Wow - what a relief to see the front page of the Chico ER read "Heading in the Right Direction" following last week's Business Summit & State of the City Address. To say that the last 5+ years have been a financial rollercoaster for our business community and city government would be an understatement.  And, here we are, at the start of 2016, celebrating how far we've come. Still, the Mayor tempered expectations in his Address last week by noting that reserves are drastically too low and staffing and technology are still underserved. We've got a long road ahead of us, but at least we're moving Chico forward.

The Chico Economic Snapshot produced by Mark Francis with Golden Valley Bank also offered good news with steady increases in our economic indicators. Mark noted that we've added 9,001 jobs to the region since our low point just a few years ago which - he noted with humor - equals the populations of both Gridley and Biggs combined. Yes, good news indeed. We'll soon publish a video of the Summit & State of the City Address thanks to BCAC-TV so stay tuned if you missed the event.

Lastly, I want to thank our incredibly deserving award recipients for their contributions to our community. It is through the recognition of these selfless acts of goodwill toward our community that we raise the bar ever higher. Take a peek at our Annual Dinner photos online and give our recipients a like and a share!

I hope to see you at a Community Safety Meeting this year - perhaps on the 11th of this month at Transfer Flow at 5:30pm. These are critical community conversations about public safety and your business presence keeps us all moving in the right direction. The time to get involved is now!