Chamber Connection- June 2024

CHAMBER CONNECTION

CONNECTING WITH THE HISPANIC BUSINESS COMMUNITY

The Santa Maria Valley boasts a rich history intertwined with a vibrant Hispanic community, which has long played a vital role in the region’s cultural and economic landscape. Recognizing the profound impact of this community, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce established the Hispanic Business Group (HBG) to extend outreach and support to Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesses.

The HBG’s mission is to offer the Hispanic business community valuable resources, networking opportunities, and assistance with various business issues and needs. The group is catered to the Hispanic community and its members, but you do not need to be Hispanic to join the group or be involved as we believe that we all succeed when we all work together. By fostering an environment where all businesses can thrive, the Chamber aims to strengthen the entire business community in the Santa Maria Valley.

CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee

Chairman: Paul Cook, CoastHills Credit Union

Chairman-Elect: Emily Kitts, Naughty Oak Brewing Company

Vice Chairman: Shannon Seifert, Santa Maria Valley YMCA

Vice Chairman: Dominick Barry, Quintron Systems, Inc.

Past Chairman: Sandra Dickerson, Your People Professionals

Board Members

Sue Andersen, Marian Regional Medical Center

Michael Boyer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast

Jeff Buckingham, Astound Business Solutions Powered by Digital West

Donna Denham, Santa Maria Country Club

Kelsi Fitzgerald, Veritas Innovative Pest & Termite Solutions

Karen Fothergill, Andre, Morris & Buttery

Antonio Garcia, Santa Maria Joint High School District

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

David Leroy, Toyota Of Santa Maria

David Merlo, Glenn Burdette

Tere Paredes, Maya Restaurant

Joshua Sahagun, Luttrell Staffing Group

Ryan Swack, Best Western Big America

Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts

Kevin G. Walthers, Allan Hancock College

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

HISPANIC BUSINESS COMMUNITY...

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One of the primary ways the HBG supports local Hispanic businesses is through education and networking events. These events are designed to foster growth and development within the community. Notably, our flagship “Grow Your Business” (GYB) events are held on the first Thursday of every month at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. These sessions provide local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with essential knowledge on topics beneficial to their ventures. For instance, recent presentations have included HR topics by YPP/HR Your Way, legal business tips from Kirk and Simas, and information on the Downtown Revitalization from the Vernon Group. Along with topics like this, GYB offers an array of topics that aim to help serve the needs of all of its members.

In addition to the monthly educational events, the HBG organizes three major mixers annually, typically in May, September, and December. These mixers are themed around significant Hispanic holidays, offering invaluable networking opportunities for the Hispanic business community to connect and collaborate. In the past we have celebrated holidays such as Cinco De Mayo, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Posadas tradition which is popular in Hispanic countries around Christmas time. These events not only celebrate cultural heritage but also facilitate deeper community engagement and business growth. Multiple businesses are present with their own booths and food, and live

entertainment is provided at these events. If you are looking to expand your network and learn more about the community these events are a perfect way to do that and are free and accessible to all members of the community.

Furthermore, the Hispanic Business Group looks to offer educational business support classes at Allan Hancock College bi-annually, further expanding its outreach and support to local entrepreneurs. These classes are tailored to equip business owners with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today’s competitive market. The Hispanic Business Group comprised of Hispanic business leaders and community members is dedicated to directing these initiatives and more.

If you are interested in connecting with Hispanic Business Group events, contact Efrain Salazar, Hispanic Business Representative, at efrain@ santamaria.com or (805) 534-3514.

On May 3, 2024, the Leadership Santa Maria Valley class set out to learn about Public Safety. The group had the opportunity to see how the men and women are trained and how they serve and protect the people living in and visiting our beautiful city of Santa Maria.

The tour started at the Santa Maria Police department located on Betteravia Road and was led by Gina Avalos, City of Santa Maria Outreach Coordinator for the Santa Maria Police Department. Chief Schneider talked about the Police Department and the proactive approach they are taking in preventing crime in our city and the police departments visibility and continued involvement in our community.

After a brief Q&A with Chief Schneider, Officers Meraz and Caro joined Gina for the remainder of the tour. The group toured the Administration areas of the department and more. The tour continued to the facility where the police vehicles are housed. The Leadership team was able to view their patrol vehicles, the department’s Humvees and the trailers that transport the two horses the department uses for mounted patrol.

LEADERSHIP SANTA MARIA VALLEY

TOPIC DAY HIGHLIGHTS PUBLIC SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITY

into evidence for preservation and further use in investigations.

Touring the 911 Dispatch Center was the last part of the tour. The dimly lit facility employs the Santa Maria Police Dispatch team that provide emergency services to residents, business owners and visitors of the Santa Maria Valley. Listening to an incoming call was insightful and gave the group an opportunity to ask questions about their training and what a day in the life of a dispatcher looks like.

After the first tour, the group met with Paul Cook, President/CEO of CoastHills Federal Credit Union. Paul presented an interactive discussion with the group on “What does leadership mean to you?”

The group then traveled to The Allan Hancock College Public Safety Training Complex at the Lompoc Center. Leadership was met by David Witham, Director of Public Safety Training (Law), Andy Densmore, Fire Coordinator and Devin Perea, Instructional Assistant for EMS Training, all with Allan Hancock College. An overview of all three academies, the training and the career opportunities were shared.

After time in the classroom, the group toured the 68-acre facility that includes academic buildings, a six-story fire tower, a shooting range, scenario village, prop house, skid pad/ slow speed driving skills area, and a one-mile emergency vehicle operator course (EVOC).

One of the goals in creating the complex is to accommodate joint training exercises, which would enable police, fire and EMT to train together, and simulate coordinated efforts they may face in the real world. “Because of our unique, state of the art facility, we have other programs from out of the area come here to do their training”, said Fire Coordinator Andy Densmore.

Overall, the tour was informative and gave great insight on what our leaders are doing to help keep the people in our cities safe. Having an advanced training facilities in our own backyard is encouraging that our public safety positions will be filled with local, experienced individuals.

A special thanks goes to all the tour guides and guest speakers that helped provide a wonderful topic day.

The group also learned how the police department books property

Leadership Santa Maria Valley getting a first person experience at the Allan Hancock Public Safety Training Complex!

BUSINESS EXPO & JOB FAIR REVIEW

Every year, the Chamber hosts a Business Expo to provide a space for networking opportunities and meeting the local business community. This year’s Expo also featured a job fair component with 25+ businesses looking to hire, while the Expo had 70+ businesses overall! Here are some highlights from this year’s Business Expo & Job Fair in partnership with the Santa Barbara Workforce Development Board, held at the Radisson Santa Maria.

Networking opportunities allow job seekers to meet employers and connect with business owners.

It’s never too early to explore the local job market!

Local media dropped by to cover the event! Thanks to KEYT’s Dave Alley for dropping by.

SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHAMBER CONNECTION

1st place winner of the “best booth” competition: Sonam Narayan, RealtorHomes from the Heart!

2nd place winner of the “best booth” competition: United Staffing Associates!

3rd place winner of the “best booth” competition: That One Photobooth, LLC!

CHAMBER IN ACTION

Here’s a look at what our Chamber has been up to this past month! 2 5 1 3 4 6

1. The Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2024 celebrated their graduation after a year of learning about the local community, government, organizations and networking. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

2. The Leadership Santa Maria Valley class toured the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Maria warehouse and learned more about the Foodbank’s process of purchasing and collecting food to distribute through the many volunteer organizations in the northern county.

3. The Chamber office and Visitor Center will temporarily be relocated at 391 Town Center E, Santa Maria 93454 at the Santa Maria Mall above Gina’s Piece of Cake while our regular office undergoes renovations. Stay tuned!

4. Check out our Santa Maria Valley hard hats from moving day... #SantaMariaStyle all day, everyday!

5. During our quarterly Business & Government Roundtable meeting, Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch and Santa Maria Chief of Police Marc Schneider joined us to discuss Prop 47 and its impact on business crime and how businesses can be proactive in crime prevention.

6. Aspiring kid entrepeneurs learn about business operations and ignite their own innovative ideas in this season’s Next-Gen CEO kick-off!

GROWING

MEMBERSHIP: 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 2024.

Investor: Goetz Manderley (805) 348-4036 www.goetzmanderley.com

Jamba - Santa Maria (805) 922-3240 www.jamba.com

Jamba - Arroyo Grande (805) 481-8930 www.jamba.com

Jamba - Chorro, SLO (805) 549-0637 www.jamba.com

Investor:

Jamba - Downtown SLO (805) 549-0733 www.jamba.com

The Management Trust - Central Coast Divison (805) 938-3131 www.managementtrust.com

Corporate: Elements Apartments LLC (805) 803-3939 www.elements-apartments.com

Simple Cafe (805) 698-3075 www.simplecoffeecafe.com

The Collective (805) 698-3075 www.collectivesm.com

Premium: El Pollo Loco unit 3882 (805) 347-1201 www.leemarunitedgroup.com

Kerosky & Gallelli LLP - Santa Rosa (805) 476-4899 www.kgimmigrationlaw.com

Kerosky & Gallelli LLP - Paso Robles (323) 617-0732 www.kgimmigrationlaw.com

Member:

Insight Agency Group (820) 946-4800 www.insightagencygroup.com

Santa Maria Civic Theatre (805) 925-5022 www.smct.org

LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: GUADALUPE SOCIAL CLUB

Each month, the Santa Maria Valley Chamber partners with the Santa Maria Times to showcase a local business in the Santa Maria Valley through the “Local Business Spotlight Series.”

Pictured above: Lexie Belle, Co-Owner of Guadalupe Social Club, spoke with us about her introduction to the hospitality industry, their booming event space, and how the local community has embraced their location!

Scan to view this month’s local business spotlight:

LEADERSHIP SANTA MARIA VALLEY NOW ACCEPTING

Leadership Santa Maria Valley is now accepting applications for the Class of 2025!

Are you looking for a way to get more involved in the community? Do you want to expand your circle of influence within the Santa Maria Valley? Would you like to be able to connect with decision makers and key leaders within our area and develop your leadership skills?

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR MEMBERS!

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

If so, Leadership Santa Maria Valley is for you! Since 1995, Leadership Santa Maria Valley has produced 400+ graduates serving in local organizations and government, service, nonprofit roles and more. For more information and to reserve your spot, contact Leadership Santa Maria Valley Program Director Terri Oneschuck at (805) 925-2403 x 824 or at terrio@santamaria.com.

“Proud to be Part of the Santa Maria Community! At PODS Moving and Storage, we’re honored to be a part of the vibrant Santa Maria community. The Chamber provides a fantastic platform for businesses like PODS to connect with the community and other local businesses. We believe in teamwork and are grateful for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber’s dedication to building a thriving local economy. We’re proud to be part of this incredible community!”

Steve Yapp

Owner, PODS Moving

and Storage

Leadership class visits Vandenberg Space Force Base!