessions of ‘How to Start a Business’ class at Allan Hancock College– connecting with approximately 150 individuals.

6. New Chamber Members are recognized during a recent Chamber Mixer at CASA of Santa Barbara County.

Here’s a look at what our Chamber & our member businesses have been up to this past month.

OUR MEMBERSHIP IS GROWING! CHAMBER WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

As champions for a stronger Santa Maria Valley, the Chamber is excited to welcome more businesses to our growing organization. Please join us in welcoming the following new Chamber members, who joined in April 2023.

Director: American Riveria Bank (805) 621-6390

www.americanriviera.bank

Corporate: First Student (805) 623-0710

www.firststudentinc.com

Premuim: Gina’s Piece of Cake (805) 922-7866

www.ginaspieceofcake.com

Member: Adobe (408) 753-5826

www.adobe.com

Altrusa Int’l Foundation of Golden Valley, Inc (805) 714-0761

www.altrusaofgoldenvalley.org

Artemis Artwork (805) 779-1622

www.artemisartworks.com

Member: Card My Yard Santa Maria (805) 868-8071

www.cardmyyard.com/santa-maria

Michelle G. Cothran, Trusted REALTOR at PB & Associates (805) 888-1114

www.pbnassoc.com/ michellegcothran/

Santa Barbara Home Power Program (832) 524-5966

www.sbhomepower.com

CELEBRATING LOCAL BUSINESS: CHAMBER RIBBON CUTTINGS

These Chamber member businesses recently celebrated joining the Chamber or a major business milestone with a ribbon cutting. Join us in congratulating them!

Montecito Bank & Trust

2125 S Broadway, Ste 101A, Santa Maria (805) 963-7511

www.montecito.bank

The Natural History Museum of Santa Maria

412 S McClelland St., Santa Maria (805) 614-0806

www.smnaturalhistory.org

Join the Chamber today by contacting Membership Manager, Cara Martinez at (805) 925-2403 ext. 852 or email cara@santamaria.com

MONTHLY FEATURED BUSINESSES: MELBY’S JEWELERS & ARENSDORF CHIROPRACTIC

Each month the Chamber in partnership with the City of Santa Maria recognizes two deserving businesses through the “Monthly Featured Business Program.” We are excited to announce this month’s recipients!

CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF THESE BUSINESSES!

Melby’s Jewelers is recognized at City Council as the long-standing featured business of the month for April 2023.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS!

How has being a Chamber member supported the growth of your business? Let us know by emailing isabel@santamaria.com.

Arensdorf Chiropractic is recognized at City Council as the Healthcare featured business of the month for April 2023.

If you know a long-standing or healthcare business in the City of Santa Maria who deserves recognition, email madison@santamaria.com to nominate them for this program.

CHAMBER MEMBER TESTIMONIAL

“The Santa Maria Valley Chamber has connected us more closely with our local community and businesses. Chamber events are excellent for networking and the chamber itself has provided great resources and support to our business.”

- Sunlife Farms Team

THANKS FOR READING!

Chamber Connection is the official monthly publication of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber. For questions about this publication or to be added to our monthly mailing distribution list, email isabel@santamaria.com.

Stay in the loop on upcoming events and other community announcements with Chamber text alerts! Text CHAMBER to 33222 to sign up.

Keep an eye out for a release of our upcoming local business spotlight highlighting the work of the United Way of Santa Barbara County!

The “Local Business Spotlight” program is an on-going collaboration between the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and the Santa Maria Times with the goal of showcasing great local businesses.

Interested in being the next Local Business Spotlight feature? Please email isabel@santamaria.com for more information.

(805) 925-2403

614 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA 93454

Above: United Way’s Eddie Taylor sits down with Chamber Staff for an interview as part of the Local Business Spotlight program.