Catalyst. Convener. Champion.
Chamber Connection SA NTA M A RIA VA LLE Y CH A MB E R MO NTHLY NE WS LE T TE R | JANUARY 202 1
Bright Spots in Unprecedented Times: Local Businesses Pivot & Adapt During COVID-19 2020 has taken its toll on everyone, and our local businesses were far from exempt. From the stay at home orders to everchanging regulations, businesses continue to face an incredibly challenging and unprecedented time. While things have been hard, an impressive number of businesses have found ways to use the current volatile landscape to their advantage, and the advantage of our local community. Here are some of the bright spots our local businesses have seen through creative problem solving and adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Putting Live Theatre Online “With both our theatres and conservatory training programs shut down, PCPA was able to keep its staff employed and patrons engaged by producing virtual programming, including workshops, seminars, play readings and its holiday cabaret . In addition, PCPA has been able to stay in partnership with the schools through its many workshops designed for the classrooms, including providing 75 Technical Theatre Career workshops for high school students and, at last count, over 50 interactive workshops for all grades in both acting and technical theatre.” - Maria Centrella, PCPA Theatre
Customers at Moxie Cafe enjoy a healthy meal outdoors. The local restaurant got creative with outdoor seating allowing them to double their outdoor dining area and serve more customers. Expanding Outdoor Options “At the Moxie Cafe we kept our doors open by focusing on our patio dining. We doubled our outdoor dining space by outfitting our lawn area with appropriately spaced table and chairs. There is no reason why we still cannot partake of healthy food during the pandemic!” - Jay Hardy, Moxie Cafe
Finding Strength in Resilience "In difficult times, rather than retreat, our management team leaned in: we added staff in key areas, invested in technology, rolled out new and enhanced services and became more efficient. Our 2020 success was embracing our culture of being nimble and decisive and never was that more valuable Continued on p.2
WHAT ' S INSIDE : JANUARY 2021 ISSUE
Leadership Santa Maria Valley p. 3
Chamber Month in Review p. 6
Marketing & Customer Retention p. 7
Chamber Board of Directors: 2020-2021 Executive Committee Chairman: Edgar Gascon, Hacienda Realty Chairman-Elect: Danny Deveraux, CalPortland Vice Chairman: Janet Silveria, Community Bank of Santa Maria Vice Chairman: Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts Past Chairman: Jean-Luc Garon, Radisson Hotel Santa Maria Board Members Mark Allen, Marian Regional Medical Center Ron Cossa, Tolman & Wiker Insurance Sandra Dickerson, Your People Professionals Donna Farrell, Santa Maria Town Center Karen Fothergill, Andre, Morris & Buttry Doug Janzen, The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center Emily Kitts, Naughty Oak Brewing Company David LeRoy, Toyota of Santa Maria Butch Lopez, V Lopez Jr. & Sons General Engineering Contractors David Merlo, Glenn Burdette Tere Paredes, Maya Restaurant Era Polly, Era Polly Real Estate Shannon Seifert, Santa Maria Valley YMCA Michelle Shipman, Searchlight Properties Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College Tim Williams, Digital West
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for a stronger Santa Maria Valley. Learn more about the Chamber by visiting www.santamaria.com.
Continued - Bright Spots for Business Continued from p.1 than during an unprecedented time in our history." - Ron Yukelson, Wilshire Health & Community Services Expanding Staff & Clients "In January we added a new partner to our Firm. Ben Watson has been instrumental in helping the Firm continue our superior client service while growing at a double digit rate in spite of COVID. He is an excellent addition and we are so thankful for him." - Patrick McDermott, McDermott & Apkarian, LLP
New Referrals & Expanded Reach "I am seeing more out of town clients with referrals from community members and businesses that provide services and resources to our aging population: Dignity Health, Home Health Care agencies, Area Agency on Aging, Hospice, Chamber, local podiatrists, and social networking. I've been able to do more networking from home via the Chamber zoom meetings, and I don't have to fight traffic to get anywhere!" - Tara Hoffman, Tara's Mobile Footcare
Shortening Project Completion Times "We were able to complete a City contract in a expedited fashion due to the low volume of traffic reducing the duration of lane closures and project completion time thus reducing the public impact." - Butch Lopez, V. Lopez Jr. & Sons Using Virtual to Expand Client Base "I have been able to pursue my consultation business more in-depth. Since
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the work has gone remote, I am not limited to providing consultation in my areas of specialty to businesses and other therapists just in Santa Maria, I am actively providing consultation to businesses all over CA now! I plan to go beyond CA by next summer!" - Greta Pankratz, Santa Maria Counseling Embracing the Virtual Environment "As far as internal day to day we have pivoted from paperwork orders to semipaperless. We have seen a significant reduction in the amount of office paper we are using. We have tried for many years to go paperless. This was the push we needed to get it fully implemented. We used to keep much of our work logs on clipboards, we now use the cloud to do that tracking. This has made our work more efficient. We have setup zoom office wide, so we can now communicate with the whole team in a few clicks when announcements used to be made in meetings or by making a tour around the shop. So, we have had a win for both efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint." - Jordan Sheppard, Signs of Success, Inc. Staying Connected in a Virtual Environment "The Rotary Club Santa Maria went ahead with a virtual fundraiser during Covid-19. All our bidders were delighted with affordable auction items and the 5 charities we selected as beneficiaries were extremely pleased with the results!" - Virginia Souza, The Rotary Club Santa Maria
Filling the Needs in our Community "Hancock College pivoted to meet the needs of our community through a food share program. Allan Hancock College Santa Maria campus became an Emergency Food Distribution site to provide a much needed service in our community." - Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College
Leadership Santa Maria Valley Publishes Bilingual Children's Book, "Strawberry Moon Says, Goodnight"
Leadership Santa Maria Valley recognizes the local artists featured in their bilingual children's book, "Strawberry Moon Says, Goodnight", at a safe and socially distant event at Rotary Centennial Park. Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2020 (a program of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce) recently completed 1 of 2 Legacy Projects. Amidst a global pandemic, their class not only built a mobile observatory, which will be ready to unveil in January, but they also wrote a bilingual children's book, Strawberry Moon Says, Goodnight, as their second Legacy Project. With our incredible community's help, they successfully held an art contest to find talented students to illustrate the book. Twenty artists were selected, who range in age from 9-17, to illustrate each verse, and WOW do we have incredible student artists in our community! What makes this book a Legacy? 100% of the book's sale proceeds will support literacy
programs at Northern Santa Barbara County United Way and art programs through P.L.A.Y. and the Boys & Girls Club of Mid Central Coast. The book is available for preorder at www.goodnightstrawberrymoon. com. Strawberry Moon Says, Goodnight is a sweet bedtime story from the moon's perspective looking down on the beautiful Santa Maria Valley. Located on the Central Coast of California, its mild climate allows for year-round adventures on sandy coastlines and rolling hills. Come along as the Strawberry Moon explores the Santa Maria Valley and surrounding area best known for its native wildlife, local beaches, huge famous strawberries, Santa Maria Style B.B.Q., and so much more!
Did you know Strawberry Moon is a nickname given to the full moon in the month of June by the Native American Algonquin tribe? It signifies the time of year to gather ripe, wild strawberries. Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2020 hosted a small, safe, and socially distant ceremony on December 5th at Rotary Centennial Park to recognize the art contest winners and honor the many community sponsors. The Santa Maria Valley community came together to donate time and resources to bring this book from idea to reality, and we couldn’t be more proud. Thank you to Claudia Cabrera Olsen and Santa Maria High School teacher, Mireya Luna, for translating the book.
Thank You To Our Book Sponsors Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2020 would like to express our sincere appreciation for our generous sponsors who made this book possible: • • • • • •
RRM Design Group Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Altrusa of Santa Maria Allan Hancock College Northern Santa Barbara County United Way Great Business Marketing
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | January 2021
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Honda of Santa Maria Toyota Of Santa Maria CalPortland SearchLight Properties Morris & Garritano Insurance Kiwanis of Santa Maria Noontime Rotary Club of Santa Maria Breakfast Diane Alleman-Stevens Santa Maria Association of Realtors 3
Chamber Membership Corner New Members: October & November 2020 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome these new members joining the Chamber. We appreciate their vote of confidence in our ability to add value to their business and to create a strong local economy together. We highly encourage individuals and businesses to support Chamber member businesses. Investor Level Orkin Central Coast 2320 Thompson Way, Suite G, Santa Maria (805) 541-3455 www.orkin.com Veritas Innovative Pest & Termite Solutions 2520 Skyway Dr. Unit A, Santa Maria (805) 608-3847 www.vippestsolutions.com Member FoodTrip (Opening Soon!) 230 E. Betteravia Road Unit F, Santa Maria (805) 361-0299 www.foodtripcentral.com American General Media Armando’s Autobody & Paint Inc. BBSI Babe Farms, Inc. Black Bear Diner - Santa Maria Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast CALM Cat Canyon Resources, LLC Certified Freight Logistics College and Career Readiness, Santa Barbara County Education Office Comcast Community Bank of Santa Maria Community Carpenters Diani Companies Family Care Network, Inc. Golden State Water Company Innovative Produce J. Wilkes Wines Jack's All American Plumbing Mega 97.1/La Buena Morris & Garritano Insurance Moxie Cafe New Life Painting/Bath & Kitchen/Restoration NKT Commercial I, LLC Orkin Central Coast PCPA - Pacific Conservatory Theatre Phillips 66 Pipeline LLC Phoenix Property Inspections/ Veritas Innovative Pest & Termite Solutions Plantel Nurseries Safran Cabin Santa Maria Safran Seats Santa Maria Santa Barbara Foundation Santa Maria Bonita School District Santa Maria Country Club Santa Maria Joint Union High School District SCORE San Luis Obispo SESLOC Federal Credit Union Smith’s Alarms & Electronics, Inc. SM Tire SunOpta Testa Catering Tileco Distributors, Inc. The Towbes Group, Inc. Trojan Petroleum, Inc. Urban Planning Concepts/ Rural Planning Services VTC Enterprises Walmart #2507 Wave Business Wells Fargo Bank Wine & Design Orcutt WSPA Xtreme Electronics The Y
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Cresco Labs 207 Orcutt Road, Orcutt (805) 755-9717 www.crescolabs.com Tara's Mobile Footcare Santa Maria, CA 93455 (805) 264-5141 www.tarasfootcare.wixsite.com/1995
Farmers Insurance - Shannon Denison 338 E. Betteravia Rd., Suite A, Santa Maria (805) 310-5045 www. agents.farmers.com/ca/santa-maria/ shannon-denison Home Builders Association of the Central Coast 3765 S. Higuera St. Ste. 102, San Luis Obispo (805) 546-0418 www.hbacc.org Get Socked Up 235 Town Center E, Santa Maria (805) 260-0901 BHGRE Haven Properties 2646 Santa Maria Way, Ste. 106, Santa Maria (805) 592-2050 California Mentor Group 124 Carmen Lane, Suite D, Santa Maria (480) 440-6841 www.thementornetwork.com
Manny Fajardo, Jr. MBA - PB & Associates 1619 S. Broadway, Santa Maria (805) 863-8820 www.homesbymannyrealestate.com
Member Upgrades: October & November 2020 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce thanks the following companies for upgrading their membership by stepping up their commitment to our Chamber Investor Program and to the communities of the Santa Maria Valley. Investor Level World Financial Group, The Altergott Strategic Focus Team Santa Maria (520) 250-9505 http://WFGconnects.com/naomialtergott
Renewing Members: November 2020 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is excited to recognize these partners who strive each day to create jobs, boost our local economy and build a community of which we can all be proud. Thank you for your loyalty and continued support in renewing your commitment to the Chamber and to the communities of Santa Maria Valley. 72 Years: Engel & Gray, Inc.
The Natural History Museum of Santa Maria
69 Years: Olivera Properties, LLC
20 Years: Coastal Voices
59 Years: MIDI INC. dba Valley Glass & Mirror
19 Years: American General Media
48 Years: Charter Brokerage & Investments Company
18 Years: Golden State Water Company
40 Years: Pacific Premier Bank
15 Years: Coastal Community Builders Ricky's House of Pizza
36 Years: Atlas Performance Industries 33 Years: Richard J. Healy, DDS 32 Years: Rizzoli's Automotive 24 Years: Got You Covered 23 Years: St. Andrew United Methodist Church 21 Years: Minerva Club
13 Years: Riverbench Vineyard & Winery 12 Years: Achievement House Inc.
Target Marketing, Inc. 8 Years: Walmart Neighborhood Market 7 Years: SA Recycling 6 Years: Safran Cabin Santa Maria SCORE 5 Years: North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center Shred 2 You, Inc 4 Years: Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara \ County
11 Years: Mega 97.1
3 Years: Fusion Colors Auto Body Law Office of Philip F. Sinco Orcutt Community Theater
10 Years: Adam Bros. Farming, Inc. Target Marketing, Inc.
2 Years: Al Pho Budget Blinds of Santa Maria
9 Years: Adam Bros. Farming, Inc.
Grow Your Network: Chamber Now Accepting Applications for Various Committees Interested in building your professional network, building your leadership skills and getting involved in the community? The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce has openings available for 2021 on a number of their committees including the Chamber Ambassador Committee, Business & Government Roundtable, and Santa Maria Connect! Young professionals Group. Learn more and apply santamaria. com/committee-interest-form. Questions? Contact Glenn Morris, President/CEO at glenn@santamaria.com. The Santa Maria Connect! Young Professionals Group is a great way for local young professionals to connect with other emerging leaders in the community. Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | January 2021
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Working Hard on Your Behalf: Chamber Month in Review The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is here for business. We are a catalyst for business growth, convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for a stronger Santa Maria Valley. We continue to work hard to serve our members, local businesses and the Santa Maria Valley community. Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been up to lately.
Catalyst for Business Growth • • •
The Chamber launched two campaigns to encourage the community to shop local; a selfie contest and receipt reimbursement program. The Chamber promoted their Shop Local Holiday Gift guide by highlighting local businesses daily on social media. The Chamber has reinstated their #takouttuesday promotion on social media and has updated their local dining guide.
Convener of Leaders and Influencers • • • • • • • •
The Santa Maria Chamber partnered with other Chambers in our region to petition the Governor to separate the Central Coast into its own region when evaluating ICU capacity. Over 5,000 individuals signed the petition. The Santa Maria Chamber partnered with other local chambers to host the State of the County for Santa Barbara County. The Chamber continues to host weekly BYB (Build Your Business) networking meetings via zoom. Santa Maria Connect! held their final board meeting for 2020, and recognized and thanked their outgoing board members with locally curated gift boxes. The Santa Maria Chamber partnered with other chambers in their region to hold a holiday regional mixer. The Santa Maria Chamber partnered with CalChamber to offer a webinar on the updated California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) regulations concerning COVID-19 in the workplace. As a member of the Tri-County Chamber Alliance, the Chamber hosted a webinar featuring the US Chamber and the Alliance’s Sacramento-based lobbyist sharing insights into the implications of the recent election and forecasts for legislative action to come in 2021. The Santa Maria Chamber partnered with Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) to host a forum on job preparation tips for local high school students. The forum is part of an ongoing monthly FBLA series the Chamber is hosting.
Champion for a Stronger Santa Maria Valley • • • • • • • •
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The Chamber released results from their November COVID-19 impact survey and continues to survey members on a monthly basis to gauge how the pandemic is impacting our local business community. Leadership Santa Maria Valley class of 2020 launched their bilingual children’s book, “Strawberry Moons Says, Goodnight” and recognized their local artists at a socially distanced outdoor ceremony. The Chamber released their 2020 vote record. The Chamber’s board hosted a series of focus groups, inviting local businesses to share their priorities and needs for 2021. The Chamber provided marketing and logistical support to the City of Santa Maria and the Santa Barbara Foundation in soliciting and reviewing applications for their Better Together Small Business Grants. The Visitors Bureau achieved the #1 and #2 spot on Google search for "Santa Maria Varietals" - above Wikipedia! The Visitors Bureau had 124 new email sign-ups in November, an increase of more than 125% The Visitors Bureau hosted a few familiarization (FAM) tours prior to the latest shutdown, resulting in four stories this month and bringing their FAM total to 10 so far this fiscal year. This included coverage from the Wine Institute, a few different Visit CA pitches and influencer content through Live Like It's the Weekend. Forbes, Robb Report and Yahoo! also covered wines of Santa Maria Valley over two topics.
Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2020 celebrated the launch of their bilingual children's book, "Strawberry Moon Says, Goodnight" at a socially distant ceremony in Rotary Centennial Park.
Marketing: You'll lose customers the same way you gain them Marketing and advertising are only part of the equation when attracting new clients. Service is perhaps the single most important aspect of any business. If your business provides good service, but you are still losing clients, it is important to identify the reasons. We have identified some of the problems local businesses encounter when marketing to potential and existing clients. Many entrepreneurs and small businesses in the service industry have difficulty determining value. Whether you want to be at the top or bottom of the price range, or somewhere in-between, you do need a starting point. Research what other companies in similar markets are charging for their services. Setting your price too low at first can make it difficult to retain clients once you have to raise them. Let's look at some of the factors that influence client retention. The Importance of Appearance Consider the appearance of the company. When marketing your business, do you advertise low prices or a fast turn-around? Are you focused on creating an image of luxury and comfort, or are you targeting teens? Take a hard, realistic look at what your marketing and ads say about the business, and how this influences a potential or current customer's perception. Consider whether your image has changed recently. For instance, consider a clothing store that has provided family clothing in the past and has now chosen to focus on a teens, neglecting their current customers. This example illustrates an obvious change that may or may not be in
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Building and retaining relationships with both new and existing customers are equally important when maintaining a positive reputation of your business. the businesses' best interest, but is one that will lead to the loss of existing customers. Will these changes bring in enough new customers, and revenue, to replace what is lost? Is the business "user friendly"? Potential customers are typically courted during the sales process, offered deals, and presented with a can-do attitude. This can create a two-fold problem. First, are you actually able to provide what has been promised once the client is retained? Secondly, are you putting this much effort into retaining current clients? Is any effort put into retaining current clients? Build Customer Relationships Creating a relationship with customers makes it easier to not only retain them, but to obtain new customers as well. Word of mouth is the best advertising. A satisfied customer will sing your praises, while an unsatisfied customer can wreak havoc on the reputation of your business. Customer service is a valuable tool that should be implemented. Take time to foster a relationship with your regular customers and learn what you can do to increase their satisfaction with your products or services. You will gain valuable insight that will
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | January 2021
increase the businesses' bottom line. Marketing Consistency and Value It is important to consistently contact customers to show them you value their business. Depending on the type of store you own, you might send them a monthly coupon or notice of a special that is operating. Not all contact should be marketing, providing the customer with something of value is important too. A paint store could send out an email showing the 5 most popular colors for the coming season. A gardening store could send out a monthly what to do list, while an HVAC business could send out reminders to change filters. We recommend taking a hard look at your existing customer base and the image and reputation of your business. There are many ways to increase business by adding new customers, but the general rule of thumb has always been that it is less expensive to retain an existing customer than obtaining a new one. Please feel free to stop by the Chamber and learn more about our services.
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Stay Connected with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber Visit: 614 S. Broadway, Santa Maria Call: (805) 925-2403 Email: info@santamaria.com
614 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA 93454
Website: santamaria.com Facebook: facebook.com/SMVCC Twitter: twitter.com/SMVCC Instagram: santamariachamberofcommerce Email List: bit.ly/SMVCCMailingList Text Message Alerts: Text "CHAMBER" to 33222 Chamber Connection is the official monthly publication of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. For questions about this publication or to be added to our monthly mailing distribution list, email molly@santamaria.com.
Support Our Local Restaurants & Win a Santa Maria Valley Staycation During The Great Santa Maria Valley Takeout! The Santa Maria Valley Visitors Bureau is excited to announce “The Great Santa Maria Takeout” kicking off on January 22nd – January 31st, 2021! The promotion is a way to highlight and support our local restaurants, cafes, wineries and breweries. We'll have a dining guide available highlighting all the delicious food and drink options the Santa Maria Valley has to offer. Additionally, we'll be hosting a selfie contest where you could win a Santa Maria Valley Staycation package, just for dining local! More details to come! Visit santamariavalley.com /restaurantmonth and follow us on Instagram (@ santamariavalley) for the latest news on The Great Santa Maria Valley Takeout!
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau 614 S. Broadway, Santa Maria | (805) 925-2403 | santamaria.com | info@santamaria.com 8